The photograph included with this mailing show some of the visible damage. The concern is not simply cosmetic. A significant cavity has developed beneath the ramp, contributing to settlement and making the ramp increasingly steep. If deterioration continues, the affected areas may become unstable and continued vehicle and trailer use could eventually become unsafe or require restrictions.

Repairing the Ramp Before the Cost Grows

A marine contractor has estimated that repairing and stabilizing the existing ramp will cost approximately $32,000. 

This is our immediate fundraising goal with a deadline of November 30, 2026 to act!

We were also advised verbally that if deterioration continues and the ramp eventually requires complete replacement, the cost could exceed $150,000.

Repairing the ramp now may preserve an important community asset while avoiding a substantially more expensive replacement project—or the potential loss of ramp access altogether.

Our Community Is Responding

We are encouraged that 7 neighbors have already pledged a total of $6,500! So we are off to a great start!

The pledge form included in this communication allows residents to make a one-time contribution, pledge an amount for a future date (deadline set for November 30, 2026), contribute through installments, offer an eligible in-kind gift or service, and choose whether to be publicly recognized or remain anonymous.

If you are able to pledge or donate $1,000, we sincerely appreciate your generosity. If that amount is not practical, please consider giving from the heart in whatever amount is comfortable for your household.

Every pledge and donation—large or small—moves us closer to preserving safe and reliable access to Clear Lake.

Clear Lakes Foundation and AquaTerra Foundation

Donations for this project will be administered through Clear Lakes Foundation, now operating as a local program of AquaTerra Foundation, Inc., in support of the Isle of Catalina Waterways Committee and the Boat Ramp Repair Project.

AquaTerra Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on environmental stewardship, conservation, education, waterway protection, and community restoration. Clear Lakes Foundation will continue serving as the familiar local program supporting Clear Lake and the Isle of Catalina waterways.

Contributors will receive a written acknowledgment after a completed donation is received, as appropriate, for their tax records. A pledge documents an intention to contribute and is not itself a receipt for a completed charitable gift.

PLEDGE CAMPAIGN DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 30, 2026

Once the pledge and donation period closes, the results will help guide the next steps for the repair project.

Help Us Improve Community Communications

Several residents have asked for additional ways to receive updates beyond email and Nextdoor. AquaTerra Foundation uses the Givebutter platform for campaign communications, pledge management, and future online giving, so you may soon receive emails co-branded with AquaTerra Foundation and Givebutter. If you have not received any email communication and would like to start receiving Waterways Committee communication, please email canalcommittee@gmail.com with your contact information.

To opt in to text-message updates, text Daniel Gracia at 407-489-6966 with your name, Isle of Catalina address, email address, and a note requesting Foundation text updates.

You may also update your communication preferences at:

info@aquaterrafoundation.org

Our next project update will be via email through the Givebutter platform and will include additional information and supporting documents, including the current boat-ramp repair quote as it is updated. Please make sure to be added to the email communication and/or text communication for immediate updates.

Thank you for supporting the preservation of safe and reliable access to Clear Lake for our community.

AquaTerra Foundation, Inc.
d/b/a Clear Lakes Foundation

DONATE NOW

PLEDGE FORM

Now that the underwater treatments are being applied, don’t forget that the battle is not over.  Consider contacting a few of your neighbors to chip in on purchasing “Muck Pellets” and also contributing to adding aerators and for repair of damaged aerators. In the links below are examples of the aerators being used and also the muck pellets being used.  These can be found on Amazon.

It will take all of us, contributing a little each, to keep our canals clean.

There is a muck removal process that we are considering.  View the video on for an example of how it works.  In the next few weeks we will be testing a modified version of this machine to see if we already have the basic machinery to build this type of system.

Waterways testing continues to be done on a monthly basis by volunteers.  We need a couple of more volunteers to pitch in.  Training is free, you just need a boat and a handheld GPS.  Consider volunteering a couple house of your time every month.

We are proud to have Applied Aquatic Management Company as our partner to help us professionally analyze our lake and help develop appropriate treatments, when they are needed.