Resources Legacy Fund

In 2022, Resources Legacy Fund (rlf) furthered its work to conserve land, water, and ocean Resources while advancing healthy communities and social equity.select rlf accomplishments during 2022:dam removalin 2022, rlf's open rivers Fund (orf) continued supporting local community efforts to remove obsolete dams, modernize water infrastructure, and restore rivers in the western united states. Orf funding supported the deconstruction of 13 dams in Oregon, Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado and the planning necessary to advance removal of many additional dams across the west in future years. Orf projects reduce flood risk, eliminate liabilities, restore native american cultural and fisheries practices, modernize irrigation infrastructure saving ranchers and farmers time and money, improve boat passage, and restore habitat for fisheries that provide food, sustain native culture, and attract anglers. Rlf launched orf in november 2016 with the support of the william and flora hewlett foundation and, through 2022, has supported removal of a total of 61 dams. Orf is currently working on projects in 57 watersheds spanning 11 western states. Orf's portfolio of projects is diverse in size, benefits, partners, approaches, and prospects for success. Orf is also making progress on its broader goal of generating policies, funding, and public acceptance to foster ongoing support for dam removal.equity and environmental justicein 2022 rlf supported partners with funding, capacity building, and technical assistance to achieve policy and public funding outcomes that created meaningful opportunities and removed barriers for historically marginalized communities. Select achievements include:- supporting a coalition of workers' rights groups from across California to develop a policy platform for outdoor workers' safety from wildfire and smoke. They scored an early victory in sonoma county with the creation of a pilot insurance program that supports wage replacement for workers when wildfire makes it too hazardous to work outside.- California state parks announced dos rios state park, the first addition to the state park system since 2009, and a project that rlf has supported for a decade. The new 2,100-acre park is located in the heart of the san joaquin valley, a region with the least open space per capita in the entire state.- California's 2022-23 budget included unprecedented funding--$54 billion over multiple years--for climate priorities, including many that rlf and its partners worked hard to secure, such as funding for community resilience centers, nature-based solutions, wildfire prevention, ocean protection, sea level rise, extreme heat planning and support, parks and outdoor access, and smart urban planning and affordable housing. The climate budget also included $10 billion for sustainable transportation and $10 billion for zero emission vehicles.- rlf partnered with the California natural Resources agency (cnra) to ensure a robust and diverse stakeholder engagement process that resulted in release of "pathways to 30x30" in april 2022, the state's roadmap for protecting 30 percent of California land and coastal waters by 2030. Later in 2022, cnra publicly launched the implementation phase of 30x30 and the partnership coordinating committee, on which rlf participates, to guide implementation. Also, the 2022-23 California budget includes $1.1 billion for nature-based solutions, including 30x30 efforts. Ocean and coastduring the last year, rlf implemented programs and grants supporting activities to improve ocean, coastal, watershed, and fishing sustainability in California, hawai'iHawaii'i, and worldwide. In 2022, rlf supported diverse and effective organizations working to advance more equitable ocean governance in California; secure coastal protection and access; address impacts of sea level rise; improve state and international fisheries management; and implement effective marine management in hawai'Hawaii'i and California. Examples include: - rlf supported indigenous partners and grantees in their work to help steward and restore California watersheds and marine protected area network.- rlf continued to provide strategic advice and support to the northern chumash tribal council in its campaign to secure nomination of the chumash heritage national marine sanctuary. - rlf-supported partners in hawai'Hawaii'i for the public launch of the holomua marine initiative, a state-led effort to work with communities to effectively manage nearshore marine Resources around each main Hawaiian island. More than 200 people attended the meetings in maui to kick off the planning process. A navigation team, made up of local ocean users, will be recommending management improvements for maui nearshore marine waters over the next year. Rlf and its partners successfully advocated for policies and public funding to protect California communities from sea level rise; conserve coastal habitats and wildlife; preserve access to public beaches; and expand coastal recreation and education opportunities for the state's vulnerable and underserved communities. - in 2022, rlf's sustainable fisheries Fund launched a new grantmaking effort to support fishery improvement projects worldwide in the implementation of measures to protect human rights, advance social responsibility, and reduce environmental impacts in seafood supply chains. Rlf awarded grants to organizations leading fishery improvement projects in ecuador, mexico, panama, peru, suriname, china, indonesia, south korea, and taiwan.indigenous-led conservation - rlf was a member of the international boreal conservation campaign, which supported the growth of the indigenous leadership initiative (ili). (a planned transition of boreal conservation leadership in 2023 has now taken place.) Ili, comprising members of first nations of canada, is at the international forefront of indigenous-led conservation and the effort to strengthen indigenous nationhood and fulfill indigenous responsibilities to the land. In december of 2022, ili hosted an indigenous village at the un cop-15 in montreal to showcase the stewardship of indigenous peoples from the country. - rlf and partners helped secure $70 million in the California 2022-23 state budget for tribes and tribal entities to support tribal-led natural resource stewardship and nature-based climate conservation programs.fiscally sponsored projectsas a fiscal sponsor, rlf provides fiduciary oversight and administrative services-including human Resources, legal, financial, and technology support-to a portfolio of projects that accelerate change and advance enduring outcomes in natural resource conservation, climate change adaptation, public health, social equity, and education. Rlf partners with donors and project leads to quickly and cost-effectively launch high-impact initiatives that lack 501(c)(3) status.