About Us
Grassroots Ecology is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to caring for public lands and waters across Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. In collaboration with public landowners, governments, schools, corporations, and other nonprofits, each year we engage thousands of people in hands-on education and service that improves our local environment. Our core programs are Habitat Restoration, Community Science, Urban Ecology, Environmental Education, and our Native Plant Nursery.
MISSION
Our mission is to engage and educate the public to restore local ecosystems.
VISION
We envision vibrant, healthy lands and human communities that support and sustain one another and are resilient and adaptable to a changing world.
VALUES
Stewardship
It is our collective responsibility to take care of our local ecosystems for future generations.
Hands-on Learning
We foster lifelong learning about our natural environment through hands-on experience.
Inclusion
People of all backgrounds, ages, and ability have a place.
Community
We are more effective when we work together and empower one another.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
All people have the right and responsibility to be stewards of their local lands, waters, and communities. We recognize that historical oppression and ongoing social injustice impact all aspects of our lives, including access to the outdoors and meaningful engagement with nature. Grassroots Ecology is committed to our role in addressing the barriers and inequities that exclude people from environmental activities. Read our full statement below:
NEED
The San Francisco Bay Area is a globally recognized biodiversity hotspot that provides habitat for thousands of plant and animal species—some of which exist nowhere else on the planet. At the same time, Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties are home to over three million people and some of the largest tech companies in the world.
This close intersection of urban and wild creates challenges such as increased fire and flood risk, degraded and fragmented habitat, contaminants in our soil and waterways, and the proliferation of invasive species—all exacerbated by global climate change.
To address these challenges, our team engages the community to learn about, protect, and restore nature throughout our region, from the foothills to the bay.
OUR HISTORY
The roots of our organization go back to the Acterra Stewardship Program, which initially focused on one nature preserve and one watershed in Palo Alto. By 2015 our programs had expanded to multiple cities, preserves, and watersheds throughout Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. We branched off from Acterra to form Grassroots Ecology in 2016 to focus on our mission of engaging and educating the public to restore local ecosystems, and became our own 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization two years later.
