Patagonia Awards $8,000 to Growing The Future

The Escondido Creek Conservancy (Conservancy) was awarded $8,000 from Patagonia to help with the restoration of the 693-acre Mountain Meadow Preserve (Preserve). The Preserve was acquired in 2018 as part of the Conservancy’s Save 1000 Acres campaign and is owned by San Diego County Parks & Recreation and the Conservancy, but managed by the Conservancy. Patagonia funded, Growing the Future, a volunteer-powered native seed collecting, processing, and storing operation to initiate restoration on degraded agricultural lands at the Preserve.

The Conservancy is truly grateful for businesses like Patagonia that recognize their impact on the environment and make it part of their mission to give back. “For us, it’s not charity or traditional philanthropy. It’s part of the cost of doing business. We call it our Earth Tax,” reads Patagonia’s Environmental + Social Initiatives. Their Earth Tax is now funding restoration in the Escondido Creek watershed with the Growing the Future project, which will catalyze the Conservancy’s largest-ever habitat restoration project.

What makes this initiative special is that, in addition to restoring critical, precious coastal sage scrub and chaparral habitat, it will give the Conservancy the chance to engage a more diverse range of volunteers. “Restoration can be hard work that isn’t always generally accessible to everyone, but community members of all physical capabilities will be invited to participate in this rewarding method of conservation,” says Hannah Walchak, the Conservancy’s Conservation Land Manager. Volunteers will be inspired to commit to nature – and each other – because the project will show tangible results, enhance participant skill sets, and foster group experiences.

For those interested in becoming a volunteer for the project, please email [email protected].