Stewardship Council Receives Key Funding
Last updated 5/27/2021 at 11:41am
The Borrego Valley Stewardship Council (BVSC) announced it has received a $55,000 grant from The San Diego Foundation.
Kathy Dice (Chair, Borrego Water District), a member of the BVSC Leadership Team, hailed the grant as critical to furthering the objectives of the Council. ‘With the recent judicial approval of the Stipulated Agreement on Water, and the County beginning to gear up for an update of the Borrego Springs Community Plan, it will be important for all Borregans to provide input towards creating a vision for the future of our community. The timing of the grant is perfect for the Council to increase its organizational and outreach capabilities.”
Since its inception in 2013, the Council has focused on Geo-Tourism issues such as resource protection, visitor experience, and economic development.
Now, in its 8th year, BVSC has evolved into a broader forum aimed at creating community consensus on issues key to the future of the Borrego region. Nearly 50 signatories, (businesses, non-profit organizations, and government institutions) have agreed to participate and support the goals outlined in the BVSC Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
Leadership Team member Martha Deichler (Borrego Springs Unified School District) added, “This funding moves the Council further along in its effort to become an inclusive and innovative community forum. While we’ve recently conducted four meetings on key community issues and our membership is growing each week, these funds provide access to professional consultation that will strengthen our outreach and community facilitation skills.”
The Local Government Commission will continue to assist the Council, and the SEED-San Diego Consulting group has committed support.
In addition to Dice and Deichler, Urmi Ray, (BASIC), Bri Fordem (ABF) and Jim Wermers (The Mall) currently serve on the five-member BVSC Leadership Team.
