Sawtooth Society receives prestigious grant from M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust
The Sawtooth Society is pleased to announce it is the recipient of a major grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. The grant, totaling $85,000, will facilitate building the Society’s capacity and resources to support its new outreach program by making it possible to staff and provide a greatly expanded schedule of volunteer projects and member services.
M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust’s mission is to enrich the quality of life in the Pacific Northwest by providing grants and enrichment programs to organizations seeking to strengthen the region’s educational, spiritual and cultural base in creative and sustainable ways. Jack Murdock sought to direct the resources from his estate to elevate and celebrate people, labors, learning, energy, creativity and beauty with particular attention to the Pacific Northwest he so loved.
“We’re very pleased and excited to receive the largest grant in the Society’s history from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, a highly respected regional charitable trust,” said Sawtooth Society President Paul Hill. “Obtaining grants from the Murdock Trust is very competitive and challenging, and we believe the award of this grant confirms the importance, direction and credibility of the Society’s work.”
The capacity building grant is payable over three years. The grant will support a number of important on-the-ground projects in 2013 and future years including some specifically aimed at engaging youth and building their understanding and appreciation of the Sawtooth NRA.
“We’re particularly pleased the grant is designed to support the Society over a multi-year period, thus building our long-term staff support for the vitally important member service and volunteer project elements of our education and advocacy outreach effort, including the new Austin Kraal Memorial Volunteer Program,” said Hill. “An exciting aspect of the grant is the requirement that a portion of the funding be matched from other sources. This should be particularly helpful in broadening visibility and understanding of the Society’s work by providing other donor institutions as well as individuals the opportunity to join what we believe will be the largest volunteer project program and outreach effort in the Sawtooth NRA history. To learn more, folks need only go to the Society’s website. Generous grants and donations from local family foundations and individuals enabled us to launch the Sawtooth Society’s new website and initiate the Austin Kraal Memorial Volunteer Program. The Society is pleased to have this solid foundation on which to build.”
The schedule of 2013 Sawtooth Society projects has been developed in close coordination with the Forest Service’s Sawtooth NRA staff, and focuses on priority work the Forest Service believes they are unlikely to accomplish without the help of partners like the Sawtooth Society. Projects include Salmon River cleanup and riparian restoration, Salmon River noxious weed pull, Redfish Lake shoreline spring and late summer cleanups, making horse pasture fences near Tuck-A-Way antelope friendly, trail maintenance and Adopt-a-Trail for Hell Roaring Lake Trail, Pole Creek fence rebuild and early season trail clearing in selected areas. Youth groups involved in the projects include the Sage School in Ketchum, the Stanley Community School and the Twin Falls Boys & Girls Club.
Over its 15 year history, the Sawtooth Society has funded and sponsored over 150 recreation projects, sponsored education programs reaching over 2,000 kids and adults annually, helped negotiate and fund conservation easements protecting over 3,000 acres in the Sawtooth NRA and has been the Sawtooth NRA’s primary public advocate. Forest Service surveys indicate more than 450,000 people visit the Sawtooth NRA annually; and by protecting and enhancing the natural beauty, recreational facilities and wildlife of the Sawtooth NRA, grant funded projects will undoubtedly enhance the Sawtooth experience of most of these visitors.
“Collaboration and teamwork have been a hallmark of virtually all the Society’s successful efforts,” said Hill. “Our success in securing this grant is one more example of a real team effort in which several of our directors as well as our Executive Director, Gary O’Malley, played critically important roles.”
The Sawtooth Society offers memberships, programs and volunteer opportunities as well as a range of ways to support and enjoy the Sawtooth NRA. Committed to enhancing everyone’s Sawtooth NRA experience, the Sawtooth Society provides numerous choices for individuals to volunteer for projects, make a donation or buy a Sawtooth NRA goat license plate. Individuals and organizations are invited to help the Society accomplish its goal of preserving, protecting and enhancing the Sawtooth NRA for now and future generations.
For details and more information, visit the Sawtooth Society’s new website www.sawtoothsociety.org or contact Executive Director Gary O’Malley at 208-721-2909.
