The Sierra Fund celebrated our 15th anniversary this month, along with all that we’ve accomplished in 2016 to further our mission to increase and organize investment in protecting and restoring the natural resources and communities of the Sierra Nevada.
Our move to a beautiful new office in June has supported TSF’s collaborative and scientific activities with a spacious conference room and a lab area. We now have the room we need to support a growing organization, including two staff who joined the team this year: Beth Bordner as Operations Manager and Kelsey Westfall as Outreach Coordinator & Policy Assistant, hired after two years of service with TSF through the Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership (SNAP) program.
In addition, TSF has increased the visibility of our organization by featuring our research projects at three conferences, and the visibility of the Sierra by bringing leaders on tours of the region and bringing pertinent Sierra issues to the Capital. TSF was instrumental in the passage of two bills this year to amend the Surface Mining and Reclamation Act (SMARA), representing the most significant reform to mining law in a generation.
The Sierra Fund was the recipient of two prestigious awards in 2016. The first, the Irvine Leadership Award, allowed TSF to invest in a six month strategic planning effort that will culminate in our new five-year plan, to be released in 2017. The second, the California Wellness Foundation Sabbatical Award, will facilitate the long term effectiveness of CEO Izzy Martin’s leadership by financing her sabbatical in the summer of 2017, while enhancing the professional development of the TSF team.
Click here to view a full summary of TSF’s 2016 accomplishments and activities.
A huge thank you goes to our partners and donors who support and enhance the success of our work, including the James Irvine Foundation, the California Wellness Foundation, the Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation, Bella Vista Foundation, Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment, Patagonia and Firedoll Foundation.
If you think we’re doing great work, please consider supporting us with a tax-deductible donation. Click here to make a secure, online contribution.
