Legacy Organizations

BCI has designated thirteen leading environmental and conservation groups as “legacy organizations” to which it has made a long-term funding commitment. Funding for these organizations has been largely, though not exclusively, in support of their work in BCI’s legacy geographies.

American Rivers

American Rivers protects wild rivers, restores damaged rivers, and conserves clean water for people and nature. BCI support for American Rivers has included funding for its work with partners to remove two dams and bypass a third on the Penobscot River, Maine’s largest watershed, to open more than 1,000 miles of spawning habitat for diadromous fish while improving recreational opportunities and maintaining the level of hydropower produced in the Penobscot system. BCI has also supported American Rivers’ work on improving regulations regarding hydropower dams in South Carolina to ensure upriver access for sturgeon.

The Coastal Conservation League

The Coastal Conservation League is a prominent advocacy group, based in Charleston, South Carolina, and dedicated to protecting the uniquely rich natural environment of that state’s coastal plain. BCI has given extensive support to the organization, including its five-year The Time is Now Campaign, which deals with a comprehensive range of issues including transportation planning, threatened landscapes, water and air pollution, waste management, water permitting, and sustainable agriculture.

Conservación Patagónica

Conservación Patagónica works to create national parks in Patagonia that save and restore sensitive wildlands and wildlife, inspire care for the natural world, and generate healthy economic opportunities for local communities. BCI’s support includes major funding for new infrastructure in the future Patagonia National Park in Chile, such as the construction of the Avilés Valley hiking trail, including two hanging bridges, and the Butler House, a guesthouse for donors, dignitaries, and other visitors.

The Environmental Defense Fund

The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is an advocacy group working to preserve nature through the transformation of markets to bring lasting solutions to environmental problems. BCI grants have funded EDF’s clean air project, researching the health impacts of traffic congestion in New York City, in partnership with the Harvard School of Public Health, and anti-fracking initiatives in New York State, in collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council and Waterkeeper Alliance.

Friends of Acadia

Friends of Acadia works to ensure the preservation of Acadia and Mount Desert Island in Maine. It promotes stewardship of the outstanding natural beauty, ecological vitality, and cultural distinctiveness of Acadia National Park and surrounding communities. BCI has supported key additions to the park and improvements to the visitor experience, including the Acadia Mountain North Slope Purchase, the building of the Trenton Parking Lot, and the Eagle Lake Paddle Raise.

Harvard University

Harvard University, the founder’s alma mater, has received support in many areas of interest including environmental education and protection. Grants in this area include the creation of the Kernan Brothers Environmental Fellowship (named for ancestors of the founder) at the Center for the Environment; endowment of the Chair of Environmental Studies; and support for research into clean air and public health by the School of Public Health. BCI, together with the Gilbert & Ildiko Butler Family Foundation, has also funded major new facilities at Harvard’s Art Museums.

The Maine Coast Heritage Trust

The Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT) conserves and stewards Maine’s coastal lands and islands for their renowned scenic beauty, ecological value, outdoor recreational opportunities, and contribution to community well-being. MCHT provides statewide conservation leadership through its work with land trusts, coastal communities, and other partners. BCI has supported many MCHT initiatives, including the Rich’s Head Cleanup Project, which removed nearly four tons of marine debris from Frenchboro Island; the establishment of an MCHT office in Washington County; and the Pike Lands and Town Line Cove projects, both designed to conserve land and important habitat in Cobscook Bay.

The Natural Resources Defense Council

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a worldwide environmental action organization using law, science, and the support of 1.3 million members and online activists to protect the planet’s wildlife and wild places. BCI has supported NRDC’s campaign against the construction of five environmentally destructive hydroelectric dams in southern Chile; its litigation against a chemical plant responsible for mercury contamination in Maine’s Penobscot River; and campaigns to prevent logging in the Tongass National Forest and to stop construction of the Pebble mine in Bristol Bay, both in Alaska.

The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. A leading BCI grantee for many years, major initiatives supported include land acquisition and conservation for TNC’s Heart of the Adirondacks project; the Great Bear Project, designed to prevent logging on more than five million acres of the Great Bear Rainforest on the Pacific Coast of British Columbia; and the Lewa Conservancy and Northern Rangelands Trust, which work in conjunction to protect Northern Kenya’s largest nature reserve and work with local tribes to build sustainable economies based on ecotourism.

The Open Space Institute

The Open Space Institute (OSI) protects scenic, natural, and historic landscapes to provide public enjoyment, conserve habitat and working lands, and sustain communities. BCI has supported OSI’s restoration of historic carriage roads on New York State’s spectacular Shawangunk Ridge, with plans to connect these to a regional rail-trail system and thereby create a world-class recreational multi-use trail network. It has also supported OSI’s protection of 1,500 acres and six miles of river frontage on South Carolina’s Black River as part of the creation of the Black River Cypress Preserve for future outdoor education and public recreation.

Waterkeeper Alliance

Waterkeeper Alliance is a group dedicated to keep waterways clean and clear in order to maintain healthy water for all organisms. BCI has supported Waterkeeper Alliance’s anti-fracking efforts. Working in concert with the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Environmental Defense Fund, these have included public education on fracking and a successful push to stop fracking operations in sensitive areas of New York State.

The Wildlife Conservation Society

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, education, global conservation, and management of five urban parks in New York City, led by the flagship Bronx Zoo. BCI has supported numerous WCS projects, ranging from the preservation of unique wildlands in the Karukinka region of Tierra del Fuego in Chilean Patagonia and the protection of the Niassa Reserve in Mozambique, combating elephant poaching by provide ranger training, improved infrastructure, and new monitoring protocols.

The World Monuments Fund

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