Inspiring Meaningful Connection Projects by Year

 

2019 Projects

  • Hosted educational activities on the land with UC Santa Cruz Field Quarter, Mono Lake Committee’s Miwok-Paiute Basketry Field Seminar, and Mono Lake Volunteers; 

  • Initiated the Tom Crawford Artist-in-Residence Program with an inaugural residency with author David James Duncan. David provided public presentations to the Lee Vining Library Book Group, an outdoor reading at County Park and indoor reading at the Mono Lake Indian and Lee Vining Community Center, along with two talks in Lee Vining Canyon for Lee Vining middle and high school students;  

  • Established the DeChambeau Creek Foundation’s inaugural Directors’ Fund with a diverse slate of gifts across all giving areas: 

    • Education and Personal Development funding for a local youth to attend an experiential education opportunity in New York; 

    • Community Capacity Building funding to the Mono Basin Fire Safe Council, Lee Vining Library, and the local Lee Vining Presbyterian Church’s Presbytery Fund for family support; and

    • Ecological and Historic Preservation and Study funding to support the Lee Vining School’s summer outdoor camp.

2020 Projects

  • Provided substantial investment across the Moon Basin to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with funding to:

    • Presbyterian Church Food Pantry to address food insecurity;

    • Mono Arts Council to support online student art classes;

    • First 5 Mono County for childcare supplies; 

    • Lee Vining Elementary Parent Teacher Organization to ensure all students had access to online classes;

    • June Lake Women’s Club June Lake Cares program to support family economic needs;

    • Lee Vining Cares for direct support to local families; and

    • Art at Your Door, a surprise bag of age-appropriate art supplies delivered to the doorstep of every child in Lee Vining and Mono City. 

  • Granted funds to the following following organizations:

    • Oikonos Ecological Knowledge in support of ongoing global phalarope research;

    • Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association towards creation of a new film for the Mono Basin National Scenic Area Visitors Center; 

    • Mono Lake Kutzadika Indian Community Cultural Preservation Association to enable purchase of a Global Navigation Satellite System to map cultural and natural resources across the Tribe’s homeland; and 

    • The Mountain View Fire Relief Fund to provide emergency aid to those impacted by the tragic Mountain View Fire. 

  • Spearheaded two community collaborations to enhance public lands infrastructure and habitat: 

    • DeChambeau Ponds Restoration project to restore geothermal water flow to a complex of four wetlands through the installation of specialized water distribution infrastructure in partnership with the Inyo National Forest, Beavers’ Sporting Goods, Lakeview Lodge, Mono County, Mono Lake Committee, Friends of the Inyo, and dozens of community members; and 

    • Lower South Tufa Boardwalk Reconstruction of 122 foot section of rotting boards to improve visitor safety and enjoyment along the heavily used South Tufa boardwalk in partnership with California State Tufa Reserve, Inyo National Forest, Mono County, Mono Lake Committee, Friends of the Inyo, and the Mono Lake Volunteers.

2021 Projects

  • Continued coordination of the DeChambeau Ponds Restoration community collaboration resulting in geothermal water returning to three out of four of these unique wetland ponds for the first time in over a decade thanks to more than 600 hours of donated volunteer time; 

  • Celebrated National Reading Month (March) with funds to enable each and every student in Lee Vining Elementary and High School to order a book of their own choosing;

  • In partnership with Mono County Supervisor Bob Gardner, Foundation staff facilitated and coordinated a community-based response to the dramatic increase in unmanaged dispersed camping across the Eastern Sierra. A coalition of the willing involving agencies, governments, local organizations, and community members, the Dispersed Camping Collaborative developed and deployed the successful Camp Like a Pro program. In addition to facilitation and coordination, the Foundation provided direct funding to Mammoth Lakes Recreation to support the placement of dumpsters and portable restrooms in key locations;

  • Provided logistical support and funding for a set of three Eastern Sierra screenings and associated panel discussions of Manzanar Diverted: When Water Becomes Dust; 

  • Granted funds to the following organizations: 

    • Lee Vining Elementary School in support of a free summer outdoor class for Lee Vining Elementary School students;

    • Oikonos Ecological Knowledge to support ongoing research into the dynamics of globetrotting migratory phalaropes; 

    • Lee Vining Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization to install on-campus garden boxes; 

    • Inyo-Mono Advocates for Community Action to enable Lee Vining Preschool to expand classroom time from 3.5 to 5 hours each day; and 

    • The Wilderness Land Trust to complete the successful acquisition of an 880-acre parcel in the Bodie Hills overlooking Mono Lake and the Eastern Sierra on the south side of the Mt. Biedeman Wilderness Study Area. 

  • Hosted educational activities on the land with UC Santa Cruz Field Quarter, Lee Vining Elementary School summer outdoor class, and the Mono Lake Volunteers. 

  • Initiated a second year of Directors’ Fund giving with donations across all three giving areas: 

    • Educational and Personal Development funding to support Wild Iris family counseling, crisis support and violence prevention programs, Lee Vining Presbyterian Church’s Presbytery Fund for family support, and the Lee Vining Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization to establish a Winter Clothes Fund; 

    • Community Capacity Building funding to support the Lee Vining and Mono City fire departments and the Mono Lake Kutzadika Indian Community Cultural Preservation Association; and

    • Ecological and Historic Preservation and Study funding for Trout Unlimited to support conservation and eventual reintroduction of Lahontan cutthroat trout into East Walker River headwater creeks in the Bodie Hills—historic, native habitat for this threatened species.

2022 Projects

2023 Projects

  • Created a place-based education program in partnership with Lee Vining Elementary School to bring children to Jan’s Place; 

  • Continued to facilitate local community capacity building and collaboration through:

    • Camp Like a Pro collaborative; 

    • Mono Basin Partners - quarterly gatherings and seasonal stewardship projects with over a dozen federal, state, local and non-profit organizations supporting public lands interpretation and stewardship across the Mono Basin;

    • DeChambeau Ponds Restoration - a local collaboration to dedicated to the ongoing stewardship, maintenance and enhancement of ecologically-critical desert wetlands; and 

    • Mono Basin Community Housing Working Group - volunteers working to identify and advance solutions to the ongoing housing crisis. 

  • Granted funds to the following organizations and efforts: 

    • Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge in support of ecological research and education efforts focused on the intercontinental habitat needs of Wilson’s Phalaropes and the high desert saline lakes they rely on; 

    • Mono Basin Fire Safe Council for educational banners and continued collaboration on a number of local projects; 

    • Mono Arts Council to purchase instruments for an innovative and inclusive school music program;

    • Lee Vining Elementary School for new school garden beds;          

    • Lee Vining Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization to offset increased cost and enable equitable participation in the winter ski PE program;  

    • Lee Vining High School Parent Teacher Student Organization to increase the base amount of all PTSO scholarships;

    • June Lake Little Loopers to support Loopers children’s programs across the Mono Basin;

    • Lee Vining Cares to help community members meet basic economic needs;

    • Mono Basin Angel Tree Program to provide gift cards for each family participating in the community Angel Tree Program; and 

    • Lee Vining Community Presbyterian Church to support the Presbytery Fund providing aid to locals and travelers in the Mono Basin.

  • Established a human-wildlife interaction education program through postcard mailings to all Mono Basin boxholders and a subsidy fund to support purchase of bear-resistant trash cans. Additionally, this program purchased and installed a bear-proof community food pantry in Lee Vining; 

  • Celebrated National Reading Month with in-class presentations and books for every student in Lee Vining Elementary School;

  • Completed a third year of annual Directors’ Fund giving across all three Foundation giving areas:

  • Educational and Personal Development funding to the Mono Arts Council support for educational programs and Mammoth Lakes Housing in support of the Access Apartments project;  

  • Community Capacity Building funding to support the Mono Lake Kootzaduka’a Indian Community Cultural Preservation Association, Mono City and Lee Vining Fire Protection Districts and June Lake Little Loopers; and 

  • Ecological and Historic Preservation funding provided to the Death Valley Natural History Association for repair of the Salt Creek boardwalk and Friends of the Inyo in support of the Mono Basin Trail Ambassador program.




  • Organized multiple volunteer stewardship days with local residents and school groups to improve DeChambeau Ponds water flow and functionality;

  • Celebrated National Reading Month (March) with book purchases by every Lee Vining Elementary and High School student;

  • Mobilized local people and provided financial support to help local communities remove snow, repair homes, offset lost income during the extreme Winter of 2023 and resulting isolating avalanches. Provided financial support to: 

  • Partnered with the June Lake Women’s Club and Little Loopers to support a series of science-based summer camps for local kids led by SierraSTEM.  

  • Funded a paid docent program at the Mono Basin Historical Society focused on providing local high school students with job training, historical research and interpretive skills and direct engagement with the diverse history of the Mono Basin; 

  • Supported Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge’s continued research into the pan-hemispheric travels of migratory phalaropes at Mono Lake and beyond; 

  • Established the Mono Basin Altruism Scholarship to recognize local high students actively working to make the world a better place by consistently putting the well-being of others before oneself, regular small acts of kindness and compassion, and being of service to the community. 

  • Completed a fourth year of Directors’ Fund year-end donations: 

    • Eastern Sierra Community Housing to support the residential to commercial conversion Access Apartments affordable housing project; 

    • Friends of the Lee Vining Library for general support of educational and literacy programs; 

    • Lee Vining Fire and Mono City Fire Departments donations towards general support; 

    • Friends of the Inyo to enable another season of the Mono Basin Trail Ambassador education and stewardship work; 

    • Mono Arts Council in support of their work to bring arts to all communities across Mono County; 

    • Mono Lake Kutzadika Indian Community Cultural Preservation Association: donation towards general support; 

    • Mammoth Lakes Repertory Theater to support the Theater for Young Audience performances for local students. 

  • Hosted the following educational activities on the property:

    • UC Santa Cruz Field Quarter: May 29 – June 5; 23  students and 4 staff (27 total)

    • Ecological study of migratory bird use across multiple habitats on the property and beyond by UCSC student, June Yost: May 1 - May 19

    • Natural and cultural history field programs for Lee Vining Elementary School students: June 6 and 7; 29 students and three adults (32 total) and October 16, 18 and 19; 27 students and three adults (30 total)