hearing this rare pledge of cooperation between anti-captivity organizations and a captive-display facility, NMFS announced its decision — it would intervene to save Springer, and would go with the combined seapen rehabilitation/translocation/reintroduction plan, with Vancouver Aquarium as the lead non-government organization on the Canadian side. Shortly after the NMFS announcement and without explanation, Vancouver Aquarium backed out of the coalition. But the NMFS-approved plan to rescue and repatriate Springer would still go forward, but because of the Aquarium's change-of-heart, the effort was again without funding. NMFS could not shoulder the costs of the project, and Vancouver Aquarium made it very clear that they had no interest in doing so, either. Unless a new funding source was located immediately, the intervention could not happen. Springer's prognosis in Puget Sound was getting worse every day. Prescott Grant and Orphaned Orca Fund Conservationists then presented an idea to NMFS — the Springer project could be funded by the newly established John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant, taking advantage of language inserted by Washington's Congressional delegation that provided "priority consideration for gray whale and orca strandings in the Pacific Northwest." Although not a stranded whale, if Springer were deemed by NMFS as a "pending stranding," the agency might be able to expedite the Prescott money. NMFS agreed to the plan. Applications were made for two $100,000 USD grants, with a requirement that both be triggered by 1/3 matching contributions, or a total of $66,667 USD. NMFS invited five nonprofit organizations to form the "Orphaned Orca Fund" (OOF) to raise the matching funds for the Prescott grants — Orca Alliance, Project SeaWolf, People for Puget Sound, The Whale Museum and Orca Conservancy. Free Willy-Keiko Foundation/Earth Island Institute and Friends of the San Juans would soon join OOF at the invitation of Orca Conservancy. The new coalition immediately passed a Motion that stated that "no funds raised by OOF can be used to remove A73 to a marine facility." The next day, Project SeaWolf resigned from OOF. But the group continued assisting the Springer project in material ways, particularly when the time came to rescue and repatriate the orca. The public response to helping Springer was overwhelming. In a matter of weeks, OOF successfully raised the matching funds to trigger the Prescott grants. There was now approximately $266,666 USD in cash and in-kind services and equipment available to the project, by most accounts more