Our History: 2002
Flannigan Slough in the Taku just below the confluence with the Tulsequah River. Photo by Mark ConnorThe dramatic economic downturn took a toll on foundation endowments, reducing the grantmaking budgets of many funders in the region. In the face of this destabilizing trend, the Brainerd Foundation's trustees committed to maintain the historic level of grantmaking; Paul Brainerd actively encouraged other foundations to follow our lead by keeping funding levels steady. To help our grantees develop realistic fundraising plans, we collaborated with our foundation colleagues and sent a report to grantees describing the changes they could expect from the different foundations making grants in the region. The conservation community faced one of its toughest years in memory. Budgets were down, the public was still reeling from the events of September 11 and the assaults on the environment were as aggressive as ever.
Despite these challenges, our grantees held the line on a number of critical defensive battles: Congressional attempts to open the Arctic Refuge to drilling were repelled, the Interior Department's attempt to reduce the boundaries of the Cascades-Siskiyou National Monument was blocked and a British Columbia court forestalled approval of the Tulsequah Chief Mine in the 5 million-acre transboundary Taku Wilderness.
In addition to this, conservation organizations also made significant gains: In B.C., 3.6 million acres of the coastal temperate rainforest was protected from logging. In Montana, logging was prevented in 14,700 acres of roadless areas on Bitterroot National Forest. At the international level, USPIRG's innovative shareholder campaign aimed at British Petroleum, bore fruit when the company withdrew from an industry trade association whose sole mission was to promote oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge.
Grantmaking Highlights
Our commitment to scientific analysis led to a grant to American Wildlands to identify and map key habitat corridors in the Northern Rockies. The information was used to educate landowners and land management agencies about the importance of protecting critical wildlife habitat linkages throughout the Rocky Mountain states.
Our commitment to respectful dialogue at the community level prompted us to make a grant to the Montana Human Rights Network to confront intimidation tactics in northwest Montana aimed at environmental activists. Our grant helped respond to messages of hate and violence being promoted by a local radio station. The grant helped to create an alternative voice in the region, defusing tensions and promoting moderation and respect for the democratic process and conservation values.