Center for Biological Diversity
Known as ‘nature’s legal eagles,’ the Center for Biological Diversity works through science, law, and creative media to secure a future for all species, great or small, hovering on the brink of extinction. Formed in 1989, the Center’s innovation was to systematically and ambitiously use biological data, legal expertise, and the citizen petition provision of the powerful Endangered Species Act to obtain sweeping, legally binding new protections for animals, plants, and their habitat. Today, the Center is responsible for protecting more species of wildlife under the Endangered Species Act than any other organization. They are currently best known for petitioning to protect the polar bear from the effects of global warming and also work extensively on behalf of many imperiled species in California.

Center for Sierra Nevada Conservation
Since 1986 the Center for Sierra Nevada Conservation (CSNC) has been a tireless voice for sound management of our public lands and wise government land use policies. From recreation to private forestry practices, ecosystem management on our public lands to the El Dorado County General Plan, CSNC members have worked countless hours to make sure that environmental values are not forgotten by land managers and politicians. They work with other interested parties on stakeholder groups, make official comments on environmental impact reports and when all else fails, file lawsuits to ensure that environmental laws are not violated.

Conservation Congress
The Conservation Congress works to protect and preserve National Forests, roadless areas, native wildlife species and their habitat primarily in northern California, as well as the Rocky Mountain region. Conservation Congress is a representative group of dedicated people who provide a voice for the voiceless – the natural world of trees, wildlife, water and plants that cannot speak for itself.

Ebbetts Pass Forest Watch
The mission of Ebbetts Pass Forest Watch is to protect, promote and restore healthy forests and watersheds while maintaining quality of life in the Sierra Nevada. Its work includes: regularly submitting extensive comments challenging timber harvest plans, creating training seminars and educational forums for a variety of audiences, creating a range of materials including topographical maps, and supporting ongoing litigation challenging the Department of Forestry to assess the cumulative effects of thousands of acres of timber harvesting.

Environmental Protection Information Center
The Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC) is a community-based, nonprofit organization that actively works to protect and restore forests, watersheds, coastal estuaries and native species in northwest California. EPIC first opened its doors in 1977 and since has been at the forefront of environmental protection, working to ensure that state and federal agencies follow their mandates to uphold environmental laws and protect endangered species. EPIC uses an integrated, science-based approach that combines public education, citizen advocacy and strategic litigation. EPIC turns to possible legal avenues when education and advocacy efforts are insufficient to produce needed policy reforms. EPIC works to protect and restore areas within northwest California, but implements strategies that will strengthen the way conservation laws are interpreted and implemented throughout the state and nation.

Firefighters United for Safety Ethics, and Ecology 
Firefighters United for Safety Ethics and Ecology (FUSEE) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to uniting wildland firefighters in support of safe, ethical, and ecological wildland fire management. FUSEE occupies a unique niche and serves a vital role because it seeks to inform and empower ground-level firefighters and the public they serve to become advocates for community and worker safety, ethical public service, environmental protection and ecological restoration. FUSEE’s primary function is to promote wildland firefighters’ rights to work safely with the highest ethical standards and ecological values. It believes that firefighter safety is ultimately dependent on labor unity, ethical management actions and ecological restoration. FUSEE informs, unites, inspires and empowers these ground-level firefighters to become powerful advocates for labor rights and environmental protection.

ForestEthics
Founded in 1994, ForestEthics’ mission is to protect endangered forests through market-based campaigns. When they find that endangered forests are being destroyed, they determine which corporations purchase the products of that destruction. If a corporation refuses to change its practices, ForestEthics hold that company publicly accountable—with protests, websites, email campaigns, national advertisements, and more. When a company is ready to protect endangered forests, ForestEthics helps implement sound policies through their Corporate Action Program. To date, ForestEthics has protected over twelve million acres of endangered forest in British Columbia and Chile.

High Sierra Rural Alliance
The High Sierra Rural Alliance is a non-profit grassroots organization committed to the preservation and enhancement of the rural Sierra experience. HRSA’s goal is to promote good local and regional land use planning that will balance economic growth with the preservation of the area's unique natural and scenic resources.

John Muir Project
The John Muir Project (JMP) is a non-profit organization dedicated to placing all federal public forestlands in the United States beyond the reach of commercial exploitation, just as John Muir envisioned over a century ago. The JMP’s immediate goal is to end all timber sales on federal public lands nationwide and redirect the timber subsidies into worker retraining, ecological restoration and reduction of the national debt. The John Muir Project is a project of Earth Island Institute, a nonprofit environmental organization founded by David Brower. Since its inception in 1997, the JMP has proven to be one of the country's most effective organizations fighting for healthy forests.

Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center
The Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center (KS Wild) was formed in 1997 to combat federal agencies’ logging practices in the Pacific Northwest. KS Wild fights for permanent protection of the incomparable ecological riches of southwest Oregon and northwest California. KS Wild is an advocate for the forests and wildlife of the Klamath and Rogue watersheds. They use environmental law, science, collaboration and education to defend healthy ecosystems and help build sustainable communities. After decades of unsustainable practices in the Klamath National Forest, KS Wild actively encouraged a re-direction of management away from logging old-growth trees.

Los Padres ForestWatch
Los Padres ForestWatch was founded in 2004 and has expanded into a powerful advocate for the vast network of public lands along California’s Central Coast. With headquarters in Santa Barbara, their work focuses on the Los Padres National Forest and nearby public lands, including the Carrizo Plain National Monument, Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex, the Fort Hunter-Liggett Widlands, the California Coast National Monument, Carrizo Plain Ecological Reserve, and lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management. Through innovative field work, scientific collaboration, and legal advocacy, they work to preserve and restore the forests, mountain streams, rolling hills, deserts, wetlands, coastal areas, and wildlife of this spectacular area.

Mountain Meadows Conservancy
Mountain Meadows Conservancy, a private, locally based, nonprofit organization, was formed in August 2001 by Lassen County citizens concerned about the future of the Mountain Meadows Basin. The Conservancy's mission is to conserve and enhance the natural beauty and environmental health of the Mountain Meadows watershed; protect its significant Mountain Maidu burial and cultural sites; and provide recreation and public access for generations to come. They seek to achieve lasting protection for the Mountain Meadows Basin through voluntary land acquisitions, easements, and other land management agreements. Unlike many other land trusts, they are willing to use litigation to protect their watershed. Mountain Meadows Conservancy is best known for protecting their watershed from the proposed Dyer Mountain ski resort.

Sequoia ForestKeeper
The Sequoia ForestKeeper was launched in 2001 in response to the dire need for a community-based, non-profit organization in the southern Sierra Nevada region. Its mission is to protect and restore the ecosystems of the southern Sierra Nevada, including the Giant Sequoia National Monument and the Sequoia National Forest, through monitoring, education, enforcement of environmental laws and litigation. By acting as the eyes, ears and voice of the forest, the Sequoia ForestKeeper works to create solutions to inadequate land management practices; to promote land stewardship; to enforce existing laws and regulations; to implement public awareness programs; and to offer assistance to local land management agencies.