Although both donate their time and expenses and the site makes no income, it was born with a fiscal mission. Star Island is an expensive physical facility to operate and maintain. The Corporation must consider the bottom line and the conferences need to be full. A web site, they reasoned, was the way to find enough new shoalers to keep their annual weeklong program afloat. Despite the ups and downs of dot-com stocks, the Web is growing at a rate that would melt your old sliderule.
More people use it more often.
They find information, especially when it comes to vacation travel. If a hotel isn't on the Web today, it isn't considered. Four years ago it was the web that wasn't considered. Meanwhile, they have achieved their Natural History group's financial goals in under two years with no budget. They work together without actually being together.