Anza-Borrego Foundation

DESCRIPTION:THIS AGREEMENT PROVIDES FUNDING UNDER THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT (IRA) TO THE NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION, THE ANZA-BORREGO FOUNDATION. THEY ARE BASED IN BORREGO SPRINGS, SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA AND ARE THE OFFICIAL NON-PROFIT PARTNER OF THE ANZA-BORREGO DESERT STATE PARK. SPECIFICALLY, THE PROJECT WILL CREATE A 'CLUB DE EXPLORADORES DE BORREGO SPRINGS'. IN ENGLISH, THIS TRANSLATES TO 'BORREGO SPRINGS EXPLORERS CLUB'. THE AWARD WILL BE USED TO HIRE AND SUPPORT THREE PROGRAM COORDINATORS, WHO WILL BE TASKED WITH LEADING OUTINGS AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES WITH LOCAL MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES. THE STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES WILL LEARN ABOUT SAFE OUTDOOR RECREATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL TOPICS SPECIFIC TO WHERE THEY LIVE, BORREGO SPRINGS. THE CLUB DE EXPLORADORES DE BORREGO SPRINGS ACTIVITIES WILL OCCUR ON A YEARLY BASIS, WITH NEW PARTICIPANTS INTEGRATED ANNUALLY UNTIL THE END OF THE PROJECT PERIOD. THIS AGREEMENT PROVIDES FULL FEDERAL FUNDING IN THE AMOUNT OF $499,735. REFER TO TERMS AND CONDITIONS. ACTIVITIES:THE YEARLY EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES INCLUDE TEN OUTINGS FOR OUTDOOR CLUB MEMBERS WITH SOME OPEN TO THEIR WHOLE FAMILIES. THEY INCLUDE AN OFF-ROAD DRIVE; ARCHAEOLOGY LAB AND SITE VISIT; WILDFLOWER PLANT WALK; CAMPING TRIP WITH NIGHT SKY ASTRONOMY PROGRAM; PALEONTOLOGY LAB AND GEOLOGY SITE VISIT; EQUESTRIAN TOUR; HIKE AT PALOMAR MOUNTAIN AND OBSERVATORY VISIT; SALTON SEA VISIT; MOUNTAIN BIKING; AND AN ANZA-BORREGO IN FOCUS LECTURE AND FIELD TRIP. IN BETWEEN THE FIELD TRIPS, THERE WILL BE 'EXPLORERS CLUB NIGHTS' WHICH WILL SERVE AS CLUB-LIKE COMMUNITY GATHERINGS. DURING THAT TIME THE STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO WATCH MOVIES, SHARE PICTURES FROM FIELD TRIPS, AND WORK ON THE CLUB'S BIANNUAL NEWSLETTER. EXPLORERS CLUB NIGHTS WILL ALSO SERVE AS A VENUE FOR DISTRIBUTING INFORMATION TO PARENTS ABOUT CIVIC ACTIVITIES HAPPENING IN THE COMMUNITY, SUCH AS FORUMS AND MEETINGS RELATED TO WATER CONSERVATION AND DECARBONIZATION. SUBRECIPIENT:THEY WILL SUBAWARD $10,000 TO ORGANIZACIOACUTE;N LATINX (OLAX) FOR STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS TO ATTEND THE PROGRAM, WHICH THEY WILL MANAGE, AND ALSO TO COVER THEIR TRANSLATION SERVICES AND ANY OTHER ASSISTANCE THEY WILL PROVIDE IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAMS. OUTCOMES:THE RESULTS OF THESE OUTINGS ARE GUIDED EXPERIENCES THAT LEAD TO STUDENTS BECOMING KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT MANY FACETS OF PARK RESOURCES, CONFIDENT IN THE OUTDOORS, IN BOTH DESERT AND MOUNTAINS, AND STUDENTS AND FAMILIES WHO BECOME LIAISONS TO THE LARGER COMMUNITY. THROUGH OUTDOOR AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION, THE STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES WILL BE INFORMED AND EMPOWERED REGARDING ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND POLICY IN THEIR COMMUNITY AS THE FIRST STEP TO INSPIRING THEIR INVOLVEMENT AT THE DECISION-MAKING LEVEL. ADDITIONALLY, THEIR OVERALL HEALTH OUTCOMES ARE SUPPORTED THROUGH OUTDOOR RECREATION OPPORTUNITIES. THE PROGRAM NEWSLETTER WILL BE SHARED TWICE A YEAR (JUNE, 2025, JANUARY, 2026, JUNE 2026, JANUARY 2027, JUNE, 2027) WITH THE COMMUNITY AND RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS AND WILL BE WRITTEN AND CREATED BY CLUB MEMBERS TO DOCUMENT THEIR EXPERIENCES. THE RESULT OF THIS WILL BE A MODE OF PROCESSING AND COMMUNICATING EXPERIENCES AND SHARING NEW EXPERIENCES WITH THE LARGER COMMUNITY. ADDITIONALLY, THESE 'EXPLORERS CLUB NIGHTS' WILL SERVE AS TOUCHPOINTS FOR EMPOWERMENT OF PARENTS TO IMPROVE CONFIDENCE AND HAVE A VOICE IN THE LARGER COMMUNITY.

CONSERVATION TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE