TTCF Sponsors Conversation on Climate Change and Forest Health

Tags: Collaborations

On Monday June 25th, Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation (TTCF) sponsored a convening held by The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. The topic of the invitation-only convening was climate adaptation financing and titled: Funding Climate Adaptation Implementation – Challenges and Opportunities in the Sierra and Cascade Regions.

A changing climate is impacting our world. California’s rural communities are at the frontline of these impacts and their more immediate dependency on natural resources for agriculture and/or recreational tourism put them at greater risk. Local governments are prioritizing research, data, and collaboration in order to implement adaptation and resiliency measures for their forests, watersheds, and communities. What is missing is financing and funding options to implement these measures to protect our communities from wildfire and declining forest health.

TTCF is acutely aware of our region’s vulnerability to our changing climate, and the increased threat of tree mortality, bark beetle, and wildfire that threatens forest health and, ultimately, our community. Through a strategic grantmaking partnership with the Martis Fund*, we recently funded Conservation Science Partner’s development of a tool that provides visualization data on forest health and biomass. We also launched our Forest Futures Fund, and recently held the first of a series of salons about our Forest Futures to engage community members, scientists, and funders who are ready to blend philanthropic, public, and private resources into viable investments and solutions now.

Stacy Caldwell, TTCF CEO, was invited to present on Rural Capital Deserts. She spoke to how rural regions can prepare themselves to attract and absorb more significant investments from the public, private, and philanthropic sectors in order to increase our capital absorption capacity and channel funding in ways that have significant impact. Stacy also shared how TTCF and other regional thought leaders are looking to solving our forests’ challenges as a way to create new economic opportunities for our region.

TTCF was grateful to meet and learn from a room full of knowledgeable scientists and community leaders. Speakers included: Steve Ostoja, Director – USDA; Jonathon Kusel, Founder and Executive Director – Sierra Institute; John Wenworth, Mayor of Mammoth Lakes; Zach Knight, Co-Founder and Managing Partner – Blue Forest Conservation; Paul Mason, Vice President – Pacific Forest Trust; and Juliana Lucchesi, City Planner – City of Mount Shasta.

If you’re interested in learning more about TTCF’s vision for Forest Futures, please email Stacy Caldwell, CEO, at Stacy@ttcf.net or call (530)587-1776.

* The Martis Fund is a collaborative project of the developers of the Martis Camp community and its members, Mountain Area Preservation (MAP), and Sierra Watch.