My Nonprofit Reviews

SPAWN has a strong focus on the restoration of breeding grounds for coho salmon and steelhead. I've been impressed by their multi-variate approach to restoration. They develop strong partnerships with community organizations including the local water district, the National Park Service, the California State Parks, the county government, local businesses (including a golf course that fronts two key tributaries), and a variety of research institutions. They recruit and make clever use of young interns, providing them housing in the redwood forest and food through a partnership with the local food bank. The interns do scientific research, educate nearby school groups, and provide public relations outreach in the broader community. SPAWN has an active roster of naturalists it draws upon to provide creek walks during spawning season, and engage in smolt counts during the Spring. Finally, they are actively restoring certain reaches of the main spawning creek to provide nurseries for juvenile coho and steelhead in an important partnership with some of the community agencies identified above. The few paid staff are highly qualified and dedicated and the army of volunteers provide significant service to the organization. It's well-run and effective. I know my donations, both financial and my time, go a long way towards restoring the historic salmon runs of California's central coast.