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Changes to Enhancement Grant Program  |  Finalizing Youth Investments  |  Partner Support  |  Messages to our partners 

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Update on Sunset of the Stewardship Council

 

Feb 2022 –

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The Pacific Forest and Watershed Lands Stewardship Council (Stewardship Council) is a private, nonprofit foundation that was established in 2004 as part of a Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) settlement with the California Public Utilities Commission. We have two overarching goals: to ensure that over 140,000 acres of California's pristine watershed lands are conserved for the public good through our Land Conservation Program, and to invest in outdoor programs that serve California's young people through our Youth Investment Program.

 

An expected outcome of our success conserving PG&E Watershed Lands is that the Stewardship Council will accomplish its mission and the organization will dissolve. The Stewardship Council board anticipates initiating the formal dissolution process in 2022 following PG&E’s submittal of the final Advice Letter for donated land transactions to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). By the end of 2022 we anticipate all donated land transactions will close escrow, and during 2023, the remaining PG&E retained land transactions with conservation easements will close escrow. The dissolution process may take until the end of 2023 to complete.

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Changes to Enhancement Grant Program. Planning for the Stewardship Council’s wind down has led us to an expanded partnership with the Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC), and SNC will begin to administer elements of the Stewardship Council’s enhancement grant program in 2022. SNC will ensure continued oversight and administration of our impactful enhancement grant program after the Stewardship Council formally dissolves. All eligible grantees have been identified for projects with existing available funds. Stewardship Council staff is here to support a successful transition.

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Finalizing Youth Investments. Our work has included the investment of $30 million in youth outdoor leadership and opportunities for underserved youth to experience the outdoors. More information on our Youth Investment Program can be found here: Stewardship Council Youth Investment Program

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Partner Support. While the Stewardship Council is winding down operations, staff will continue to be available to answer questions and support the remaining effort. Information about our work is posted on our website and you can reach us at info@stewardshipcouncil.org or by phone at 916-297-6660.

 

Messages to our partners

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Based on input and suggestions we received from many of our partners during meetings held in late 2021 and early 2022, the below details are intended to keep our partners informed and updated:

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To our Conservation Easement holders –

Your organization is responsible for ensuring the protection of the beneficial public values for the people of California and has received a monitoring and stewardship endowment and legal defense contribution. We trust that our careful selection of qualified conservation easement holders will ensure continued completion of the work and reporting required in the endowment funding agreements. In 2022, we will contact you with information assigning the Sierra Nevada Conservancy as responsible for accepting final reports. At this time, we anticipate final report due dates will be pushed out to 2025. If your organization is working on transactions that have not yet closed, the Stewardship Council will continue to fund transaction efforts and coordinate the escrow closing process.

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Current Enhancement Program funding recipients –

As an Enhancement Program grantee, we will continue to manage your grant and make payments as described in the grant agreement with the Stewardship Council. In mid-2022 we plan to transfer administration of active grants to the SNC, who will accept your reports and invoices and make payments to help you complete your projects. We will provide you with notice and discuss the details of the transfer with you prior to enacting these changes.

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Potential Enhancement Grant Recipients –

The Stewardship Council anticipates awarding additional enhancement grant funds to organizations that we have been coordinating with regarding proposals submitted in 2020. Due to our dissolution process, we are prioritizing organizational needs before we can determine the total amount available to fund identified proposals. Due to the timing of SNC taking over grant management, and dissolution of our organization, SNC will manage these remaining grants and coordinate with the project proponents.

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Recipients of Land Donations –

The Stewardship Council will continue to support the escrow closing process for donations in process and Land Conservation Program staff will be available to assist you. The entities anticipating land donations in 2022 include the Maidu Summit Consortium, CalFire, Pit River Tribe, and University of California. All land donations are anticipated to close escrow prior to sunset of the Stewardship Council.

 

Counties who have outstanding tax neutrality funds -

The Stewardship Council provides property tax neutrality payments to counties where fee title has been conveyed to those entities that generally are exempt from property taxes. Stewardship Council staff has discussed with a representative from your county our dissolution process and the need to finalize tax neutrality agreements and payments prior to our sunset.

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