Resources Legacy Fund

RESOURCES LEGACY FUND BUILDS ALLIANCES THAT ADVANCE BOLD SOLUTIONS TO SECURE A JUST AND RESILIENT WORLD FOR PEOPLE AND NATURE.

IN 2020, RESOURCES LEGACY FUND (RLF) FURTHERED ITS WORK TO CONSERVE LAND, WATER, AND OCEAN RESOURCES WHILEADVANCING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES AND SOCIAL EQUITY.SELECT RLF ACCOMPLISHMENTS DURING 2020:DAM REMOVALIN 2020, RLF'S OPEN RIVERS FUND (ORF) CONTINUED REMOVING DAMS IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES. ORF FUNDING SUPPORTED THE DECONSTRUCTION OF 11 DAMS IN MONTANA, OREGON, WASHINGTON, WYOMING, AND UTAH AND THE PLANNING NECESSARY TO ADVANCE REMOVAL OF 25 ADDITIONAL DAMS IN 2021 IN STATES ACROSS THE WEST. ORF PROJECTS REDUCE FLOOD RISK, ELIMINATE THE LIABILITY OF A DECAYING DAM, RESTORE NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURAL PRACTICES, MODERNIZE IRRIGATION INFRASTRUCTURE FOR RANCHERS AND FARMERS, IMPROVE BOAT PASSAGE, AND IMPROVE HABITAT FOR FISHERIES THAT PROVIDE FOOD, SUSTAIN NATIVE CULTURE, AND ATTRACT ANGLERS. RLF LAUNCHED ORF IN NOVEMBER 2016 WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE WILLIAM AND FLORA HEWLETT FOUNDATION. ORF IS WORKING ON PROJECTS IN 51 WATERSHEDS SPANNING ALASKA, ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA, COLORADO, IDAHO, MONTANA, NEW MEXICO, OREGON, WASHINGTON, WYOMING, AND UTAH. THE FUND'S PORTFOLIO OF PROJECTS IS DIVERSE IN SIZE, BENEFITS, PARTNERS, APPROACHES, AND PROSPECTS FOR SUCCESS. ORF IS ALSO MAKING PROGRESS ON ITS BROADER GOAL OF GENERATING POLICIES, FUNDING, AND PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE TO FOSTER ONGOING SUPPORT FOR DAM REMOVAL.LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUNDA LONG-TIME FOCUS FOR RLF AND ITS PARTNERS HAS BEEN TO ACHIEVE PERMANENT AUTHORIZATION AND FULL FUNDING ($900 MILLION ANNUALLY) OF THE LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND (LWCF), THE FEDERAL CONSERVATION FUNDING SOURCE THAT HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL FOR DECADES IN ADVANCING STRATEGIC CONSERVATION AND RECREATION ACQUISITIONS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. PERMANENT AUTHORIZATION OF LWCF WAS ATTAINED IN 2019, WHILE PERMANENT FULL FUNDING WAS ATTAINED IN 2020, FOLLOWING THE SUSTAINED WORK OF A DIVERSE COALITION, SUPPORTED BY RLF, THAT INCLUDED KEY FUNDERS, FARMERS, RANCHERS, AND CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS.EQUITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICECOVID-19 CAST A HARSH LIGHT ON MANY SOCIETAL INEQUITIES INCLUDING INEQUITABLE ACCESS TO PARKS AND NATURAL AREAS. IN AN ATTEMPT TO INFORM AND EDUCATE PUBLIC OFFICIALS ON THE INEQUITIES FACED BY BLACK, INDIGENOUS, AND PEOPLE OF COLOR, THE RLF-SUPPORTED PARKS NOW COALITION DEVELOPED A SET OF PRINCIPLES AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO INFORM STATE AND LOCAL AGENCIES' PROCESSES FOR RE-OPENING PARKS AND BEACHES IN WAYS THAT WOULD PROTECT PUBLIC SAFETY WHILE ENSURING EQUITABLE ACCESS. IN THIS EFFORT, PARKS NOW DEVELOPED A SET OF GRAPHIC CARDS THAT WERE POSTED ONLINE AND DISSEMINATED VIA SOCIAL MEDIA, PROVIDED BRIEFINGS TO STATE AGENCIES, AND SHARED THE PRINCIPLES WITH MEDIA OUTLETS AND REPORTERS THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA.RLF GRANTEES MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN ADVANCING THE RESILIENCE OF VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES. WITH RLF SUPPORT, THE ASIAN PACIFIC ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK (APEN) ADVANCED THE CONCEPT OF "RESILIENCE HUBS" THROUGH RESEARCH, CONVENINGS, AND A REPORT ILLUSTRATING HOW THE STATE COULD IMPROVE DISASTER RESILIENCE THROUGH COMMUNITY-BASED INSTITUTIONS. APEN ALSO WORKED WITH ANOTHER RLF GRANTEE, THE GREENLINING INSTITUTE, TO ADVANCE THE CONCEPT OF A RESILIENT RECOVERY FROM COVID-19, DEVELOPING PRINCIPLES AND EQUITY-CENTERED RECOMMENDATIONS TO ADVANCE RACIAL EQUITY, PUBLIC HEALTH, ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITIES. THE PRINCIPLES AND RECOMMENDATIONS WERE SUBMITTED TO THE CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR'S TASK FORCE ON BUSINESS AND JOBS RECOVERY WITH BROAD SUPPORT FROM EQUITY ADVOCATES.RLF ALSO SUPPORTED THE CREATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE INTERTRIBAL INDIGENOUS STEWARDSHIP PROJECT THROUGH A GRANT TO THE WATERSHED RESEARCH AND TRAINING CENTER. LED BY A SMALL STEERING COMMITTEE OF INDIGENOUS LEADERS, THIS PROJECT LAUNCHED WITH SIGNIFICANT OUTREACH TO OVER 100 TRIBES AND INDIGENOUS-LED ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA, AND DOZENS OF INTERVIEWS TO IDENTIFY SHARED PRIORITIES AROUND FIRE AND CULTURAL LAND STEWARDSHIP. IN EARLY 2021, PROJECT LEADERS HOSTED A VIRTUAL STATEWIDE CONVENING OF TRIBES TO HIGHLIGHT INDIGENOUS FIRE STEWARDSHIP PROJECTS ACROSS THE STATE, AND TO RECEIVE INPUT ON HOW TO STRUCTURE WORK TO SUPPORT THEM.OCEANS AND COASTSDURING THE LAST YEAR, RLF IMPLEMENTED PROGRAMS AND GRANTS SUPPORTING ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE OCEAN, COASTAL, WATERSHED, AND FISHING SUSTAINABILITY IN CALIFORNIA, HAWAII, AND WORLDWIDE INCLUDING RESPONSE TO IMPACTS OF THE COVID CRISIS AND ENSURING MORE EQUITABLE ENGAGEMENT.IN 2020, RLF SUPPORTED A BROAD RANGE OF ORGANIZATIONS WORKING TO: IMPROVE OCEAN GOVERNANCE IN CALIFORNIA THROUGH ADOPTION OF EQUITY POLICIES; SECURE COASTAL PROTECTION AND ACCESS; ADDRESS IMPACTS OF SEA LEVEL RISE; IMPROVE STATE FISHERIES MANAGEMENT; AND ADVANCE EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STATE'S MARINE PROTECTED AREA NETWORK. RLF ALSO WORKED TO ADVANCE THE HEALTH AND RESILIENCE OF CALIFORNIA WATERSHEDS BY SUPPORTING LEADERSHIP OF NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES AND COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS IN WATERSHED RESTORATION AND STORMWATER MANAGEMENT PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE STATE. IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, RLF HELPED SUPPORT EQUITABLE INVESTMENT OF BOND FUNDS FOCUSED ON INFRASTRUCTURE, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS TO CAPTURE AND TREAT POLLUTED STORMWATER. RLF ALSO SUPPORTED EFFORTS TO PROMOTE WATERSHED BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES BY FARMERS AND RANCHERS WITH A FOCUS ON GROUPS SERVING BLACK, INDIGENOUS, IMMIGRANT, AND OTHER COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.IN HAWAII, RLF SUPPORTED EFFORTS TO IMPLEMENT A STATE SYSTEM OF MARINE MANAGED AREAS AND TO SECURE PHILANTHROPIC AND PUBLIC FUNDING FOR OCEAN CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT.TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES INTERNATIONALLY, RLF PROVIDED SUPPORT FOR FISHERY AND STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATION IN THE MARINE STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL CERTIFICATION PROGRAM, FISHERY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT DESIGN, AND FAIR-TRADE CERTIFICATION OF SUSTAINABLE AND ETHICALLY SOURCED FISH. THIS INCLUDED PROJECTS THAT RESPONDED TO COVID-RELATED ECONOMIC AND PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACTS, WHILE ENHANCING SMALL-SCALE FISHERIES' RESILIENCE TO FUTURE CRISES. RLF GRANTS SUPPORTED FISHERY ASSESSMENTS, PROJECT DESIGN, AND COVID RESPONSE IN ARGENTINA, CANADA, ECUADOR, GUYANA, INDONESIA, JAPAN, MEXICO, PERU, THE PHILIPPINES, PORTUGAL, AND SPAIN.FISCALLY SPONSORED PROJECTSRLF SERVES AS FISCAL SPONSOR FOR A PORTFOLIO OF PROJECTS OF INTEREST TO ITS DONORS, MOST OF WHICH ADDRESS CONSERVATION. PROJECTS SUPPORTED BY RLF IN 2020 INCLUDED EFFORTS TO FRAME THE PUBLIC DEBATE ON AND CORRECT THE RECORD ABOUT LAND CONSERVATION AND RESPONSIBLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT IN THE AMERICAN WEST; PROTECT TREASURED WESTERN LANDSCAPES BY ENSURING RESPONSIBLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT ON PUBLIC LANDS; DEVELOP CAMPAIGNS TO GAIN PERMANENT PROTECTION FOR NATURAL LANDS IN ARGENTINA; INCREASE GLOBAL TARGETS FOR TERRESTRIAL AND MARINE PROTECTED AREAS THROUGH THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY'S POST-2020 GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY FRAMEWORK TO AT LEAST 30 PERCENT BY 2030; AND SUPPORT VARIOUS EFFORTS AND GROUPS WORKING ON EDUCATION, PUBLIC HEALTH, MENTAL HEALTH, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND HEALTHY COMMUNITIES.EXAMPLES OF FISCALLY SPONSORED PROJECTS INCLUDE THE BEARS EARS INTER-TRIBAL COALITION PROJECT, FOCUSED ON LAND MANAGEMENT PLANNING FOR THE BEARS EARS NATIONAL MONUMENT, AND THE CENTER FOR WESTERN PRIORITIES, WHICH ADVANCES RESPONSIBLE CONSERVATION AND ENERGY PRACTICES IN THE WEST THROUGH ORIGINAL RESEARCH, PUBLIC DEBATE, AND ACTIVE INVOLVEMENT WITH JOURNALISTS AND SOCIAL MEDIA.