2022 - 2023 Annual Report

2022-2023 ANNUAL REPORT

Table of Contents President‘s Letter........................................................4 New and Improved Education Programs......................6 Making the Park Whole One Acre at a Time.................9 Why I Give..............................................................15 A Year in Review....................................................21 Yearly Statistics......................................................24 Envision, Engage, Support.......................................26 ABF Board and Staff................................................29

Cover

Photo: Chris Maust

Our Mission

To protect and preserve the natural landscapes, wildlife habitat and cultural heritage of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and its surrounding region for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations.

Photo: Paulette Donnellon

FROM ABF’S PRESIDENT, BILL MCDONALD

In the last edition of Desert Update, I talked about Anza-Borrego Foundation’s strategic plan process in May 2022. The initial phases of that plan have been put into effect in 2023 and at an accelerated pace. The attitude expressed in creating the strategic plan last year was “fearless.” That sense of calculated confidence led this year to an early expansion of programs and staff to develop and operate them. You will read about many of those programs in the following pages.

A particularly bold effort has been made in the scale of our education programs. They are more extensive and many of them are designed to reach a greater number of people beyond the boundaries of the Park. Other programs aim to bring people to the Park, both virtually and in reality, to get close experiences with the flora, fauna and geological features of the desert, as well as its cultural facets.

To provide a more robust operational structure to ABF, we have installed state-of-the-art software systems to manage better our engagement with members, supporters and those who participate in our programs. We certainly hope and expect those systems will provide easier access to our programs and better communication with our audiences.

New systems will also support expanded efforts in ABF’s retail operation. Those efforts will include providing a greater number of products available online and more efficient processing of orders. We are also focusing on using more local and sustainable producers. And, rather than selling plastic water bottles to visitors, we will provide a water refill station where people can reuse their own containers.

After transferring to State Parks last year more than 17,000 acres of land surrounded by or adjacent to the Park, ABF continues to try to fulfill its

foundational mission to make the Park whole by securing inholdings. Approximately 14,000 acres of such land remain and they are most challenging to obtain. It remains our goal, however, to secure them.

I’m happy to report that we added three new members to the ABF Board of Trustees this year. They include long-time supporters of the Park and ABF, as well as enthusiastic hikers and campers, and they bring new skills and backgrounds to the board, as well as youth. These additions are beneficial, but they do not mean the board is complete. We will continue to try to identify potential new members and recruit them to the board. We are committed to increasing the diversity of the board, in several dimensions. If any reader is interested in more information about joining the board, please contact ABF at info@theabf.org.

Some might think that, with greater resources and more ambitious objectives, Anza-Borrego Foundation has changed. Yes, those resources and objectives are new, but they are being used to fulfill ABF’s long-standing mission. We have greater capacity now, but no different mission. Thank you for your continuing support of our efforts and that mission.

Sincerely,

Bill McDonald, ABF President

INCREASING ACCESS TO ANZA-BORREGO DESERT STATE PARK THROUGH NEW AND IMPROVED EDUCATION PROGRAMS

By Samantha Young, Education Manager

The 2022 – 2023 season of education programs was one of growth, experimentation, and initiation after the recent strategic planning revamp. The strategic plan provides a road-

map for where we want to take our education programming and we’ve committed to increasing access to our education programs by providing scholarships, student discounts, doubling efforts to obtain grant funds to subsidize programs, and offering virtual programming. Additionally, we’re working closely with the State Park to ensure our programs provide a valueadded resource and touch upon priority research and conservation topics.

As the new Education Manager with Anza Borrego Foundation, I ran my first season of programs, with the help of volunteers and naturalists. In concert with the State Park, we developed an approval process where we will now propose all programs we would like to run in the season, to be approved by the Colorado Desert District Superintendent and Lead Interpreter.

Education Program Partners

This ensures that our programs provide added value to the Park’s resources and public engagement and that we are not duplicating efforts, but instead providing a much-needed service to our community. We ran 20 education programs for the first time since shutting down during the pandemic and utilized 23 Naturalists or Program Leader Volunteers. We ran eight Guided Hikes and Drives, nine Research Based Education programs, four Virtual Access webinars, our very first Teacher symposium, and Camp Borrego. Four of these were brand new programs (Quiet Parks International webinar, Quiet Research Retreat, Beat the Heat with Cool Webinars series, the Third Grade Teacher Symposium, and Guided 4-Wheel Drive).

Who attended our programs? We had 340 attendees, 73 of which were our members, and 20 of which became members due to attending an education program. This is hopeful as one of our goals is to expand our participant list to include new and broader audiences who may not be as familiar with the Park

Program Attendees

Attendees Members 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350

or outdoor recreation. Most people learned about our programs from our econnection email and social media. Our participants reported that they were inspired with a new love and appreciation for the creatures in AnzaBorrego, that our programs opened a whole new world within the Park, and that they appreciated the knowledge, facilitation, and desire to provide fulfilling experiences.

We continue to work on creating a pool of past, committed, and eager Naturalists and Course Instructors upon which we can draw for programs. We hired a full-time, seasonal Outdoor Educator to assist with running programs. We plan to refine how we track measures of success for each program, which includes understanding how successful programs were in the areas of financials, desirability, access, and state park priorities. Additionally, we established new partnerships with many organizations around the county and state, and plan to continue to establish ourselves as a reputable resource for outdoor education and innovation in the natural space. For the next spring season, we have around 50 education programs scheduled, and an event occurs on most weekends of the season. I hope to see you in the desert soon!

MAKING THE PARK

WHOLE ONE ACRE AT A TIME

Working to preserve the wide-open vistas of the Anza-Borrego Desert is a passion of ours. We love the miles of unobstructed views: desert, mountains, valleys, and clear blue skies. The absence of visual clutter, as well as the deep silence and dark night skies, soothes the spirit and calms the soul.

Anza-Borrego Foundation has made enormous progress in the last 56 years to eliminate the checkerboard of over 67,000 acres of private land inside the State Park. Currently, about 14,000 acres of private land remains in AnzaBorrego Desert State Park.

Coyote Canyon

Borrego Salton Seaway

Borrego Badlands

Glorietta Canyon

Near the Slot

Vallecito Mountains

Shelter Valley

Coyote Canyon

Henderson Canyon

Coyote Canyon

These inholdings are the remnants of a system of railroad land grants and homesteads awarded by the federal government in the late 1800’s. In 1852, the summit of Mount San Bernardino was established as the starting point to survey Southern California into numbered 640-acre sections (each equivalent to a square mile) by the Public Land Survey System (PLSS). To promote western expansion, odd-numbered sections for several miles on either side of proposed rail lines were granted to railroad companies who could then sell the land to settlers coming west and raise money to build railroads. The even numbered sections remained in federal ownership until the Homestead Act of 1862 opened much of it up to settlers who could claim a quarter section, 160 acres, if they met certain requirements. Over time, these sections were further subdivided and sold as smaller lots. Often, these plots were sold sight unseen as investment opportunities or for speculation.

The remnants of this grant system continues to have repercussions in the west today. 1852 was a very different era; the land was divided without regard to geography, habitats, or the native people who called it home. Access to public land today can be restricted by this remnant checkerboard of private/public ownership, wildlife corridors are disrupted, and the wilderness experience sought by visitors is diminished.

LAND CONSERVED 2022/ 2023 Acres 20 10 5 10 40 80 80 5 10 40 40 70.19 20 5 5 Location

Peg Leg

Near Fonts Point

Borrego Badlands

Hwy

In 2022-2023 a total of 735.38 acres were conserved by ABF for future addition to the State Park. The individual parcels ranged in size from one-acre to 160-acres and were a combination of donations and purchases.

The one-acre property was part of a tenparcel purchase from the county of San Diego tax default sales. A total of 86-acres was purchased from the County with an average cost of $214 an acre. After five years of unpaid property taxes and attempts to contact owners, the county allows ABF to apply to purchase tax defaulted properties within the state park. Every year, this is a valuable source of new land purchases.

The 160-acre property was a donation from a family that had owned it for generations without ever developing it. It is in the far south end of the park, northeast of the town of Jacumba Hot Springs and is a pristine example of undisturbed desert terrain and Peninsular big horn sheep habitat.

Between Borrego Springs and Ocotillo Wells, the highway 78 corridor is a beautiful area rich in cultural resources and diverse desert plant species; it also contains many small private inholdings that we are working to purchase from willing sellers.

Whether one-acre or 160-acres, each property conserved contributes to the goal

78 Scenic Corridor

78 Scenic Corridor Near Kane Springs Rd Vallecito Mountains Near Kane Springs Rd Split Mountain Rd Jacumba LAND CONSERVED 2022 / 2023 2.5 2.5 10 5 5 10 39.09 10 10 12.76 10.28 2.5 1 5 9.96 160 Acres Location Cont. on Page 14

Hwy

HABITATS PRESERVED:

Big horn sheep

Mountain Lion

Quino Checkerspot Butterfly

Flat-tail Horned Lizard

WHAT WE PROTECTECD:

Historical and culturally sensitive sites

Fragile sand dune habitat

Paleontologically significant sites

Areas with rare wildflowers and spring blooms

Rare desert wetland

Dark sky viewing

TOTAL ACRES OF LAND

CONSERVE PARK IN 2022/2023: 735.78

Land conserved

2022 / 2023

of making Anza-Borrego Desert State Park a contiguous open expanse of a state park for all to enjoy its awe-inspiring beauty. Every year we get closer to the end goal of making the park whole.

Photo: Paulette Donnellon

WHY I GIVE

By Jaime Purinton, Communications Manager

In the expansive terrain of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, many stories unfold that tell a story of connection and dedication. For Paulette Donnellon, a devoted board member of Anza-Borrego Foundation (ABF), the Park represents not just a beautiful landscape but a cherished part of her life's journey, connecting her to her work with ABF.

In 1976, Paulette's life took an evolutionary turn when she moved from Canada to Southern California. At nine years old, her first encounter with the desert held the promise of Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner adventures. Yet, reality surpassed expectations as she discovered a vibrant ecosystem, lush with vegetation, and a Road Runner quite different from its animated counterpart.

Growing up in Escondido, weekends became synonymous with family trips to the desert. Every Saturday, from late fall to early spring, Paulette, her parents, and her brother explored various corners of the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. These early experiences laid the foundation for a lifelong love affair with the Park, an enduring connection that has deepened over 40 years of exploration, revealing new areas, flora, and fauna.

Paulette‘s early experiences in the Park laid the foundation for a lifelong love affair with the Park, a connection that has deepened over 40 years of exploration, revealing new areas, flora, and fauna.

Paulette's involvement with ABF is more than a position on a board; it's a calling born from a friendship and a shared passion for education. Serving as a board member for the San Diego County Office of Education representing District 4, which includes inland North County, including Borrego Springs, Paulette's journey with ABF began through a connection with fellow board member Ernie Cowan, a friend since the late 1980s. Ernie recognized the synergy between Paulette's role in education and the mission of ABF and extended an invitation for her to join the board, and she eagerly embraced the opportunity. The Park, with its unique landscapes, became Paulette's "happy place," and supporting educational opportunities for all visitors became a cause she wholeheartedly championed.

Paulette's commitment to giving back stems from a deep-seated belief in the power of education and outdoor experiences. As an educator and nature and wildlife photographer, she sees herself as a bridge connecting people to the Park's captivating essence. Her images serve as windows into the beauty of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, inspiring connection and wonder.

Active collaboration with ABF allows Paulette to broaden the range of educational opportunities available to the Park’s visitors. Her involvement reflects a dedication to the belief that we are all lifelong learners, and immersing ourselves in the beauty of natural wonders, wildlife and history is essential.

Beyond land conservation efforts, Paulette emphasizes the robust educational programming undertaken by ABF. The foundation collaborates with schoolteachers, immersing them in the Park's ecosystem and the historical utilization of park resources. This knowledge is then integrated into classrooms, enriching the educational experience for generations to come, while building future advocates.

As a nature enthusiast and avid explorer, Paulette finds joy in meeting fellow hikers on the trails and navigating the desert in her white Jeep, equipped with her nerdy glasses and a not so nerdy camera. The Park, for her, is a

unifying force, creating a sense of community among all who share a love for it. She extends an open invitation to those who cross paths with her: don't hesitate to say hello, for she's eager to hear what others love about the Park.

In Paulette Donnellon's story, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is not just a destination; it's a cherished chapter in a life dedicated to exploration, education, and community. Her dedication and passion attest to the influence of the Park, shaping lives and nurturing connections that reach across generations.

Photos: Paulette Donnellon

“Conservation of land and conservation of people frequently go hand in hand.”

-Eleanor Roosevelt

Photo: Peter Dascalos

A YEAR IN REVIEW

July 2022 - June 2023

A Letter From our Executive Director, Bri Fordem

As we look back on the 2022-2023 fiscal year, I am filled with gratitude for the strides we have taken together to support and preserve Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Our partnership with the Park has flourished, and the collaboration between ABF's dedicated team and the Park's staff has allowed us to leverage each other's resources and tools effectively. Together, we strive to safeguard the Park, provide safe access to the public, and foster a deep appreciation for this extraordinary place that is unlike any other.

Staff Leadership Training

We are investing in the future of our education programs, broadening their scope to ensure that everyone can engage, explore, and be curious about the desert environment and its significance. Our focus is on educating people through our six program areas, which you can read about in the following pages. Three key areas we are enhancing within these tracts are:

Virtual Experiences

Through webinars and online resources, we can reach a broader audience and provide accessible educational content highlighting the beauty and importance of the Park and its resources.

Desert Researcher Magazine

Our annual research magazine showcases the important work happening in the Park. It serves as a platform to share groundbreaking studies and findings that contribute to our understanding and preservation of the desert ecosystem.

Investment in Research-Based

Programming

Through a partnership with Steele/Burnand AnzaBorrego Desert Research Center and the Park, we dedicate ourselves to supporting research initiatives that inform our conservation efforts. This investment ensures that our strategies are grounded in science and effectively protect the Park's natural resources.

While education is a cornerstone of our work, all areas of ABF's efforts are interconnected. Land conservation remains a priority as we purchase private land from willing sellers within the park boundaries, ensuring that these lands are preserved for future generations. Our retail stores continue to create intentional product designs that tell the story of the Park, inspiring a deeper connection between visitors and the desert.

This holistic approach—combining education, land conservation, and telling the Park's story through interpretive products helps ensure the continued protection and appreciation of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

Our commitment to the Park's conservation, education, and community engagement has never been stronger. I am incredibly grateful to have a community of supporters like you who help others see the value in this desert. Thank you for your support in 2022 - 2023 and ssion.

Sincerely,

Bri Fordem Executive Director

Education and Outreach

Interpretive Sales

Land Acquisition

Direct Park Support

Fundraising Management TOTAL

REVENUE

Donations & Memberships

Planned Giving

Gifts in Kind - Land

Merchandise Sales

Land Mitigation

Grants & Contracts

Investment Income

Program Revenue

$1,542,496.00

$344,000.00

$314,119.00

$43,477.00

$122,690.00

$399,629.00

$37,203.00

Dollar

% of Total

Amount

$475,296.00

TOTAL $3,278,910.00 100% 14.5% 47.0% 10.5% 9.6% 1.3% 3.7% 12.2% 1.1% EXPENSE

Dollar Amount % of Total $170,619.00 $304,187.00 $210,139.00 $95,591.00 $195,740.00 $369,369.00 12.7% 22.6% 15.6% 7.1% 14.5% 27.4% $1,345,645.00 100%

OUR TEAM

Board Members:

Full-Time Staff:

Part-Time Staff:

Seasonal Workers:

$5,000 to Luke Weinstein, “Measuring and Analyzing immune phenotype in Peninsular Bighorn Sheep”. 13 9 2 3

TOTAL PARK SUPPORT: $95,591

Anza-Borrego Conservation Research Scholarship

Sentenac Cienega Restoration Symposium

Sponsored a two-day event with lectures and field tours where researchers presented baseline studies of the Sentenac Cienega wetland, informing us on the current health of the wetland to guide the development of a wetland restoration strategy for the Sentenac Cienega.

Envision

ABF commits to operating robust and inclusive education programs that both inspire and educate active and diverse audiences.

We completed our five-year strategic plan in 2021, and since then, have been working diligently to expand our capacity to fulfill its goals and support Anza-Borrego Foundation’s mission.

Comparison of Seasons

Goal:

Launch new program tracts dedicated to our mission that increase access and diversity of the attendees in the following program areas:

Guided Outdoor Excursions

Research Based Programs

Train the Trainer & Professional Development

School Based Programs & Career Pathways

Virtual Experiences

2021 2022 2023 Education Staff Grant Income Education Programs Free Programs Registration Income $58,500 $18,107 $7,810 11 1 1 85 18 7 $55,000 $20,000 $13,000 3 1 1

Engage

Engaging the public is at the core of our work: it's how we educate, inspire and build future advocates.

Over 800 people attended ABF events

Over 650 entries in our 2023 Photo Contest

Launched FamCamp; free family camping in the Park Hosted annual Pints 4 the Park & Front Porch Revue that allow attendees to connect and socialize around their love for the Park 25 fifth-grade students from local Borrego Springs Elementary School participated in Camp Borrego

Awarded $5,000 in scholarships to support research to measure and analyze immune phenotype in Peninsular Bighorn Sheep