“The McConnell Foundation recognizes the communities we serve are on the frontlines of the environmental crisis and commits to action.”
Land
Stewardship
Wildfire Resilience
Wildfire Resilience
Part of working toward a solution is a better understanding of how the change in forest structure over the last century has reduced community and natural resource resiliency in a historically fire-adapted ecosystem. Currently forest ecosystems are overgrown compared to pre-European conditions due to a century of fire suppression and other anthropogenic disturbance. Hazardous fuel reduction near communities and habitable structures is one pathway in a more complex system to restore vegetation composition in forests.
Wildland urban interface fuel treatments include reducing ladder fuels and removing competition from many small, closely-spaced species into a smaller number of resilient larger trees. As these larger trees begin to dominate the overstory, they shade out and help control understory fuels. The fuel treatments will be targeted to reduce the risk of wildfire causing damage to vulnerable communities and reduce the risk of urban fire spreading to valuable and biologically diverse forest ecosystems.
To implement fuel reduction treatments, the Foundation works with a diverse group of community partners to identify and prioritize treatment locations. These partners include both nonprofit organizations and community stakeholders, as well as state, federal, and local government entities. For example, in south Siskiyou County, the Foundation collaborated with the Fire Safe Council of Siskiyou County, Mount Shasta and Dunsmuir City Fire Departments, Dunsmuir Disaster Planning Advisory Committee, CAL FIRE, the United States Forest Service, Cal OES, FEMA, and Shasta Valley Resource Conservation District to strategically develop mitigation projects for the south Siskiyou region. The Foundation’s role is to implement a portion of the planned mitigation work that strategically ties into the work and efforts of other partners. The coordinated effort will provide the greatest outcome for community and ecosystem resiliency.
For more information on wildfire mitigation, please visit www.mcconnellfoundation.
Regenerative Agriculture
Regenerative Agriculture
Farmers and ranchers who continue to produce food or fiber while also building healthy soils, enhancing wildlife habitat, and supporting biodiversity are practicing regenerative agriculture. The word regenerate comes from the Latin verb regenerāre, meaning “to bring forth again.” In today’s context, the term regenerative agriculture refers to those practices that bring forth greater vitality in the land. These practices vary broadly from region to region. Some practices are quite straightforward, such as planting a pollinator hedgerow along the edge of a field, while other practices are more novel, such as applying compost on rangeland. The focus is on measurable outcomes, not restoring land to a prior condition.
The McConnell Foundation became interested in regenerative agriculture after being introduced to the Savory Institute, Holistic Management International, the California Rangeland Conservation Coalition, TomKat Ranch, the Marin Carbon Project, and the growing movement of conservation organizations that are working to protect working lands from development. These organizations are turning to working lands as strongholds for biodiversity, particularly in oak woodlands in California, and carbon sinks for rising greenhouse gasses.
In 2017, the McConnell Foundation worked with Point Blue Conservation Science to develop a Carbon Farm Plan for Ross Ranch, a Foundation owned property located just north of Shasta College. A carbon farm plan outlines management actions and agricultural practices for a ranch or farm that improves carbon capture, boosts soil organic matter, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. In an effort to improve soil health, maximize carbon sequestration and increase livestock forage, the Foundation has completed several restoration plantings and soil amendment applications at their ranch properties in coordination with their ranching partner, Prather Ranch. Foundation staff work closely with Point Blue Conservation Science to determine if the plantings, amendments, and grazing practices are helping to build healthy soils, enhance wildlife habitat, and support biodiversity. The team is in the early stages of monitoring the ecological effects of these practices, and are encouraged by increases in soil organic carbon and forage production.
For more information:
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Land-based Learning
Land-based Learning
The McConnell Foundation’s land-based learning program provides short-term work experience for growing professionals in agriculture and natural resource management. Land-based learning is a type of learning that occurs naturally as we observe and work closely with the natural world. This type of learning is essential for our next generation of land stewards. As drought and extreme wildfire behavior usher the north state into its most critical hour, we will look to this next generation to renew our sense of urgency and provide a fresh perspective on sustainable land-use. Classroom learning can only provide some of the experiences that these growing professionals will need to step up to the plate.
As of 2022, the Foundation has proudly hosted 20 Shasta College students through their worksite learning program, four GrizzlyCorps Fellows, and one UC Davis student. Three students were born and raised on working cattle ranches, one student had robust chainsaw experience, and several students brought extensive plant identification skills to the team. Other students learned how to use a shovel and wheelbarrow for the first time.
For more information:
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Lao Ecology
The McConnell Foundation began supporting the Lao Ecology Small Grant program in 2017 to support local conservation efforts and to bolster Lao civil society.
The Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) is home to important populations of many globally threatened species and includes large areas of relatively intact forest habitat. However, this biodiversity is under ever-increasing threat from unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, illegal hunting and logging, hydropower and infrastructure development, and the expansion of commercial agriculture. Lao PDR is in the heart of the Indo-Burma Critical Ecosystems Hotspot, which is comprised of Viet Nam, Lao PDR, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, and parts of southern China. With high levels of plant and animal endemism and limited remaining natural habitat, Indo-Burma is one of the world’s top ten biodiversity hotspots, and one of the most threatened. The need for a strong, vibrant civil society in Lao PDR that can effectively address environmental issues has never been greater.
The socio-political environment for Civil Society in Lao PRD, particularly for environmental activism, is challenging, and is therefore less developed than in other countries in the region. With the Lao Ecology Small Grant program, The McConnell Foundation aims to multi-solve for environmental conservation solutions, local ownership, and strengthening of the nonprofit sector. The goal of the program is to empower local civil society organizations to implement activities that conserve biodiversity and sustainably manage natural resources upon which local livelihoods depend.
This program is implemented by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Laos. The program supports small grants for local civil society organizations working in the areas of biodiversity conservation, sustainable livelihoods, waste management, and capacity of civil society organizations. Ais announced , and applications collaborative A call for proposals is made annually, announced in multiple Lao media sources, via direct outreach, and on IUCN’s website.
Below are some examples of projects funded through this program:
- The Wildlife Conservation Association: Mitigation of devastating threats to the threatened wildlife species in the central Annamite mountains at the Laving-Lavern National Protected Area through strengthening community awareness and law enforcement
- Friends of Pha Tad Ke Botanical Garden: Permaculture training for Lao Ethnic farming communities
- Lao Biodiversity Association: Corypha palm (Ton Lan) forest management and handicraft production improvement at Lamam district, Sekong
- Village Focus International: Eco-market at the Green Earth Center
- Village Focus International: Forest-Friendly Livelihood Training for Young Farmers
- The Educational Quality Improvement and Promotion Association: Garbage Bank
- Association or Ecotourism in Konglor Natane: Ecotourism Support in Natane Valley
- Xiengkhuang Association for the Rehabilitation of the Quality of Life of People with Disabilities and UXO Survivors: Sericulture for environmental protection
The McConnell Foundation is proud to support local solutions that protect the natural biodiversity of Lao PDR and care for the people who rely on it. We are grateful to the nonprofits committed to this work and the staff of IUCN who are dedicated to supporting an environment for shared learning.
Mushroom Farming opens new opportunities
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Land Conservation
Land Conservation
Churn Creek Greenway and Lema Ranch
The McConnell Foundation acquired the property known as Churn Creek Greenway in 2002 specifically to prevent its conversion to urban development. The Greenway allowed the Foundation to expand the trail system already established at Lema Ranch and connect the surrounding neighborhoods directly to the trails while maintaining the natural viewshed. The Churn Creek Greenway has 180 acres of blue oak woodland and a 30-acre upland grassland meadow. The Greenway is bordered by the riparian banks of Churn Creek which runs for approximately 1.5 miles along the west edge of the property. Trails were purposefully located away from Churn Creek to preserve the corridor for wildlife. The meadow was restored in 2013 using a mixture of native perennial grasses. The deep-rooted perennial bunch grasses capture, filter, and store water and provide habitat for numerous grassland birds, mammals, reptiles and insects.
Churn Creek Greenway and Lema Ranch are home to a rich diversity of plants and wildlife. In 2020, the Foundation started the Nature Observations of Lema Ranch and Churn Creek project to help document the diversity and abundance of plants and animals. The project lives on iNaturalist, an online social network platform to record, share, and learn about biodiversity. Since its inception, over 160 species have been documented by trail users at Churn Creek Greenway and Lema Ranch using the iNaturalist app.
Ross Ranch
Ross Ranch is an 860-acre working ranch located north of Shasta College. The Foundation purchased the property in 2010 with the intention of maintaining the property as open space and agricultural land. Prior to the Foundation’s purchase, it was slated for a residential development. The ranch primarily consists of blue oak woodland, open grassland, and a handful of seasonal emergent wetlands. Two reservoirs anchor the north end of the property and West and Stillwater Creeks converge at the south end of the property. The ranch is used as a “learning laboratory” to test and implement regenerative agricultural practices that not only provide sustainable food production but improve soil health, increase natural water storage, and maintain healthy wildlife populations.
In partnership with the Shasta Land Trust, Ross Ranch was placed in a conservation easement in 2021 to protect the natural biodiversity of the property and preserve its agricultural use. The ranch provides nesting and foraging habitat to over 65 bird species, including a long-term pair of nesting bald eagles and two California species of special concern: the grasshopper sparrow and yellow warbler. In good rainfall years, the creeks provide salmon spawning habitat. Mule deer, wild turkey, fox, jackrabbits and coyotes are regularly encountered on the ranch. With the conservation easement in place, the ranch will be stewarded for sustainable food production and wildlife habitat in perpetuity.
For more information:
Sustainable
Development
Active Transportation
Active Transportation
Located adjacent to Redding’s Downtown Transit Center, the Shasta Bike Depot will include:
• Downtown electric bikes
• E-bike training classes
• Guided e-bike tours
• Active transportation events
• Safety education
• Tourism services
• Secure bike parking garage
“We have learned over a decade that when we give people the resources, skills, and confidence they need to get around safely and conveniently by bike, they discover the ease and joy of bicycling,” said SLS Executive Director Anne Thomas. “People in Redding and Shasta County aren’t just ready for this – they are excited about it.”
Pedal-assist ebikes can replace many car trips. The average length of an ebike trip is 9 miles, and the recent Shasta County Long Range Transit Plan indicates most car trips in Shasta County are 5 miles or less. Creating the amenities and services that allow residents to rely less on cars, and provide greater opportunities for walking, biking and access to clean transit options, is active transportation at its best.
“E-bike trips can replace most trips in Shasta County. Most e-bike trips are twice the distance of most Shasta County car trips. An ebike is not a bike replacement – it’s a car replacement. Ebikes mean less car – more life.” said Thomas.
Ebikes change everything – hills, heat, distance are no longer issues. Biking must be easy, safe, accessible and convenient for a majority of people to use it as a form of transportation. Electric pedal-assist bikes enable people of all ages to cover more ground with an affordable mobility option.
Personal vehicle use is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in California. The McConnell Foundation and Shasta Living Streets are proud to do their part to help reach crucial climate goals.
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River Basin Management
The community-based River Basin Management project is funded by The McConnell Foundation and implemented by The Asia Foundation (TAF) in Lao PDR, in collaboration with government of Lao PDR partners. Though this project began in 2021, it is a continuation of 10 years of collaboration on community-based water quality and management initiatives. These initiatives aim to increase biodiversity, mitigate flood hazards, and help communities build ownership and a voice in the care of the water systems they depend on for health and livelihoods.
Although Lao PDR is a Least Developed Country (LDC), it is rich in natural resources, especially water. River ecosystems in Lao PDR provide a range of benefits critical to people and wildlife, and healthy river systems are vital for Lao PDR’s socioeconomic development. However, rapid economic growth and increasing reliance on natural resource extraction in the country, has put pressure on the environment, particularly the country’s water resources. Major issues contributing to the degradation of water resources include construction and operation of hydropower projects, mining operations, increasing use of agrochemicals, and inadequate municipal landfills leading to more waste entering waterways (Mekong River Commission, 2016; Chea et. al. 2016; Lida et. al. 2011). The increase in adverse effects caused by natural resource exploitation has been recognized by the Government of Lao PDR as a serious threat to the sustainable development of the country.
The Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) approach has evolved over the last two decades and encourages planning to holistically evaluate competing uses of water resources, to ensure that changes in water use in one area will not have a negative impact on water users downstream. The Lao Government has acknowledged the benefits of taking an IWRM approach. Due to a lack of human resources and capacity, the government has also indicated there is a lack of publicly available information on the impact of development on water resources, what mitigation measures have been used, and effectiveness of these measures.
To address these needs in Lao PDR, The McConnell Foundation funded The Asia Foundation (TAF) to develop a water quality monitoring program in 2010. After the success of this flagship project, TAF wanted to move beyond monitoring to helping communities protect their water sources by applying an IWRM approach. In 2015, TAF received additional funding from The McConnell Foundation to initiate the Community-based Water Resource Management (CWRM) project, which was implemented in the Xe Bang Fai District in Khammouane province, about 130 km downstream from the Nam Theun 2 Hydropower development project. This project is in collaboration with the national Ministry of Natural Resources of Environment (MoNRE) and their provincial counterparts (PoNRE) in Khammouane province.
The CRBM project has three primary components: 1) Capacity building for the GoL (provincial, district and village level) and communities to identify the information and criteria needed for river basin management, collect data on these criteria, and use the data as part of a transparent and equitable river basin planning and management approach; 2) Increased public participation in the development of local water management by linking communities, local government, and civil society members as part of a Healthy River Network; and 3) Support for the design and implementation of village-level water resources projects, such as wetland improvements, training on organic agriculture, improved waste management, and green infrastructure projects to build community resilience against climatic hazards and climate change. An innovative aspect to this third component is that TAF will train/mentor local water managers to integrate more green infrastructure solutions as a complement to existing and planned built (“grey”) infrastructure. This may include wetland enhancements, re-vegetating riparian zones, and using fences made from living trees and shrubs (live fencing) for riverbank erosion control.
If you are interested in learning more, please click on one of the links below:
Click here for more details on Citizen Science for wetland health:
In the last decade, the Southeast Asian region has enjoyed an accelerating economic boom, and the increasing demand for energy has resulted in hydropower returning to the development agenda in the Greater Mekong Subregion. In Lao PDR, one of the least developed countries in ASEAN, hydropower is viewed as an important source of income and a driving force for its economic growth; in 2018 hydropower along with mining accounted for 80% of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Lao PDR is primarily a mountainous country with major tributaries of the Mekong River, and about one third of the Mekong River basin is located within its borders. This geographical feature, together with the country’s relatively high annual rainfall, grants Lao PDR advantages in hydropower generation.
Although hydropower development in Lao PDR has often been framed with multiple socio-economic development benefits, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the focus on large, capital-intensive infrastructure projects, particularly hydropower projects, has significant adverse environmental and social impacts that are difficult to mitigate.
Some researchers have been studying the impacts of communities living downstream from Lao PDR’s largest dam, the Nam Theun 2 Hydropower Plant (NT2). You can read more about the NT2 hydropower project in Lao PDR in the following published papers:
The People and their River, the World Bank and its Dam: Revisiting the Xe Bang Fai River in Laos
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LEED Certification and Green Building
LEED Certification
Redding School of the Arts (RSA) welcomed students to its state-of-the-art campus in 2011. The McConnell Foundation funded the $30 million project as part of its commitment to education. The LEED Platinum certified building, owned by the Foundation and leased by RSA, continues to evolve and inspire. The campus is not only a national model of energy efficiency and sustainability — winning state and national awards— it introduces those concepts directly to the students and the community. (Read more about our RSA story here)
Building a LEED Platinum school taught us that even without formal certification we can add green building practices into our projects. Whenever possible we refurbish and remodel; find adaptive reuses; and recycle materials, such as brick, metal, pavers, rock, tile, and wood.
Throughout our grantmaking, we are also mindful of supporting grantees’ sustainable choices and efforts.
Components of Green Building (epa.gov/greenbuilding)
• Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, and Water Efficiency
• Environmentally Preferable Building Materials and Specifications
• Waste Reduction
• Toxins Reduction
• Indoor Air Quality
• Smart Growth and Sustainable Development
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Net Zero
Net Zero
The California Street Parking Garage features nearly 900 solar panels, which provide shade to vehicles and motorists and convert sunlight into electricity to benefit the income-eligible tenants of California Place.
California Climate Investment projects help create renewable infrastructure, such as transit stations, residential housing, and community solar facilities.
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Urban Greening
Urban Greening
The McConnell Foundation was able to serve as a matching grant for the City of Redding to leverage a grant from CAL FIRE’s Urban and Community Forestry Program Community Forestry Program for this trees project.
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Foundation
Operation
Sustainable Investing
Sustainable Investing
The Foundation seeks to align its investment opportunities with its charitable goals. The Foundation’s strategy for leveraging its investment portfolio to advance its charitable mission includes investing in funds that apply ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) filters to their equity and fixed income investments. The Foundation also maintains a substantial real estate portfolio that we leverage to build income eligible housing, to construct retail and commercial space to revitalize communities, and to preserve landscapes that conserve agricultural and ecological values into perpetuity.
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Carbon Offsets
Carbon Offsets
In 2021, The McConnell Foundation purchased carbon offsets from the May Ranch Avoided Grassland Conservation Project, a project working on preserving native prairie in Eastern Colorado.
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Institutional Partnerships
When The McConnell Foundation expanded our International Programs in 2006, Lao PDR was selected as a second country of focus due to need, identified funding gaps, potential for impact, and because many Laos refugees and their descendants call Northern California home.
The McConnell Foundation values collaboration and coordination and it was important to seek out peers in the Mekong region. We joined the informal peer group, the Lower Mekong Funders Collaborative, in 2016 and began participating in the newly formed Lower Mekong Network. Both networks have been fruitful for supporting trust-based collaboration, knowledge sharing, and increased impact.
Lower Mekong Funders Collaborative:
In 2009, the MacArthur Foundation, Margaret A. Cargill Foundation, and the McKnight Foundation started meeting informally to share information and discuss grantmaking strategy for the lower Mekong region. In 2010 the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) joined this funders group to discuss common interests. Subsequently, the four donors agreed to fund an update of the Indo-Burma ecosystem profile initially conducted by CEPF. The ecosystem profile presents an overview of the Indo-Burma Hotspot in terms of biodiversity conservation and civil society contexts and was completed in 2011. It serves as a roadmap for conservation efforts in the region and situates individual funding priorities (of the initial four grantmakers) as a touchpoint for how each foundation’s individual efforts align.
In 2015, the funders group began exploring how the mutually beneficial joint meetings could be expanded and deepened to leverage the cross-regional, cross-discipline expertise of the grantees, to increase impact, support regional coherence and explore efficiencies. The Lower Mekong Funders Collaborative and partners in the region co-created the Shared Situational Analysis in 2018, steered by CEPF.
Since then, the Collaborative membership has changed and grown and remains focused on 1) identifying priority needs, opportunities, and funding gaps in the lower Mekong region, 2) sharing pertinent resources and information, and 3) supporting collaboration among grant partners in the region. Member funder organizations rotate hosting an annual in-person meeting and bi-annual virtual updates.
Lower Mekong Network
The purpose of the Lower Mekong Network (LMN) is to provide a platform on which to build common understanding; to learn, share, and discuss strategies; to pursue common purposes and address common challenges so that each individual organization’s position will be strengthened, aiding them in achieving their goals in the Lower Mekong region.
The LMN includes organizations taking a range of approaches on environmental issues from research to advocacy to livelihoods support, and from conservation to human rights based approaches and community organizing. The network centers a community rights and human rights based approach in work on environmental issues.
A great benefit of the Network is the opportunity for nonprofit leaders to talk informally with peers across the region, build trust, and support one another, as well as the opportunity to collaborate across local NGOs, INGOs, and funder organizations. The Network is governed by a working group of members that strives to achieve a balance across gender, nationality, indigenous peoples, and type of organization.
Lower Mekong Network Vision:
People are in harmony with nature, our natural ecosystems thrive, destruction of ecosystems has stopped, ecosystems are restored and protected with inclusion of local governance and stewardship of resources and economies are vibrant, resilient, sustainable, and inclusive.
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Conscientious Facilities Management
Conscientious Facilities Management
In 2008, The McConnell Foundation developed a sustainability committee and began the process of tracking and reducing waste and environmental harm at foundation facilities and properties.
Our Facilities Department reduced our landfill contribution by discontinuing all regular purchasing of single-use plastics and providing onsite composting. This was a remarkable shift considering over 3,500 meals are served to community and staff members on-site each year. Facilities reduced our energy consumption by over 10% by upgrading to LED lighting and stopped purchasing paper towels for the restrooms after installing energy-efficient hand dryers.
Our IT Department lowered our electricity consumption by reducing the number of servers from sixteen to four and regularly replacing outdated electronics and recycling with more efficient products. IT also reduced our reliance on paper products by helping the staff transition to a document management software.
Our Landscape Department reduced our use of pesticides by over 75% between 2006 and 2018. They also reduced our petrochemical consumption by using cattle to graze 150 acres of Lema Ranch and Churn Creek Greenway instead of using gas-powered mowers and weed trimmers.
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Wildfire Resilience
Land-based Learning
Regenerative Agriculture
Land Conservation
Active Transportation
LEED Certification and Green Building
Net Zero
Urban Greening
Sustainable Investing
Carbon Offsets
Conscientious Facilities Management
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