Board of Directors | Awards | Sponsors

"The world moves along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker."

- Helen Keller

Yolo Basin Foundation was founded in 1990 as a community based organization to assist in the establishment of the Yolo Wildlife Area. Our board of directors represents a diverse group of interests, from agriculture and waterfowl conservation to local government and the business community. We are universally credited with being the driving force behind the partnership that created the Yolo Wildlife Area. Yolo Basin continues as the communication link between many people and organizations involved in creating wetlands and managing land in the Yolo Bypass. Dynamic partnerships have evolved and our most significant cooperation is with the California Department of Fish and Game who currently manages the Yolo Wildlife Area.

A principal goal of the Foundation is facilitating environmental education in the Yolo Wildlife Area. In August 1997, we held the first of our Discover the Flyway teacher workshops, which introduce area teachers to the Wildlife Area and prepared them to bring their classes out for exciting and productive field studies. In its first year, the Discover the Flyway school program hosted 800 students between October 1997 and June of 1998. Since our pilot year, the school program has expanded to over 4,000 Kindergarten through 12th-grade students annually. Yolo Basin Foundation staff, interns and dedicated volunteers assist students in hands-on learning activities at our demonstration wetlands and lead students on exploratory Wildlife Area walks.

In addition to our popular Discover the Flyway program, Yolo Basin Foundation is the sponsoring non-profit organization for California Duck Days, publishes the Yolo Flyway newsletter, brings wetlands education to the classroom with our Wild About Wetlands kits, introduces the public to natural places in the community through public field trips, and hosts the Flyway Nights speaker series. The Foundation facilitates the Yolo Bypass Working Group meetings, which provide a focused opportunity for farmers, land owners and agencies within the Yolo Bypass to discuss Bypass related issues as well as provide guidance and opinions on such issues.

1995 – “U.S. Department of Interior Wetlands Conservation Award” for the private sector.

1995 – “Award for Excellence” in nonprofit management from San Francisco Management Center and Chevron.

1996 – “Outstanding Implementation Project” for the Comprehensive Conservation management Plan for the San Francisco Bay Estuary by Friends of the San Francisco Estuary at State of the Estuary Conference in San Francisco.

2000 – “Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award” for its work with the Yolo Bypass Working Group.

2002 – “City of Davis Environmental Recognition Award”

2002 – “California Department of Fish and Game Conservation Award” in recognition of the Foundation’s efforts on behalf of the Nature Bowl.

2007 - “Conservationist of the Year” Award from the Wildlife Society, Western Section. This award is presented by the Western Section to a person or group, engaged in wildlife conservation either as a profession or as an avocation, who has made an outstanding contribution to wildlife conservation in California, Nevada, Hawaii or Guam.

Arata Bros. Trust

Brandenburger Properties
California Waterfowl
California Department of Fish and Game
California Statewide Certified Development Corporation
Central Valley Joint Venture
City of Davis
Giles W. and Elise G. Mead Foundation

Kinder Morgan Foundation
Monsanto

PG&E

REI
UC Davis
Wallis Foundation
Water Resources Association of Yolo County
Yocha-De-He Community Fund
Yolo Basin Club
Yolo Flyway Club