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Songwriter launches effort to aid seabirds
By BOB McCLURE
| Article published on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 |
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![[Image]](/content_images/062408_bhb-01.jpg) |
| Photo by BOB McCLURE |
| Songwriter Melinda Lindsey of Redington Shores hopes to raise conservation awareness through a new multi-media campaign called Pelican Pals. |
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REDINGTON SHORES – A local songwriter and a well-known music producer have teamed up to form a nonprofit organization to help preserve Florida’s seabird population.
Melinda Lindsey of Redington Shores has joined forces with record producer Tony Bongiovi, a cousin of recording artist Jon Bon Jovi, to form Pelican Pals, a 501(c)3 charity to raise money for projects to help strengthen the state’s population of pelicans and other seabirds.
Pelican Pals is an off-shoot of Earthfriends Inc., a nonprofit production company formed in 2007 by Lindsey and Bongiovi.
Lindsey, the 52-year-old founder of Pelican Pals, hopes to raise funds through production of a music video, public service announcements and documentary syndication. The music video, which features Lindsey’s “Song For The Earth,” is expected to be released within two months through Bongiovi’s recording studio in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
In the meantime, Lindsey has launched a media campaign through Bright House Networks promoting the effort and its Web site, www.pelicanpals.org.
“My campaign is designed to make people aware of red tide and its devastating effects (on food supplies) to wildlife,” said Lindsey. “This is probably the worst time in history to be starting a charity but for as little as $1 people can send a buck to feed a bird.”
Lindsey said she hopes to ultimately provide financial assistance to the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary in Redington Shores and Pelicanman Sanctuary in Sarasota.
However, Michelle Simoneau, a spokeswoman for the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, said there is no formal agreement in place between the sanctuary and Lindsey.
“We would be very gracious to accept anything she raises,” said Simoneau, “but there is no commitment or contract between the two organizations. We still prefer people to donate directly to us.”
According to Wikipedia, the sanctuary is one of the top avian rehab centers in the world and in 2002 over 10,000 birds representing 159 species were admitted for care. About 80 percent of the birds that survive the first 24 hours are eventually released back into the wild.
The sanctuary gained notoriety in recent years for its captive breeding of Eastern brown pelicans. It currently has six chicks that were born earlier this spring.
Lindsey said she hopes to help fund the sanctuary’s annual $750,000 operation cost and raise about $500,000 to reopen the Pelicanman facility.
She said 80 percent of net proceeds from Pelican Pals will go to conservation and the remaining amount reinvested in productions.
“I’ve invested a fortune personally and not received much in return,” said Lindsey, “but it will take time for it to take off.”
In 1990, Lindsey and Bongiovi worked with Noel Brown at the United Nations Environmental Program and NASA scientists on a multi-media project titled “Only One Earth.” It was there that they first learned of red tide as it had been observed from space.
Prior to that, Lindsey wrote, performed and produced environmental music under the name Melody King. Her song “We Must Save Our Planet” received radio air play in 30 states, along with Carly Simon’s single “Turn of the Tide.” Lindsey said she, Bongiovi and Simon later worked on another production of the song with Ben Taylor, the son of Simon and James Taylor, as the performing artist.
In 1993, Lindsey co-wrote with Bongiovi “Let It Be Earth Day Every Day,” a multi-media project that helped raise awareness for dolphins that were being suffocated in tuna nets.
“This (Pelican Pals) is just a natural for me,” she said. “I’m a songwriter and I love nature. If I can use songwriting as a method to educate people about wildlife it will be worth the effort.”
For more information, call 813-597-5442.
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Article published on Tuesday, June 24, 2008
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