PRESERVING WILD CALIFORNIA AN EXTERNAL ASSESSMENT Report to the Resources Legacy Fund Foundation Steven L. Yaffee, Sheila K. Schueller and Julia M. Wondolleck School of Natural Resources and Environment University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan April 15, 2009 The authors gratefully acknowledge the valuable inputs of numerous Preserving Wild California staff and grantees along with others in the California conservation community who shared their experiences and insights with us. Research Team Steven L. Yaffee, PhD Sheila K. Schueller, PhD Julia M. Wondolleck, PhD Michelle S. Aldridge Yvette C. Dimcheff Nicole A. Fernandes Aviva Y. Glaser José G. Gonzalez Kristen E. Johnson Lauren V. Pidot For comments and questions, please contact: Dr. Steven Yaffee School of Natural Resources and Environment University of Michigan 440 Church Street Ann Arbor MI 48109‐1041
[email protected] 734‐763‐5451 Title page photos by Tupper Ansel Blake Table of Contents Executive Summary ……..............................................................…………………………………… ix Section 1 – Introduction and Method of Assessment ………………………………………… 1 The Bottom Line ………………………………………………………………………...... 1 Methods Used to Carry Out the External Assessment …………………………................. 3 Some Caveats …………………………………………………………………………...…. 7 A Roadmap to the Report ………………………………………………………………...... 9 Section 2 – What was Intended? The Logic of the PWC Program ……………………..… 11 An Ambitious but Clear Set of Goals and Objectives ………………………………...…… 12 Six Major Types of Grantmaking Strategies …………………………………………….… 14 A Set of Quantitative and Qualitative Measures of Success ………………………….…… 16 Section 3 – What was Funded? A Snapshot of Program Activities ………………….….. 23 How were funds distributed by region? ………………………………………………….… 25 How were funds distributed by type of project? ………………………………………….... 25 How were funds distributed by region and type of project? ………………………….……. 26 How many acres were acquired? ………………………………………………………….