ICF Board Member Nancy Marlin

One of the most gratifying aspects of serving as a member of the International Community Foundation (ICF) Board is to visit the wonderful nonprofits that have received grants through ICF. Seeing the excellent work of our grantees allows me to more fully appreciate the profoundly positive influence of ICF's work through its grantees and collaborative partnerships, on so many communities throughout the Baja peninsula.

In my role as Provost of San Diego State University (SDSU), I have visited ICF grantees in La Paz who are working collaboratively with some of our faculty on the vital issues of sustainable development. Faculty from the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur and Harvard University, through ICF’s Harvard Alternative Futures initiative, are indeed striving to envision and create economically viable alternative futures that will preserve the ecosystems and biodiversity in Loreto and La Paz.

Pronatura Team with ejidatarios from Estero Guadalupe

I have also visited Bahía de Los Angeles, BC, Mexico - a pristine ecological treasure including cardon forests, island and wetland habitat, and the exquisite bay that is all within a day’s drive of San Diego. SDSU, in partnership with the nonprofit Aquatic Adventures, provides a five-week program there in marine science education to Hoover High School students. PRONATURA, an ICF grantee, is close to securing the approval of biosphere reserve status for Bahia de Los Angeles, and is deeply involved in environmental community education. PRONATURA's Director of Conservation, Gustavo Danemann, described his work of meeting with individual families to explain economic opportunities beyond subsistence fishing (or killing endangered sea turtles), and I personally was pleased by their inclusion of expanded economic opportunities for women. PRONATURA maintains a physical presence there, creating an ongoing opportunity for work with the community as well as shortterm housing for visiting scientists.

Proposed site for the biosphere reserve in Bahía de Los Angeles which is coming to fruition thanks to PRONATURA's efforts.

As an ICF Board member who sees most of our grantees work only on paper, it is inspiring to visit and more fully appreciate the impact of our grant-making. Many of these grants are not large in a monetary sense, but are extraordinarily large in the salutary influence they have on the lives of individuals and communities. As supporters and donors of ICF, we collectively can be justifiably proud of these important binational efforts.