After a decade of providing information and inspiration about the natural world of the San Francisco Bay Area through award-winning Bay Nature magazine, Bay Nature Institute is poised to become the region's comprehensive gateway to nature nearby, in print, online, in the field and on the air.

We are asking local philanthropic institutions and individual donors to invest in the Bay Nature 10th Anniversary Fund, providing resources to carry out these five campaigns that will launch Bay Nature into its second decade:

1. Transform the current Bay Nature website into a full-featured resource for the thousands of nature and outdoor recreation enthusiasts throughout the region.
2. Keep our award-winning magazine essential and relevant.
3. Deepen the direct connection between Bay Area residents and local landscapes.
4. Expand and extend broadcasts of Bay Nature on the Air.
5. Leverage our 10th Anniversary Celebration to support these initiatives.

We need your support to take this great step forward in building a vibrant portal and networking hub for the local conservation, nature education and outdoor recreation communities. Invest in the 10th Anniversary Fund and ensure a bright future for both Bay Area nature and Bay Nature.

Become a Sponsor today!

Here's what your gift will make possible:

I. Online: Going Interactive/Going Mobile

1) Portal to Nature and Outdoor Adventure
BayNature.org will become the go-to place to find and learn more about local trails and parks and share outdoor experiences and wildlife sightings with others. We will create a new user-focused, participatory system for displaying, collecting, and aggregating basic information about user experiences on outings in Bay Area parks and open space, including trail conditions, wildlife sightings, and natural events. In the process, users will help us build the region's most comprehensive searchable database of information about local trails and parks.

2) Going Mobile
We will bring BayNature.org into the world of personal mobile devices by developing an interface for accessing park, trail, and event information from BayNature.org via smart phones.

II. In Print: Keeping Bay Nature Magazine Relevant and Essential

1) 10th Anniversary Issue
A special 16-page section in January-March 2011 issue of Bay Nature will highlight the diversity of creative perspectives on Bay Area nature. The section will feature well-known local authors (including Rebecca Solnit, Gary Snyder, Malcolm Margolin, Robert Hass, Greg Sarris and Linda Watanabe McFerrin) writing about their connection to local nature. The poems and essays will be accompanied by winning images from the "People in Nature" photo contest.

2) Regular Climate Change Coverage
A two-page column in each issue of the magazine, developed in collaboration with the Bay Area Ecosystems Climate Change Consortium, will highlight both cutting-edge local research on climate change impacts and creative local initiatives for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The content will also appear on a dedicated page of BayNature.org.

3) Expanded First Person in Bay Nature
To strengthen the magazine's focus on people engaging with nature, we will dedicate an article (interview, profile, essay) in each issue featuring a notable person in the field of natural history, environmental education, open space protection, etc.

III. In the Field: Building Connections to Our Landscapes & Our Community

Free naturalist-led outings program, with a minimum of 12 hikes offered over the course of each year; videotaping of at least four of these hikes for viewing on BayNature.org and YouTube.

IV. On the Air: Building the Bay Nature Brand

1) "On the Air" Season Three
Produce and distribute six new videos for airing on Northern California PBS stations, highlighting the natural diversity of the region.

2) KQED Underwriting Campaign
Purchase underwriting slots on KQED-FM for 3 months leading up to 10th anniversary, to build recognition with this informed, educated, aligned audience.

V. 10th Anniversary: Celebrating a Decade of Connecting People to Local Nature

1) Gala Event
Stage an exciting well-publicized public fundraising event showcasing a diversity of engaging perspectives on Bay Area nature, in recognition of Bay Nature's first decade and serving as the public launch of our 10th Anniversary Fund campaign.

2) Collateral Materials
Produce (1) an attractive multi-purpose "This is Bay Nature" brochure describing the organization and its various programs; (2) a 10th Anniversary commemorative poster (designed by regular "Naturalist Notebook" contributor John Muir Laws).

Become a Sponsor today. Contact Judith for more information.