2024
Grants

This project is a continuation of the previous work hpf has funded in Peru’s and Ecuador’s Amazonian tropical rainforest. Specifically, in 2024, RFP will study amphibians in the Zaña River Basin to measure the degree of threat to the new frog species discovered during our 2022 and 2023 fieldwork. Specifically, RFP will determine whether these species’ distributions reach the Zaña River basin; if their distribution is restricted to the range of the relict forests studied, they would be at high risk of extinction due to loss of habitat caused by agricultural expansion. RFPwill also continue development of the “Frogs of Peru Portal,” a public database of Peru’s amphibians, the most threatened group of vertebrates in the world. The database will make extensive research available to the public to provide in-depth, verified data and information to researchers, conservation stakeholders, and anyone interested in amphibians and biodiversity conservation. Regarding the Ecuador Butterfly Project, in 2023, RFP expanded the project to a new site, Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, while continuing support for the successful monitoring, research, and environmental education work being led by Yasuní park rangers previously trained as part of this project. In 2024, RFP will replicate the project at a new site, working with one of three potential National Parks where a) there is interest from the park rangers working there, b) there is an opportunity to fill major gaps in butterfly and biodiversity research, and c) RFP can study butterflies at similar altitudes to compare findings with data found at Yasuní and Cuyabeno. The program provides technology and training to National Park rangers to conduct butterfly monitoring, research, and environmental education, strengthening their capacities to implement biodiversity research and conservation across Ecuador’s extremely biodiverse National Parks and promote conservation on a national and international scale.

The mission of Sea Turtle Inc. is to rehabilitate injured sea turtles for return to the wild, educate the public about sea turtles and their marine environment, and assist with sea turtle conservation projects for all marine turtle species. In 2022 HPF granted funds of $235,000 for a new hospital facility that will include a research center which will be a fully dedicated 400 sq ft facility on the 2nd floor of the new Sea Turtle Inc. Rehabilitation and Research Center. The new facility provides an indoor rehabilitation and research center with enclosed space for more comprehensive treatment and research. The hospital and research center will provide improved care for turtles with research ability and also public viewing of our holding tanks, Xray and CT scan room. The hospital/research facility will be named: Wayne Hollomon Price Research Center. As of now, the hospital is expected to be complete by mid-2024. This $25,000 is part of a continuation of this work.

Bat Conservation International considers inspiring future conservationists and environmental stewards to be an essential part of the mission to conserve the world’s bats and their ecosystems to ensure a healthy planet. Bracken Cave Preserve is the gem of the outreach and engagement programming in Central Texas. In 2023 BCI welcomed over 8,000 visitors to the Preserve, a significant increase over 7,000 in 2022. For the past two years, BCI exceeded our pre-pandemic visitor numbers and is poised to continue growing visitor numbers for years to come and, thereby, growing the impact of BCI’s environmental stewardship messaging.  Thanks to Hollomon Price Foundation support, BCI has already has a greatly improved visitor experience at Bracken Cave Preserve, including building a pavilion where visitors are able to comfortably sit in the shade (and take shelter when it rains) and learn about Bracken Cave’s Mexican free-tailed bats. A grant from Hollomon Price Foundation will provide additional support to build on the previous work and continue improving the visitor experience at the preserve. Specifically HPF funds will be used to install additional signage, covering topics like variations in bat sizes, bat photography tips, and bat anatomy, making some of the information most frequently asked for more easily accessible. And because bats are not the only residents of the preserve, many bird species rely on the preserve, including peregrine falcons and the Endangered Golden-cheeked warbler – a bird hide to allow visitors to view birds and other wildlife across the road from the pavilion, set back at the edge of the trees near where a water feature is planned. Several large fans will also be installed in the pavilion. This is a matter of increasing both comfort and safety for guests at Bracken Cave Preserve. HPF support will also fund the construction of North-to-South transect paths across the property, making it easier for scientists (and community science participants) to access the site and conduct research. Transects will allow scientists to conduct field observations of plants and wildlife (bird counts, small mammal surveys, etc.) in a consistent manner.

Teo Paws is an American organization that funds work around the pyramids of Teotihuacan Mexico (outside of Mexico City) to help rescue, spay/neuter, rehabilitate, and adopt out homeless dogs that are roaming the streets.  With the help of a local Veterinary Clinic’s and Dog rescues  partner with, TP has helped all of them get back to health or a full recovery, so that they can be adopted and have a new opportunity for a better life. The program has also recently partnered with a dog rescue organization in Mexico called Xollin (Refugio Xollin). This organization is working with strictly donations and has over 300 dogs in the rescue program. The intention of this grant is to assist Teo Paws in their mission is to help supply the refuge with medical supplies, food, and shelter – as well as support the shelter’s adoptions, medical needs and spay/neuter programs.

The Mayor’s Youth Engagement Council for Climate Initiatives (MYECCI) Project is a partnership between EcoRise, the City of San Antonio and the Hollomon-Price Foundation that engages San Antonio youth in promoting the city’s ambitious Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP). Continued funding from the Hollomon Price Foundation allows this program to continue for a 5th year, which will include a new group of  25-30 students from grades 9–12, representing all council districts within the San Antonio area for a fifth year.

This grant the will fund a third year of the MYECCI paid internship opportunities for 6 Youth Council members from the MYECCI Year 5 cadre. These students will receive a competitive hourly wage to gain real-world work experience related to climate justice civic action, the long-term health and resilience of San Antonio, and their own professional college and career preparedness. That program helps historically underrepresented students realize their power and potential to thrive in the green jobs market. Students have access to real-life experiences that are well compensated, setting them on the path to life-transforming career opportunities. Through problem-based lessons and real-world practice, students in the program participate in diverse experiences within green building. Selected interns will be San Antonio students.

Funds are being granted for PROGRAMMING: Films and panels to be presented during the 32nd Annual Environmental Film Festival (March 21-30, 2024) and year-round programming period (April-December 2024) and MARKETING: Strategic ad campaigns and targeted social media to raise the profile of Foundation-supported programming and the Festival more generally. To extend audience impact, the program will produce program guides for electronic download and distribution at each event.

Working toward a goal of achieving Net Zero by 2028, a $30,000 grant from the Hollomon Price Foundation to the Campaign for Shelburne Farms will serve as the lead seed gift for installing Net Zero technology in the proposed Coach Barn education and convening center. This is an essential element of a larger project to rehabilitate the iconic historic structure into a year-round, state of the art, Net Zero convening center – including serving as the home for the Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools. As a national historic landmark, preservation of the Coach Barn has major cultural value in and of itself. But there is an even greater societal benefit that will come from improving the barn as a convening center and as the home for the Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools. The Coach Barn plays an integral role in advancing the Farm’s educational mission. Critical updates are needed for the heating, electrical, lighting, fire detection and suppression, and security systems. The aged oil boiler is overdue to be replaced with an energy efficient, geothermal ground source water to air heat pump system for heating and cooling that is aligned with the nonprofit’s commitment to sustainability.

This funding proposal is to support two Early Career “Launchpad” fellows for one year. The Safina Center seeks to inform and transform fusing scientific accuracy with emotional engagement and a moral call to action. The center produces tangible science based creative products, speaking, and teaching. The Launchpad fellowship program is designed for people under 30 seeking to launch careers in conservation science and environmental work. Each Launchpad Fellows receives $5,000 to support critical pieces of their projects including travel, editing, sound recording, and writing.

The South Fork Natural History Museum (SOFO) & Nature Center is the only state-of-the-art Natural History Museum on the South Fork of Long Island. SOFO is located within the Long Pond Greenbelt system, an ecologically significant area considered to be one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in New York State. One of the center’s most important interactive natural exhibits is the Educational Touch Tank, which is enjoyed by children and adults of all ages, many of whom have never been exposed to marine wildlife in such an up-close, rewarding manner. This popular museum exhibit offers hands-on guided experiences with local marine life to first-time and repeat local and international visitors who benefit greatly from the discussions with our environmental educators about biology, and environmental issues of marine life in Long Island waters. This $30,000 Grant from Holloman Price will enable SOFO to: upgrade the filtration and life support systems to allow more efficient maintenance; house a wider range of marine specimens; increase the specimen display area, which will make it possible for more visitors to engage with the marine life at the same time; feature a specific local habitat display; improve access for children and adults with varied height levels and a redesigned circular approach; and to meet the needs of our special needs visitors.

Funds for this project will be used to support the operations of SNIPSA, a veterinarian run homeless pet adoption agency that also offers spay and neuter services to residents of San Antonio. SNIPSA was founded in 2006 and since then has saved and adopted out over 20,000 dogs. SNIPSA pulls all dogs from the euthanasia list of area shelters, with the vast majority coming form San Antonio Animal Care Services. SNIPSA provides all medical/veterinary care for all animals that come through the shelter. SNIPSA utilizes a network of “foster” who take the animals in their homes and rehabilitate them to the point of being ready for adoption. SNIPSA also provides free spay/neuter services to underserved/poor areas several times throughout the year – with an average of 500 animals being spayed/neutered during an event.

Trees Matter is a nonprofit organization in Phoenix, Arizona. The mission is to inspire and promote an increased tree canopy in the Valley. There are three main programs: the Utility Shade Tree Program where hundreds of free shade trees are distributed to residents across the Valley, the Community Tree Program where we plant trees in the community (a large component of the program is our Trees for Schools work where we plant trees on different school campuses in need), and the Urban Food Forest program where the community is on the function of trees as a means of food. The $20,000 grant will be used to support the Resiliency Project at Spaces of Opportunity, in South Phoenix. The Trees Matter Resiliency Project was born in 2020 to honor those who risked their lives, fell ill, or died during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Trees Matter successfully planted over 100 trees at Spaces of Opportunity in collaboration with Tiger Mountain Foundation. Second, this funding will be used for support in the tree inventorying process. All trees that are planted are inventoried, including – measuring growth rates and overall health of the trees for years. At this time, the organization does not have funding for replacing any trees that may need to be removed and did not survive. Having funding to support this work will help understand how well the trees are doing, how to correct issues, and give communities new trees when needed. Finally, a portion of the funding will be set aside for funding for general mission work/further our mission including outreach and education to communities that need trees the most.

This grant will be used to help develop a new tool to Measure Impact of Cleanups & Unleash Broader Engagement in Ocean Trash Fight Plastic pollution in the ocean has a devastating impact on marine life and ecosystems. Alarmingly, plastics have been found in roughly 60% of seabirds and 100% of sea turtle species. To help draw greater attention to this issue and to the needed solutions, Ocean Conservancy is developing an Animal Impact Calculator to estimate the harmful effects of plastics on marine wildlife, with a focus on plastic items commonly encountered in the ICC such as plastic bags, bottles, and food containers. The goal is to provide ICC volunteers and the general public an easy-to-use web-based tool whereby with the push of a button the tool will calculate the number of seabird, sea turtle, and marine mammal lives saved from ocean and coastal cleanup efforts. By helping to quantify and demonstrate the direct impact individuals can have on saving wildlife when partaking in cleanup efforts, the aim is to deepen their personal connection to the issue and dramatically increase volunteer participation around the globe. Ultimately, this information will help the public and conservationists alike to better understand the ecological benefits of cleanup efforts, quantify their positive impact on wildlife,

Niassa Lion Project ($25,000): This grant is a continuation of the work that was funded by the Hollomon Price Foundation this past year – namely, to support the salary of one of our core team members and the costs associated with aerial patrols to accomplish our conservation goals in Niassa Special Reserve. Funds are being granted to continue the work with the Niassa Lion Project/Niassa Reserve in Mozambique. The Niassa Reserve is important in conserving and protecting the remaining lions (800-1000). The funds will be used to support anti-poaching efforts which are active in an intensive study area of 58,000 hectares. The overall goal of the anti-poaching program is to reduce the illegal killing of lions and their prey. The funds will specifically support the salary, equipment, and incentives for one anti-poaching scout for one year.

Grevy’s Zebra Trust ($10,000): This grant is specific to one of WCN’s partner organizations, Grevy’s Zebra Trust (GZT) – it is the only organization in the world with a mission focused solely on conserving the Grevy’s zebra and its habitat in Kenya. They work in landscapes that provide habitats for Grevy’s zebra, implementing integrated conservation approaches that lead to healthy rangelands for people and wildlife. Their work embraces community institutions and traditional knowledge, as they believe that solutions for Grevy’s must be solutions that benefit communities. This request for support is focused on Grevy’s Zebra Trust’s Nkirreten Project – a reusable sanitary pad project to provide women and girls with safe and clean sanitary materials. These sanitary pads are made by Samburu women for Samburu women and girls, and they sport a zebra-striped design that helps directly connect the message of Grevy’s zebra conservation. Many girls are forced to drop out of school as a result of their monthly cycle because they have no sanitary protection – this project keeps girls in school, gives women and girls in the community a hygienic option during their cycle, and provides an income to the women making the pads. The Grevy’s Zebra Trust is currently supplying 20 schools in the Samburu region.

This grant is a continuation of the work that was funded by the Hollomon Price Foundation this past year – namely, to support the salary of one of our core team members and the costs associated with aerial patrols to accomplish our conservation goals in Niassa Special Reserve. Funds are being granted to continue the work with the Niassa Lion Project/Niassa Reserve in Mozambique. The Niassa Reserve is important in conserving and protecting the remaining lions (800-1000). The funds will be used to support anti-poaching efforts which are active in an intensive study area of 58,000 hectares. The overall goal of the anti-poaching program is to reduce the illegal killing of lions and their prey. The funds will specifically support the salary, equipment, and incentives for one anti-poaching scout for one year.

This grant is specific to one of WCN’s partner organizations, Grevy’s Zebra Trust (GZT) – it is the only organization in the world with a mission focused solely on conserving the Grevy’s zebra and its habitat in Kenya. They work in landscapes that provide habitats for Grevy’s zebra, implementing integrated conservation approaches that lead to healthy rangelands for people and wildlife. Their work embraces community institutions and traditional knowledge, as they believe that solutions for Grevy’s must be solutions that benefit communities. This request for support is focused on Grevy’s Zebra Trust’s Nkirreten Project – a reusable sanitary pad project to provide women and girls with safe and clean sanitary materials. These sanitary pads are made by Samburu women for Samburu women and girls, and they sport a zebra-striped design that helps directly connect the message of Grevy’s zebra conservation. Many girls are forced to drop out of school as a result of their monthly cycle because they have no sanitary protection – this project keeps girls in school, gives women and girls in the community a hygienic option during their cycle, and provides an income to the women making the pads. The Grevy’s Zebra Trust is currently supplying 20 schools in the Samburu region.

Funding received for this grant will be used to support the SAFCC Spay/Neuter Subsidy Program. Without this program, the public would not be able to afford to do TNR. The Subsidy Program subsidizes three clinics so the cost to the public is only $25. This fee includes the spay or neuter surgery, rabies vaccine, FVRCP vaccine, and an ear tip, which identifies them as a fixed community cat. There is an agreement for reimbursement with each clinic that varies.