Letter to the Academy Community

Dear Academy Community,

This week, people all over the country and around the globe awoke to what felt like a different world. While the political landscape is shifting quickly, I am writing to assure you that the California Academy of Sciences remains steadfastly committed to science; our mission to regenerate the natural world (humans included!); and our values, which include diversity, equity, inclusion, courage, and advocacy.

We will undoubtedly face major headwinds in our ongoing efforts to address the polycrisis that encompasses environmental degradation, rising economic inequality, climate change, and biodiversity loss. This means we will need to ratchet up our efforts and fight that much harder to ensure that communities of humans and wildlife alike thrive for many generations to come.

On the advocacy front, I am happy to share a bright spot from the election: California voters passed Proposition 4, a $10 billion bond that will help protect biodiversity, tackle climate change, and improve the resilience of our majestic state. The Academy lobbied successfully, and collaboratively with other organizations, to include millions of dollars of funding for natural history museums within Prop. 4. In our evolution to become an advocacy-focused organization, we urged our members and the greater Academy community to support this bond, and you really stepped up to make its passage happen. This is a tremendous win, and we're so thankful for your collective action!

Prop. 4 is the largest natural resources bond in U.S. history. The passing of this bond clearly demonstrates Californians’ understanding of the existential crisis we face, and the bold action required to address it. It also signals California’s strong leadership on climate and biodiversity action.

Ultimately, the big answers we need will not come from the government. They will arise from the general public, and they will be championed by cultural organizations like the California Academy of Sciences. At this pivotal moment in history, the Academy has an important role to play to regenerate both the natural world and the connections between humans and more-than-human nature. As we navigate this period of uncertainty, your continued support directly enables us to expand our path-breaking biodiversity research, inspire the next generation of scientists and educators, and conduct our regeneration work. We believe in our ability to move this ambitious work forward and in the impact it will have for people all over California and the world. Your donation today will make a meaningful difference in our success. Thank you.

Finally, one concluding thought. Part of our mission to regenerate nature includes growing the human-nature connection. During the pandemic, nature provided a much-needed haven for relieving stress and uncertainty. If you’re struggling with such feelings after the election, as I have been, I encourage you to take a walk outdoors or find some other way to enjoy the amazing plant and animal residents that share our California home.

Sincerely,

Scott D. Sampson, PhD Executive Director William R. and Gretchen B. Kimball Chair California Academy of Sciences