Non-profit organizations (NPOs) are in a position to help fix some systemic problems and build community projects that will move Exuma into an even better place economically and environmentally, explained Bob Coughlin, the co-founder of the NPO Friends of Exuma, on Friday.

Coughlin spoke at the Rotary Club of East Nassau's regular meeting. He explained that he and a team he has brought together have begun to fund park projects, empower Exuma residents to begin their own projects and raise money, and tackle vexing infrastructure problems that threatened the economic viability of an Exuma landmark.

Coughlin described that landmark, Elizabeth Harbour, which is a popular destination for boaters in the Exumas, as the Wild West because of a lack of rules, moorings and pump out facilities.

He explained that those deficiencies threaten the environment of Elizabeth Harbour and recently threatened the business of a popular bar frequented by visitors to Stocking Island, Chat N' Chill.

"We want to start doing things for Elizabeth Harbour because right now one of our problems is we have 300 to 400 boats in the harbor, and there's no pump out," said Coughlin.

"And there's no rules and there's no moorings, it's the Wild West.

"And everybody kind of likes that, on one hand. On the other hand, some of the boaters are now saying this isn't good. It's getting to a point that it's damaging the habitat, and it's making it unsanitary on top of that.

"But the issue of trying to change that is something that's a change management exercise in the community and figuring out your stakeholders and all that.

"Well, our role is to say if money's needed in that process, let's figure out how we can help. But what we did was we said we're going to create a harbor fund. And the harbor fund is going to be for two things. It's going to support both Elizabeth Harbour and the Moriah Harbour project, and we're gonna have a memorandum of understanding between them."

He added: "They just had to shut down Chat N' Chill, which is big, for two weeks... which is a huge tourist attraction, because they weren't cleaning up their garbage.

Coughlin is the founder of software company PAYCOR, which is valued at $3.1 billion. He has built a life on Exuma and has helped to create a relationship between the Cincinnati Zoo and the Moriah Harbour Cay project in the Exumas, that could create a funding mechanism for the park that comes directly from the zoo.

He added that he has worked to help breathe new life into the Canadian Foundation on Exuma in order to expand the outreach to the island.

"The other thing we've done is partner with the Canadian Foundation, which was somewhat sleepy and dormant," he said.

"And I've kind of dragged them to the party and said, 'let's go'. And they are now raising good money and doing good things and doing super work."

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