We are deeply grateful to the board of directors and members of the Mount Diablo Audubon Society for their recent unsolicited, unrestricted $500 donation to our CNPS East Bay Chapter. This is the third generous donation from Mount Diablo Audubon in the past few years, and we truly appreciate this expression of support for our work.
Just as plants and animals live in mutualistic relationships, organizations whose mission is to protect habitat—whether for plants, birds, or other organisms—work symbiotically to augment each other’s efforts. East Bay CNPS and Mount Diablo Audubon have collaborated, along with other conservation organizations, in multiple projects to protect and preserve important habitat in Contra Costa County. Most recently, both of our organizations were long-time partners with Save Tesla Park and others in the successful conservation campaign that has protected the spectacular Tesla property as a new, non-motorized state park.
Conservation and collaboration are of primary importance in the missions of both Mount Diablo Audubon Society and CNPS East Bay Chapter. Mount Diablo Audubon works to “ensure a high degree of habitat diversity and preservation through an active role in local environmental activities and issues” and also to “support community organizations with similar goals.” (Learn more about Mount Diablo Audubon’s mission and activities on its website and its Facebook and Meetup pages.)
CNPS East Bay’s primary mission is to “conserve native plants and their natural habitats.” Our core values include “collaborat[ing] with individuals and organizations by freely and mutually sharing information and perspectives to support understanding, protection, and enhancement of native plants” and “form[ing] alliances with others to advance common goals.” Through our two organizations’ collaborative work, we can accomplish far more than either could alone.
We thank Mount Diablo Audubon Society for its generous gift to CNPS East Bay, and we look forward to continuing our productive collaboration on causes of importance to both of our organizations and our shared community.
— Board of Directors, CNPS East Bay Chapter
December 2021