ACR Annual Report FY2018
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Annual Report 2018 Program Accomplishments | Our Generous Community | Financial Statements Report to our community, 2018 ACR Board (July 1, 2017 - June 30, 2018) Fiscal Year 2018 The significance of the ACR mission came into sharp focus BOARD OF ACR ADVISORS DIRECTORS Tom Baty in October 2017 as catastrophic wildfires raged through the Judy Prokupek Gordon Bennett North Bay, consuming with it the staff homes, offices, and President Suzie Coleman program hubs of the Bouverie Preserve in the Sonoma Valley, Anne Montgomery Sam Dakin First Vice President Tony Gilbert and underscoring the importance of living in balance with Joan Turner Joyce Griffin nature. Secretary Jim Horan Bill Richardson Andy Lafrenz Within hours after the first embers flew, the ACR community Treasurer Ron Mallory Valerie Merrin stepped forward with amazing generosity—in ways we Directors Leslie R. Perry could not predict—allowing our programs and people to Amy Blackstone Gerry Snedaker André Brewster quickly find their footing and apply our unique scientific and Betsy Stafford William Bridges April Starke Slakey educational strengths to the needs of the region. Phillip Carlsen Stephen Smith John Epperson Francis Toldi The program vignettes on the following pages illustrate the Bryant Hichwa Patrick Woodworth R. DeWitt ‘Kyle’ Kirwan impacts of our work during this historic year—powered by Nancy Lilly EMERITUS community and conducted in the spirit of collaboration to Michael Magatelli DIRECTORS solve regional problems with global implications. Joe Mueller Deborah Ablin Ivan Obolensky Nancy Barbour John Petersen Judy Prokupek Rebecca ‘Beki’ Simon Len Blumin Jude Stalker Patti Blumin Executive Director President, Board of Directors, FY18 Mark Tarpey-Schwed Roberta Downey Barbara Winter Binny Fischer Carol Lynn Wood Leslie Flint Robert Hahn FOUNDER Jack Harper L. Martin Griffin, M.D. Dan Murphy Program Highlights The ACR Community Emeritus Director George Peyton, Jr. pages 4-6 pages 7-15 Paul Ruby Sue Stoddard Financial Statement – Fiscal Year 2018 The following is a summary of ACR’s fiscal year spanning July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018. The complete audited financial statement as prepared by Doran & Associates is available upon request and at egret.org/ AnnualReport. REVENUE AS OF JUNE 30, 2018 EXPENSES AS OF JUNE 30, 2018 Bequests Contributions & Grants General /Admin Education 13% In-Kind 20% 23% Contributions 4% 35% Fund Development 11% Endowment 48% Contract Income and Stewardship 24% Conservation Science Other total less than 22% 1% of revenue in 1,000s in 1,000s Contributions & Grants 1,371 Education 872 Endowment 1,855 Conservation Science 922 In-Kind Contributions 158 Stewardship 870 Contract Income 0 Fund Development 425 Bequests 496 General & Administrative 762 Other 9 TOTAL REVENUE 3,889 TOTAL EXPENSES 3,851 ACR Staff Executive Management John Petersen, Executive Director Julia Clothier, Chief Operating Officer Gary Schick, Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Spangler, Administrative Assistant Erika Obedzinski, Board Liaison Education, Conservation Science and Stewardship BOUVERIE PRESERVE Nancy Trbovich, Preserve Manager Jacqueline Levy, Education Program Manager Jennifer Potts, Resource Ecologist Kurt Heffernon, Land Steward Jared Jacobs, Land Steward Scott Keith, Land Steward Susie Allen, M.F.K. Fisher Last House Coordinator CYPRESS GROVE RESEARCH CENTER Nils Warnock, Ph.D., Director of Conservation Science Barbara Wechsberg, Preserve Manager Emiko Condeso, Ecologist / GIS Specialist, CGRC PORTFOLIO, OCTOBER 9 - 13, 2017 Scott Jennings, Avian Ecologist David Lumpkin, Avian Ecologist The Nuns Fire David Greene, Land Steward Bouverie Preserve MARTIN GRIFFIN PRESERVE Gwen Heistand, Preserve Manager and Resident Biologist Natasha Lekach, Education Program Manager Henry Inman, Resource Ecologist Steve Trivelpiece, Land Steward Claire Seda, Weekend Program Coordinator MODINI PRESERVE Michelle Cooper, Preserve Manager and Resident Biologist Julianne Bradbury, Resource Ecologist Kyle Doron, Land Steward Tomas Ruiz, Land Steward FIRE FORWARD Sasha Berleman, Ph.D., Consulting Director Brian Peterson, Consulting Fire Ecologsit Jared Childress, Prescribed Fire Specialist LIVING WITH LIONS Quinton Martins, Ph.D., Director and Principal Investigator Alex Hettena, Research Associate Sheila McCarthy, Field Technician Liz Martins, Education Coordinator Development and Communications Naomi Sultana Young, Director of Philanthropy Wendy Coy, Communications Manager Marie Fox, Donor Engagement Officer Jennifer Newman, Development Manager Erika Obedzinski, Development & Communications Assistant Page 3 | Annual Report | Fiscal Year 2018 CASE STUDY: LIVING WITH LIONS Improving outcomes for wildlife when conflict occurs ACR’s Mountain Lion Project, based from Bouverie Preserve in Glen Ellen, was heavily impacted by the Nuns Fire. The project’s offices and electronics were destroyed, along with a substantial amount of field equipment, including vehicles, cellular wildilfe cameras and five of seven high-tech cage-traps. Research came to an abrupt halt while the team rebuilt needed infrastructure, aided by generous donations received from all areas of the San Francisco Bay Area. Happily, all collared lions being tracked at the time of the fire managed to survive. In January, ACR relaunched the project as Living with Lions and expanded its goals to address livestock-mountain lion conflict, a problem identified by field researchers and landowners during the previous two years of research. Partnering with landowners, local schools and regional media, Living with Lions worked to improve outcomes for wildilfe by: • highlighting some of the causes and offering practical solutions during community presentations and site visits requested by individual landowners. • developing “Our Wild Neighbors,” a 90-minute educational program conducted “Finally [P1] came into by trained volunteers in classrooms throughout Sonoma County. Focused on coexisting with wildlife, the school visits combine storytelling, science and view and my heart just creative expression. Students get to explore the special adaptations of local about leaped out of mammals and gain greater appreciation, identification skills and connection my chest, I was so with them. • engaging broadcast and social media channels on mountain lion mortality due excited!” to predation of unsecured livestock. Media highlights include 12 articles and an -Suzy Fridell, Glen Ellen vineyard evening news profile on ABC7News. owner, interviewed by ABC7News By the end of June 2018, Living with Lions had collared four additional lions for the GPS-tracking study, intervened in 15 depredation events and expanded its range into Mendocino County under a partnership with the Brashare’s Lab of UC Berkeley. Follow Living with Lions at https://egret.org/living-with-lions Page 4 | ACR | www.egret.org © Richard James coastodian.org CASE STUDY: EGRET TELEMETRY PROJECT Revealing intentional use of large landscapes in the Western U.S. Audubon Canyon Ranch has spent more than 50 years monitoring heron and egret nesting abundance and reproductive performance trends in the San Francisco Bay and Estuary. Now, for the first time in the Western U.S., our research team is able to follow these iconic birds beyond the nest. By attaching tiny, lightweight, solar- powered GPS tags to individual birds, we record more daily details about their “I like seeing the movement than biologists with binoculars can possibly collect. birds because they’re Our new direction in research, which includes collaborating with investigators in other parts of the U.S., is expanding ACR’s role as a regional and national leader part of nature and in conservation science. The Egret Telemetry Project is generating a huge body of nature is beautiful.” fresh information on the movement patterns and habitat use of these birds. Insights include: - Pablo Flores, Fourth Grader, Lincoln Elementary School, interviewed by • a mysterious 98-mile flight by a female Great Egret we call GREG 3 suggests the Press Democrat during the festival very intentional use of a large landscape. In the pre-moon darkness of an August evening, GREG 3 lifted off from Chileno Valley, skirted the San Pablo celebrating the 9th Street Heronry Bay, crossed the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the Central Valley, before landing along Dry Creek, between the towns of Galt and Ione. This flight of roughly 98 miles took a bit over 3 ½ hours, for an average speed of around 28 miles per hour. Her direct route indicates she may have made this trip before. • tidal cycles influence foraging preferences along Tomales Bay eelgrass beds and mud flats. During low tides, hundreds of acres of intertidal eelgrass are exposed, allowing egrets to stab at herring during spawning events or to hunt pipe fish. As the tide cycle shifts and morning tides become higher, egrets switch to inland ponds and creeks to hunt small fish or walk the surrounding pastures in groups to capture rodents. As climate and human land use patterns shift, we are excited to share important insights for protecting herons and egrets and the lands they rely on, as well as to unlock their mysterious lives and vital role for our community at large. Follow the Egret Telemetry Project at https://egret.org/heron-egret-telemetry-project Page 5 | Annual Report | Fiscal Year 2018 CASE STUDY: CONSERVATION SCIENCE INTENSIVE Bucking the gender gap in conservation science In a landmark 2015 study, the National Science Foundation found that American women earn 50 percent of science and