2023 Grants

This project is to help Big Bend Conservancy purchase 3,815 acres of private land along the western boundary of Big Bend National Park – this land houses many ecologically critical components including fossilized dinosaur eggshells, Hispanic Heritage farmstead sites, etc. it is vital this area be permanently preserved from development (currently encroaching from Terlingua). This land will become part of a 6000+ acre boundary adjustment for inclusion in Big Bend National Park. The total cost of the project is $780,000 – with our contribution which was made in 2022 to meet the land purchase deadline, all the funds have been raised. Conserving this area ensures that Big Bend maintains its pristine beauty with a natural barrier from the ever-growing developed areas nearby. This critical habitat will serve as an area for ecological growth and restoration.

This project is a continuation of the previous work we have funded in Peru’s and Ecuador’s Amazonian tropical rainforest. Specifically, the work includes documenting biodiversity knowledge of disappearing cloud forests to inform rainforest conservation efforts and to protect rainforests using this information. This work creates a public database of Peru’s threatened amphibians, including biodiversity information discovered during up to four expeditions led by Pablo Venegas, Rainforest Partnership herpetologist (in remote patches of cloud forest that conservation efforts do to reach easily but have experienced vast deforestation threats), thereby saving knowledge about these species before they disappear completely. This grant also includes funds for a national (in Ecuador) butterfly monitoring program at the epicenter of Earth’s biodiversity; monitoring indicator species to strengthen rainforest protection with the goal being permanent biodiversity monitoring program focused on butterflies, a highly charismatic indicator group, in Ecuador, one of the world’s three most biodiverse countries, to enable and ensure protection of National Parks, protected areas and indigenous community-owned and titled Amazon land.

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 January 2023 all demolition has taken place and groundbreaking will happen in the next months. This $40,000 is part of a continuation of this work.

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 4th year. Given the remarkable interest and enthusiasm of the first, second and thrird annual cadre of San Antonio youth in promoting the CAAP, EcoRise is excited to continue the MYECCI program with a new group of 25 students from grades 9–12 representing all council districts within the San Antonio area.

Funding from the Hollomon Price Foundation will fund another year of the MYECCI paid internship opportunities for 6 Youth Council members from the MYECCI Year 4 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 that program participate in diverse experiences within green building. Selected interns will be San Antonio students.

Funds are being granted to assist the nonprofit educational Farm, established in 1972, whose mission is to inspire and cultivate learning for a sustainable future. The farm is a 1,400 acre diversified working farm, including 400 acres of woodlands. In 2022, the farm served over 2,000 educators and nearly 100,000 visitors. The farm has long been a leader in land stewardship and historical preservation. Funds from this grant will help the farm to update their Forest Management Plan to help meet the climate action challenge of making the farm “carbon negative” by Earth Day 2028. The support will help link forest management practices to climate change education programs taking place on the campus and conducted in communities across the country in partnership with the US Forest Service and National Park Service.

Funds are being granted to assist the nonprofit educational Farm, established in 1972, whose mission is to inspire and cultivate learning for a sustainable future. The farm is a 1,400 acre diversified working farm, including 400 acres of woodlands. In 2022, the farm served over 2,000 educators and nearly 100,000 visitors. The farm has long been a leader in land stewardship and historical preservation. Funds from this grant will help the farm to update their Forest Management Plan to help meet the climate action challenge of making the farm “carbon negative” by Earth Day 2028. The support will help link forest management practices to climate change education programs taking place on the campus and conducted in communities across the country in partnership with the US Forest Service and National Park Service.