100 Monterey County GIVES! 2024 mcgives.com Environment & Sustainability DONate online mcgives.com Carmel River Steelhead Association Year Founded: 1974 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 0 paid, 113 volunteers Budget: $19,000 624-8497 carmelsteelhead.org Big Idea: The Carmel River Steelhead Association continues its Big Idea project, developing a continuum of fish DNA since 2021. Determining the descendants of fish in Cachagua Creek helps the nonprofit prove whether its innovative fish rescue operations actually benefit steelhead on the Carmel River. This year, the nonprofit earned the ability to run its own operations by obtaining a scientific collection permit and will use donations to continue its training certification programs to help this work live on into the future. “The Carmel River Steelhead Association has been advocating for our river and its steelhead for 50 years. The Esselen Tribe of Monterey County is working with the Association in their combined efforts to restore the Carmel River and the animals that depend on it. The ancestors of the Esselen Tribe used this river and its bountiful gifts of water and food for centuries. It is a very important part of the overall health of these beautiful surroundings. It is through our efforts and those of our partners, like Carmel River Steelhead Association, that we are working to bring back a healthy environment to support what once was a thriving river with a steelhead population in the thousands.” -Tom Nason, Esselen Tribe chairman Elkhorn Slough Foundation Year Founded: 1982 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 30 paid, 120 volunteers Budget: $5,000,000 728-5939 elkhornslough.org Big Idea: With a mission to conserve one of California’s last great coastal wetlands, Elkhorn Slough Foundation (ESF) is dedicated to protecting more than 4,000 acres of native habitats, organic farms and working ranches. This Big Idea also includes ESF’s efforts to respond to climate change, safeguarding local biodiversity, protecting groundwater, and reducing the risk of wildfires that threaten wildlife and neighboring communities. Donations fund efforts to protect biodiversity, including the slough’s 16 plant and animal species identified as endangered or threatened. “I am personally moved by the aphorism, ‘The meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.’ In supporting ESF, we have the wonderful opportunity to both plant the trees and enjoy the shade of those trees. Elkhorn Slough is a sanctuary of unparalleled natural beauty and ecological significance. Its delicate ecosystems teem with diverse flora and fauna, making it a home for countless species. By preserving these habitats, we not only ensure the survival of rare and endangered plants and animals, but also uphold our responsibility to future generations.” -Robert Hartmann Habitat Stewardship Project Year Founded: 1994 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 10 paid, 850 volunteers Budget: $345,729 582-3373 csumb.edu/hspmb Big Idea: Six days a week, the Habitat Stewardship Project connects students and community members to the spectacular natural settings that surround us, yet can remain out of reach—for example, kids from the Salinas Valley who have never been to the beach. This Big Idea hosts nature field trips for elementary school students every weekday, introducing some youth to the ocean for the first time. On Saturdays, weekend volunteer events help people relax and ALBA Year Founded: 2001 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 11 paid, 0 volunteers Budget: $2,259,000 758-1469 albafarmers.org Big Idea: ALBA has a big mission: to help ambitious farmworkers succeed in developing their own businesses in Monterey County’s largest industry. ALBA’s Big Idea supports the newly constructed Farmworker Opportunity Center, the biggest capital investment in the nonprofit’s history and a big step toward building the only campus dedicated to farmworker learning in the nation. After nearly 25 years, ALBA’s classroom and workspaces are overcrowded, limiting service delivery of ALBA’s sustainable farming education. Donations will help this nonprofit grow into the next stage of its mission to help farmworkers advance their careers and become organic farm owners. “ALBA was very beneficial for me. I saw farming as just planting and harvesting. ALBA showed me how to be a businessman and a better farmer.” -Rigo spotlight “Connecting the community with the local environment is crucial to protecting our planet.” -Jeni Schmedding, Habitat Stewardship Project
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