From Farming Topsoil to Tadpole Shrimp, Sacramento Splash Nurtures Future Environmentalists.

What critical role do vernal pools play in our ecosystem, and why should their preservation be a priority? Join me, Jeff Holden, as I uncover these questions with Mackenzie Wieser, CEO off Sacramento Splash. Mackenzie offers an in-depth look into these unique habitats, discussing the diverse species they host and their importance in maintaining biodiversity. Highlighting the lifecycle of creatures like tadpole shrimp, Mackenzie explains how these pools contribute to the larger food web, impacting wildlife on a broader scale.

We also take a closer look at Sacramento Splash's innovative STEM education programs designed to captivate both students and teachers. From immersive field trips to engaging in-class presentations, these initiatives ease teachers' workloads while providing enriching experiences for young learners. Mackenzie shares exciting details about their youth environmental leadership summer camp, featuring collaborations with various science-oriented businesses that expose students to potential careers and deepen their appreciation for science and the environment. The success of these programs is evident, often leading to waiting lists due to high demand.

Lastly, we discuss the essential collaboration and funding efforts that sustain Sacramento Splash's impactful programs. Through partnerships with local entities like Soil Born Farms, Effie Yaw Nature Center and Sac Valley Conservancy, the organization maximizes its reach and effectiveness. Mackenzie reveals the challenges of operating within financial constraints and the critical need for sustainable funding to ensure the longevity of these vital educational initiatives. Hear about the unique community engagement activities and the significant role of events like Big Day of Giving in supporting their mission. Discover how Sacramento Splash fosters environmental stewardship and education while advocating for more community involvement and sustainable practices.
To learn more about Sacramento Splash, visit: https://sacsplash.org/
You can find them on social media at these various links:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sacsplash/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sacsplash

Episode Highlights
(02:10 - 04:21) Importance of Vernal Pool Ecosystem
(05:28 - 07:20) Endangered Tadpole Shrimp and Vernal Pools
(19:19 - 21:11) Teaching Youth Agriculture & Sustainability
(23:45 - 26:25) Funding Challenge for Environmental Education
(30:28 - 31:47) Nonprofit Collaboration for Greater Impact
(44:20 - 46:29) Engaging Youth in Environmental Conservation
(49:14 - 50:23) Sacramento Splash

Chapter Summaries
(00:00) Exploring Sacramento Splash's Vernal Pools
Nature's vernal pools are vital for biodiversity and harbor unique species, discussed by Mackenzie Weiser from Sacramento Splash.

(11:58) STEM Education for Teachers and Students
Nature's immersive field trips, in-class presentations, and youth environmental leadership camp integrate STEM education with real-world applications.

(25:46) C

Thank you so much for listening! We appreciate you. Please visit the website to sign up for our email updates. https://www.nonprofpod.com/ And if you like, leave me a voicemail to comment on the program, leave a question for us to ask in the future or a message for me, Jeff Holden. I may even use your voice mail message in a future episode. https://www.nonprofpod.com/voicemail. Thanks again for your support in listening, commenting and sharing the great work our local nonprofits are accomplishing.

Transcript

Mackenzie Wieser: [00:00:00] We're all going to be better. The planet's going to be better. We're going to be happier, healthier, less mental health issues. If we can get kids off of their phones and connecting with their community and ways that they can engage in their community too. I'm

Jeff Holden: Jeff Holden. Welcome to the nonprofit podcast network. Our purpose and passion is to highlight a nonprofit organization in each weekly episode. Giving that organization an opportunity to tell their story in their words, to better inform and educate the respective communities they serve, as well as provide one more tool for them to share their message to constituents and donors.

Our goal is to help build stronger communities through shared voices and to both encourage [00:01:00] and support the growth of local nonprofit organizations through podcasting. Thanks to our founding partners for their foresight and helping us transform the way conversations start. CapTrust, fiduciary advice for endowments and foundations.

Runyon Saltzman Incorporated, RSE, marketing, advertising, and public relations creating integrated communications committed to improving lives. And Western Health Advantage, a full service health care plan for individuals, Just as CAP Trust, Runyon Saltzman, and Western Health saw value in supporting our program as founding sponsors, we're now able to offer another exclusive opportunity to reach the valuable audience we speak to.

If you'd like to become a partner with us, please reach out and email me, jeff at hearmenowstudio. com, so I can share this new opportunity to become a valued sponsor of the program. Sacramento's summers can be quite warm, as many of you know. And our winters can carry a [00:02:00] chill. I know you're saying, Hey Jeff, we're not here for a weather report.

I get it. But let me have some fun here. As what's happening is I'm making the name of the organization we're talking about in this episode even more memorable. Let me explain. This is a really neat organization that's doing something beyond the norm in that the team works to teach environmental stewardship to our children.

You'll find them escorting groups of kids to a variety of ecological sites around town and getting introduced to the precursors of what will become our future environmental scientists, engineers, social scientists, and conservation activists. After we recorded our episode, they learned their summer camp program was awarded one of the Best Summer STEM Camps.

in Sacramento. What an accomplishment. Some of that comes as no surprise, however, as their CEO is a most dynamic and driven conservationist. A true friend to the environment, a former climate policy appointee to Governor Jerry Brown, and an awarded environmentalist herself, she is making a difference in our [00:03:00] community with both public service and through her leadership of Sacramento Splash.

And while we're talking about water, It's not for summer heat coolant or winter storage, but the condition of it and the proper conservation of it. And so, so much more as you're about to hear in her own words, dedicated to activating people to care about our natural resources through experiential hands on learning.

I am really excited to introduce you to Mackenzie Wieser. Mackenzie, welcome to the Nonprofit Podcast Network. 

Mackenzie Wieser: Thank you for having me, Jess. 

Jeff Holden: We're excited to have you. So, Sacramento Splash, especially in the summertime when we're recording the episode, it evokes an image of water or pools. Really, that's not the case, is it?

You're a little bit different. It's pools, but not swimming pools. It's vernal pools. So, walk us through the genesis of Splash and what the purpose of the organization [00:04:00] is. 

Mackenzie Wieser: Yeah, so Sacramento Splash was founded in 1999 by a biologist, water biologist, Eva Butler, who just had a complete passion for vernal pool habitat and the ecosystem, and she created a program.

totally dedicated to teaching kids about science, the life cycle and our place in watershed in our watershed. So watershed education as it relates to stormwater pollution prevention. And so she found that by educating kids on something that makes a difference or they can touch and see they are highly connected to the topic in which we're trying to change behavior.

So we are really focused on water and wildlife education [00:05:00] and the program was created in 2003 is when they first started having field trip programs out to the vernal pools in the Mather area. So. Yes, splash is splashing in a vernal pool, and the crazy conundrum with that is you're not allowed to go in vernal pools, by the way, and splashing in them is totally forbidden because you 

Jeff Holden: Destroys the 

Mackenzie Wieser: Destroy the ecosystem.

Jeff Holden: And, and if I'm not mistaken, we've done a good job of destroying the ecosystem of vernal pools. Just, just for the benefit of those listening, what, what's the value of a vernal pool? Why is it important? 

Mackenzie Wieser: That's a great question, and yes, we here in California had about 95 percent of the world's vernal pool habitat, and we are now down to, rumor has it, 5%.

I'd say on a good day we may have 10 percent left in [00:06:00] California. of vernal pool ecosystem. And why that's important is our food web requires the biodiversity that lives within these vernal pools, right? It's very microscopic. And so sometimes we don't know what we can't see. And there's many critters and animals that live in this Habitat that we have not even discovered yet.

So we're killing a habitat that we don't even know all of the microorganisms and the value that could have been living in there. Not to mention this ecosystem. Each vernal pool has its own fingerprint, so there is not one pool that has the same critters or flowers or plant life next to this. The next one, they're all very different.

So. We can sample in these pools and find different species in each one of them. And there's not a [00:07:00] lot of cross collaboration. So there's some pools where we can find, say, spadefoot toads and some pools where we can find fairy shrimp and some pools where we would find salamander larva and things like this.

And the reason it's so critically important is that if we cut that level of the food web, we're going to have. Larger animals looking for other things to eat in the food web, as we know, when we pull one thing out, we have to replace it with something else, and so It's critically important that we maintain this ecosystem just to keep this biodiversity alive.

Jeff Holden: And this is just Jeff's curiosity, but in the website I see the vernal pools and there's students gathered around. In my mind, I see them as something that's maybe 20 by 20 or, you know, a circular pool, so to speak. [00:08:00] But Is that the size of them or are they massive encompassing, you know, acreage or are they just little pools that are scattered all over?

Mackenzie Wieser: There are different sizes of pools depending upon the, the ecosystem. I'd say most of them range about the size of this table, actually. They're not huge. Okay, which is about 

Jeff Holden: 12 by 12 ish. Yeah. 

Mackenzie Wieser: And. They're made up by a hardpan surface, which is an impermeable soil. And the reason they come up is that that hardpan has been there for Millions of years.

It's a geological formation that makes these pools what they are and they deplete down through natural, you know, evaporation of water over time. And those critters know what they're supposed to be doing. They've been doing it for millions of years. The tadpole shrimp that live [00:09:00] in, it's a critically endangered species that live still out at Mayfair have been.

Going through droughts for 

Jeff Holden: Ever. 

Mackenzie Wieser: Yeah, and they look like little dinosaurs swimming around with sand. It's, you know, shells on their back, like they're visible 

Jeff Holden: to the naked eye. 

Mackenzie Wieser: They are. Okay. Yes. There's lots of critters in the vernal pools that start off extremely microscopic as cysts that when the first rains come, they hatch and then they become visible.

They become, go from micro to macroscopic invertebrates. So you can see them with your eye, which is why when you see on our website, the kids laying on the platforms, we give them. little dipping cups and they can visibly see You know tons of life swimming around in that one cup that they're holding in their hand and it becomes real to them that there is Hundreds of thousands of invertebrates right here in their hand [00:10:00] And you can't see it until you're actually touching it, right?

And seeing it under the microscope or, the microscope just makes it bigger for them to see what actually lives there. But, they're small. There are some larger pools that were probably smaller pools that got interconnected through erosion over time. But most of them are pretty small. And they Go in like patterns.

So you'll find complexes, vernal pool complexes where there's seven or eight pools in a complex and each one of those pools has drastically different species within it. And so sometimes the way they survive is the invertebrates like that grow wings, for example, take some of the smaller invertebrates 

Jeff Holden: to the other part of 

Mackenzie Wieser: the other pond.

And this is how they change the biodiversity from right there. [00:11:00] So this is another big faux pas in the world of, you know, we can just develop over it and then we'll mitigate for this and we'll create a pond somewhere else that'll be exactly like that, right? We'll dig up all those cysts and we'll plant them in another pond.

Well, the reality of it is is what studies are showing is that only about 10 percent of the species actually re create or, life in the man made pool versus the tools that were naturally occurring there. 

Jeff Holden: Sure, we can't give the depth of thousands of years of packing under any circumstance. Right. And that was the genesis of the organization to really, you know, educate and inform on Vernal Pools, but it's morphed into something much more, into a program that gets kids away from a screen and off their phones and off the [00:12:00] couch and into nature in some way, shape, or form.

And that's evolved over the course of its 25 years, which when you think of something that started out as a Vernal Pool demonstration, so to speak, to think that it lasted 25 years. something had to change just because of the way that technology has changed in a way that, you know, kids are taught in school and everything else.

How does that work? How do you now engage the students? What's your relationship with the schools and how do they become aware of SPLASH? 

Mackenzie Wieser: Yeah, so great question. As I had told you earlier, yes, this organization has been around for upwards of 25 years now. I only have the pleasure of leading the organization for almost five years now.

And my background pre Sacramento splash was working on all things climate policy for the [00:13:00] governor's office of California, governor Jerry Brown at the time. And as his policy advisor on climate change, I got kind of tired of writing policy And seeing my own kids not even understand why they needed to get off of their cell phones and get outside and connect to reality, not the metaverse.

And so in looking for what was next for me, I had thought back to a field trip experience that I had been welcomed on at Splash and remembered the look on these kids faces, the curiosity, the Ability to connect to something that's real and know that they have an impact on that really set A real deep mark on my heart, and I felt like I could write policy till I'm blue in the face, or I [00:14:00] could go actually allow kids to have access to something that they are not getting access to, and I can create program programs.

that will connect kids to real things, real careers in science, real jobs that they could maybe explore. And we do that through our new youth environmental leadership summer camp and programs that look at things bigger than just a vernal pool, just human impacts on society and climate and the bigger picture.

And so we've really tried to, um, Take what was a really great bread and butter program and expand it to things that have real impact in terms of climate and behavior changes that we want to see. And so all of our programs moving forward are going to take the expertise that we know we have from this one program and 20 plus years of [00:15:00] experience with working with schools.

and increase our reach. So, pre pandemic, we were seeing about 3, 000 students a year. Post pandemic, we're reaching about 18, 000 students a year now. And how 

Jeff Holden: we How do you go from three to 18? That's a multiple of six. That's huge in a couple of years. 

Mackenzie Wieser: Yeah, and well, how we did that was knowing that we needed more programs that could scratch the itch for teachers, right?

So we've known in the 20 years pre me that we had a waiting list. You know, I came into an organization that has this great reputation for this incredible science program. That the teachers sign up for and they never stop coming until they retire or their change grades. And so how can we emulate [00:16:00] that with some other programs that also meet their science needs?

And, three kids myself, I know that science is kind of a backburner subject until it hits the fifth grade science test where kids actually have to go learn science. Something, right. Right. And so, I felt like if we start in second grade and build programs that help teachers get that baseline, and grow our programs, we would be this amazing resource.

And so that's how we've been able to do it. And we've also kept our programs free. So that's the other thing that has been a plus and a minus for our organization. It's been really great because of course, everyone wants to come on this amazing field trip and it doesn't cost us anything. 

Jeff Holden: Right. Benefit the teachers because you're taking time that they don't have to prep and do, and you're giving them [00:17:00] course curriculum.

that offsets something that they have to do as part of their requirement, I'm assuming. 

Mackenzie Wieser: Absolutely. And we provide an experience that teachers get to be the winner in their class, right? By taking their kids out on an experience that they wouldn't otherwise have, or even have access to. I think Your question was how do teachers find out about us?

It's largely word of mouth. And once teachers start in with us and come on a field trip, They never go away. It's very hard for them to stop coming. I mean, unless their principals don't support them, which the only thing they've ever had to pay for is a bus. And if you break down bus fees, it's the max parents are paying is 8 a kid to get them on the field trip.

So for 8 a kid, they can come out on this amazing full day experience. The teachers, they're amazing. Have never not [00:18:00] wanted to sign up. We also do have some in class presentations So we connect with teachers who maybe can't take the whole day out of the classroom By bringing in an hour lesson on stormwater pollution prevention to their students in the class But we have always prided ourselves on being an advocate of teachers And we know that they have enough on their plate to do it And we don't want them to have to take on more by participating in our program.

So we have very highly trained docents and educators that do everything from start to finish for the teachers as well. So 

Jeff Holden: even better, 

Mackenzie Wieser: they know that when they come, it's like in service day for them. They get to kind of relax and chill. And watch their kids making amazing memories. Right, 

Jeff Holden: well bless our teachers and bless you for doing that because that burden is significant in a day to day teacher's environment.

And you get the kids even out of the classroom for a while [00:19:00] for them, even better. And, and the programs aren't just vernal pools. Talk a little bit about some of the exposure that the kids get to nature and environment and ecology. 

Mackenzie Wieser: Yeah. So in the past three years, we've created a youth environmental leadership summer camp, which is for incoming sixth and seventh graders.

This is an all day long summer camp from 8 30 in the morning till 5 30 in the evening. We knew that parents often are Forced to pick up their kids for two or three or four hour summer camps, and that just doesn't work. Our camp is highly immersive where we partner with 18 different businesses that are science oriented businesses and these businesses get to share with our campers a day in the life of what they do on their science career.

And so we go sometimes upwards of four different places in a day. [00:20:00] Um, and we're going to see what these different science careers offer to kids, and we're having fun and playing while we're doing it, right? Give me an 

Jeff Holden: example. 

Mackenzie Wieser: Well, we have, each day has a theme, so there's air day, energy day, water day, you know, land use and planning day.

But like on Water Day, we go to Soilbarn Farms and we have a fluvial geomorphologist, if you don't know what that is. This is a I'm glad 

Jeff Holden: you said that, not me, that's for sure. 

Mackenzie Wieser: This is a scientist that helps create creeks and streams that take storm and rainwater off of our cities when we develop them and return them to the American River or the Sacramento River.

By creating these, we don't like cement channel creeks and so they create real habitat fluid living creeks and streams [00:21:00] and they need to design them so we, the kids get to actually work in a, you know, big play sandbox and design a creek to see how erosion plays and where you would need to put like certain plant life or how the water is going to trend and so They play in the box and then they see a real creek that this Fluvio geomorphologist created and put together and see it how it morphed and it's growing into a real great ecosystem for So many, you know, species and habitat.

We saw deer down there. We, we scoop for macro invertebrates and we test the water pH. And so there's a whole bunch of scientists that get to play with the kids and show them, you know, this is a career that I do every day. I test water quality in creeks all up and down the [00:22:00] state of California and that could be your job too one day if you love this.

Jeff Holden: What a great experience for the children to be able to see. It's covering the STEM requirements, but they're seeing it in an actual practice. We've had Sean Harris Non for an episode. The Soil Born Farms episode is amazing. His story is amazing. The ranch is amazing. But to think now there's an integration that you've got, not only with the schools, and we're going to touch on collaboration in a second.

But these students are getting this experience that is hands on to say, oh, that's really cool. And this is a farm. And now you've blended the two different things of, you know, farm to fork, fresh food, healthy eating, with a requirement for water. 

Mackenzie Wieser: Right. You 

Jeff Holden: happen to pick the right one for a name of Splash, I would.

Mackenzie Wieser: And 

Jeff Holden: we, 

Mackenzie Wieser: we also have another program that has, we have our own farm where we, much like soil born, we have a program at the historic Nicholas dairy called project aw, which [00:23:00] stands for agriculture, water, energy, and the environment. But there we teach kids all about circular economy type thinking. So we take a dairy setting, which was like, a faux pas for environmentalists, right?

Like, what are you doing, doing a dairy program? And it's like, cattle are bad. We want to show kids, you know, kids are receiving a six ounce carton of milk every day at lunch. And by the way, they're required to take the milk if you didn't know that 

Jeff Holden: did not. 

Mackenzie Wieser: And so we're teaching them. All the resources that it required to make that six ounce carton of milk, all the water, all the feed, how much manure a cow makes.

And we're really making it resonate with them. Like, well, I, maybe I shouldn't throw this thing away. There's a share cart down the hall. We'll put it over there for someone who wants it. And then we teach the kids about composting and vermiculture. They make a worm composting bin. [00:24:00] We teach them about chickens.

And how they play an important part, um, in a farm, you know, setting in the environment. We teach them about pollinators and parts of a flower. So all of these things in a dairy setting that makes them feel like they understand more than just that science lesson on parts of a flower from a textbook.

They're out at a dairy with flowers that they. Cut themselves and they dissect that flower right there and they get to learn about the stamen and all you know how the pollinator comes and what's required it takes it from a YouTube video that the teacher may play in Her classroom to in their hands.

And so we really really want to push more for in real life You learning and less screens, [00:25:00] less low. We'll show you a video about it. We want it to be real. 

Jeff Holden: When I say getting that pollen on your hands, when you realize it stains your fingers yellow, it's like, wait, what a great experience. You're wearing a yellow shirt, right?

How do you think the yellow got there? Right. You know, just all the things that you can demonstrate in actual practicality, like the milk, the milk came from somewhere and that carton had to be processed, recycle it. Here's the value of doing such. I mean, you're creating environmentalists very subtly in a, in a fun, engaging way as opposed to you must recycle your aluminum cans and throw your plastic in the other bin and, and all that to where they're actually appreciative of what it is you're doing.

They experienced it. Right. Oh gosh, that's, that's so cool. I wish they had something like that when I was growing up. Let's take a break here before we get into the collaborative efforts of Sacramento Splash to recognize the people that make the program possible. I was in the media business for over [00:26:00] 35 years and had the great privilege of working with Runyon Saltzman, RSE, Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations.

We collaborated on many different campaigns, but their commitment to the non profit sector hasn't changed since their founder Gene Runyon started the agency. Over many years and many campaigns, Runyon Saltzman has been committed to improving lives by tackling California's most challenging issues.

Guided by research informed strategies and insightful, creative solutions, RSE develops innovative communications campaigns that raise awareness, Educate and reduce stigma in diverse communities throughout our state and beyond. To learn more about RSE, visit rs e. com. 

Scott Thomas: Hello, this is Scott Thomas with CAP Trust in our Sacramento office.

I specialize in working with local nonprofits and associations. Annually, we survey private and public nonprofit organizations across the country to better understand challenges they see in today's environment. In our more recent [00:27:00] survey, we heard concerns about proper board governance, mission aligned investment, and how to implement alternative investments.

If you would like a copy of the survey or to discuss your organization, look me up, scottthomasatcaptrust. com. 

Jeff Holden: I'm thrilled to have Western Health Advantage partnering with us as they do so much to support so many non profit agencies in our community. As a truly local health plan, you'll find individual and family options, employer options, plans for CalPERS and Medicare Advantage.

From medical services to pharmacy, health and wellness support, as well as behavioral health care, Western Health Advantage has a plan that fits what you need. As an employer, for profit or non profit business, individual or family, You can find more at WesternHealth. com. So, you collaborate extensively, obviously, with the schools and the school systems.

What's the geography that you cover? 

Mackenzie Wieser: So, we cover all the way to El Dorado County. [00:28:00] From El Dorado County all the way down to Elk Grove currently. So, we are currently in 14 different school districts. If you name one, we probably have a school or many that come through our program. For I will say we do have funding from municipalities, so many of the programs are funded through cities and city stormwater pollution prevention, education and outreach is a large piece of our funding, and so the cities pay for a certain number of classes in their jurisdiction, which is why we are here.

wide and far. So it depends on the city. You know, each city pays for a different number of classes and that's how we get to our big overarching number of 18, 000 students. 

Jeff Holden: It almost sounds like you could be in a situation where the demand for the [00:29:00] program in the school system certainly exceeds the ability for it to be funded by the sewer systems or water systems that are contributing to it.

How do you deal with that? 

Mackenzie Wieser: Yeah, we're in that situation currently. So, our Project AWE program was originally an ideation of a Sacramento area sewer district employee who just really found environmental education to be the very most important thing to talk about water and water recycling and such.

Thank you. You're welcome. In 2020, it was her idea to create this environmental education program, and I just happened to come on to SPLASH with my knowledge of climate, and so we kind of merged the idea. The program has been largely funded by Sacramento Area Sewer District, allowing us to grow it to over 7, 000 [00:30:00] kids coming out to this dairy site.

We could see far more kids than 7, 000, but that's what we currently have a budget for. We are sold out at the Dairy through May of 2025 already with over 220 classes coming through between fall and spring of this next school year. So, but we also have over 100 classes waiting to come that would like to come, and I'd love to have them, but I need money to do that.

And so Our funding with Sacramento area sewer district is on a step down approach. So we, by 2026, they will back out 75 percent of the funding that we've been used to having for this program. So to keep it sustainable, we need to find about 220, 000 to keep the program. Running at 220 [00:31:00] classes per year or about 7, 000 students and so we have asked schools for the first time ever to Contribute an admission fee of a menial 8 per student To help us offset some of the hemorrhage, but we of course are always accepting donations We Reach out to communities.

We're constantly applying for grants and we feel like it's the biggest no brainer in the history of mankind in terms of impact, the experience is. Unparalleled in Sacramento, and the kids are, with 25 years of experience, we're hearing our field trip from 20 years ago set people's careers in science, and so we know it works.

We're always looking for funding. 

Jeff Holden: I'm going to go backwards just a step in terms of the other [00:32:00] people you collaborate with. So, so the dairy, the schools, of course, the sewer system, other non profits like Soilborne Farms and then these businesses that are involved in those other 18 stops on STEM that the kids are experiencing.

However, that particular business utilizes its environmental impact. Share some of those. 

Mackenzie Wieser: Yeah. So coming from government, I am a huge proponent for collaboration and I have literally been touting from the highest of treetops that we're all going to be better together. And so for years I've been reaching out to FEON Nature Center and Soil Horn Farms and Sac Valley Conservancy and Yolo Basin Foundation.

All of the organizations that are very like minded, like us, we will all be better together if we get in lockstep [00:33:00] around what we can do by getting an understanding of what we're already doing through a little assessment, right, of who we're servicing and making sure that everybody at least has access to one of our programs at some point.

in their educational experience, because that was the other big aha. When I got to splash is that a lot of kids one and only field trip, one and only field trip was to slash year 

Jeff Holden: or period 

Mackenzie Wieser: for their entire scholastic scholastic career. And so in talking with alumni students and hearing from them that that was the one and only experience that they had in the outdoors.

Doesn't sit well with me. So I felt like we really need to have an educational roadmap or, uh, you know, some sort of passport to environmental literacy where these kids are [00:34:00] checking these boxes off. And they get these experiences, knowing full well there's not enough money or manpower or ability to service every student that lives in the Sacramento metro area.

However, we can try. So, I have spent countless numbers of hours trying to coordinate and collaborate with all of the organizations. We're all very close, but we're all small and mighty and trying to keep our own organizations up and running. And so many Individually bearing the 

Jeff Holden: weight on your own shoulders.

Right. Let's collaborate and get together. 

Mackenzie Wieser: But many of us don't have the time or bandwidth to see past that tree, right? And so, I think as I continue to stay on it, we're getting there. We do all collaborate in ways of sharing in kind, right? Like I, we go to Soilborne and we go to FEY during our camp and we, you know, we have lots of in kind [00:35:00] collaborations for fundraisers.

We try to cross pollinate on social media and share what everybody's doing. But as far as like really moving the needle, that's like my two to five year plan. And we will get there. I think. It does make a huge bit of sense to get us all in lockstep on that. But collaboration is key on all things. And I am not, I talk with nonprofits of all different types, right?

Like even 916 Inc, for example, we're talking about how can we get kids. Out in nature doing nature journaling or sit spot journaling where they can find their creativity by, you know, just connecting with some spot in nature. And what would that stoke for them as opposed to being at like the Imaginarium downtown or something like that?

And so I think Tons of opportunities for collaboration, and we're all about it. 

Jeff Holden: Well, you said two [00:36:00] to five years. It's certainly one of our objectives, too, with the program is to connect people who don't know of like organizations or just haven't tripped on it. Not because they're siloed. They do share, they do collaborate, but not in the same way that I think you're talking and I'm thinking is that what if there was this consortium?

And if the pool of money came into the consortium and you just distributed it, appropriately for each of the responsibilities each group takes. And it would be better for everybody. And then some of the smallest would morph into or merge with. And, you know, the largers would then accommodate the assemblage.

And then we can be that much more impactful. 

Mackenzie Wieser: I think the nonprofit, the highs and lows of nonprofit is that you're often so passionate 

Scott Thomas: your cause 

Mackenzie Wieser: about your cause and your organization that you sometimes Get caught up in the fact that there may be duplication in other Organizations and if we can set [00:37:00] egos aside, I think we would realize there's a huge cost benefit in sharing some of the administrative burdens if we could get this together, we could do a heck of a lot more and that there's plenty of abundance out here for all of us.

Right. 

Jeff Holden: So in your vernacular, the forest for the trees. Yes. And people, how many people do you have at the organization? How many do you employ? 

Mackenzie Wieser: So that is a revolving door because we're a seasonal organization. As mentioned in summer, we are kind of on hiatus because our customer, the student is also on hiatus, but we, it are 

Jeff Holden: summer camp.

Mackenzie Wieser: Yeah. We go through June and then we take a break till August, but we, on our high side, we have about 37, 38 employees. And that's when we're running field trips at both locations. We're fully stocked running field trips Monday through Friday in [00:38:00] both locations with 6 to 8 field guides or docents in both locations.

So it's a heavy staff. And then in our low side on our annual staff, we have a total of a whopping five of us that live at Splash year round and kind of stay the bread and butter of the organization. But the rest are seasonal part time staff. 

Jeff Holden: And you talked about funding a little bit earlier. And how you were funded and how one of the programs are is, is funded by the Sacramento Sewer District.

Mackenzie Wieser: Mm-Hmm. , 

Jeff Holden: what about the overall organization? And it, it, I'm, I'm sensing from what you explained that it's individual communities, you know, in some way, shape or form to support the schools in that school district. Is there any other funding source grants, federal County that you get beyond them? 

Mackenzie Wieser: Yeah, so we have a lot of other amazing funding partners in the Sacramento area.

Ray Lee's Teichert Foundation [00:39:00] smud huge. Advocate of ours, and we do apply for many other grants throughout the year. We, as you know, grants are a shot in, throw the dart at the board and hope it sticks type of thing, but we're constantly looking for new funding partners. And we're also looking to be the leader in, uh, outdoor environmental education and curriculum.

You know, we are experts at this. And so we are working with, I'm a consultant on the California Climate Literacy Initiative and the California Statewide Outdoor Learning Initiative group. And so we do receive a little bit of statewide funding. For my voice in terms of pushing climate literacy, but most of it is through the amazing generosity of our about 700 [00:40:00] donors annually.

Big Day of Giving is 25 percent of our million dollar budget, and so we have a very big day of giving. That's 

Jeff Holden: amazing. Thank goodness we've got a company that's so generous. involved in our community that's based home based here. They are really involved. So that's great to hear. And then of course, big day of giving with the community foundation.

Yes. That's an amazing number. 

Mackenzie Wieser: Yes. Big day of giving for this organization, I think is mind blowing how generous the community is. In fact, we just did our big day of giving recap report and found that like 73 percent of our Over 130, 000 raised came from The day of giving, which is like mind blowing to me because I start working on it in February.

Jeff Holden: As you should now that you know the significance of it, [00:41:00] of course, 

Mackenzie Wieser: yes, yes. So it's a very big campaign for us. We've not been an organization that spent a ton of time on events because obviously I came in during COVID. So events was not a hot. 

Jeff Holden: Commodity. Wasn't a lot going on then. 

Mackenzie Wieser: Right. But that may be something we look into here in the future, because I know that's a big piece of non profit 

Jeff Holden: fundraising.

Yeah, you may find it. There's a significant group of people in the community that want to participate with like minded people. It'd have to be a really unique event. Right. I can just think of some places you could have it and, you know, how it would look and, you know, all sorts of things. If money weren't an object, if you didn't have to worry about a budget, what would the organization look like?

Mackenzie Wieser: It'd be amazing, no. 

Jeff Holden: Well, and you've got this, you've got this not only statewide, Jerry Brown was a global thinker in terms of the environment and climate change. So you've got this, this perspective that's different than most people. 

Mackenzie Wieser: Right. So I [00:42:00] think if money were no issue, we would definitely, Max out the number of days that we could have field trips because all schools should have access to this and we should invite them to come outside right to get outside and to have these experiences and then if money were no issue we would be collaborating with all of the other organizations like ours because agreed I have this global view on the fact that it doesn't just have to be good enough for splash We're all going to be better.

The planet's going to be better. We're going to be happier, healthier, less mental health issues if we can get kids off of their phones and connecting with their community in ways that they can engage in their community, too. I mean, we all don't know what we don't know, and we can learn by doing. And so, um, you [00:43:00] know, our environmental leadership camp has a component to it where the kids have to do two, two hour volunteer projects with another organization, not ours.

Jeff Holden: Forcing the collaboration again. I love it. Right. 

Mackenzie Wieser: And that's because we feel like kids need to know how to get civically engaged and they'll probably do it more if their parents, if it's part of the free camp that they have to do this volunteering. Their parents are going to be more inclined to do it.

And Hey, when they're out there, they may find they actually like to do this. They may find over the weekend, it's pretty cool to plant 30 trees, or it's pretty cool to clean up trash from the American river or. And they may do it some more, and maybe we'll have a bigger ripple effect on all of the other organizations as well.

Jeff Holden: What I'm thinking, and you mentioned planting trees, and we got the Sacramento Tree Foundation tied with SMUD, [00:44:00] and I just heard something on. you know, a report today over 600, 000 trees over the course of that program. That's amazing. Yes. And to think a student that maybe was one of those beneficiaries of planting a tree when they were a kid, 20 years later, now the program's 25 years old, 20 years later, they see the tree.

That's my tree. Right. I planted that tree. There's a, there's a relationship to the environment that maybe moves them in a direction that's. Environmentally friendly 

Mackenzie Wieser: right and you know sack tree is a big Partner of ours to they help us with our air quality day out at FEA So they come out and they talk to us the kids about all the different trees and they meet the arborist and again a lot of the kids do Volunteering for sack tree to plant trees.

I know that my son and I planted like 80 trees Two years ago and we drive by those [00:45:00] trees. I made sure to make sure it's right down the street from our house and we'll drive by those trees and it'll be a memory that he'll have forever. 

Jeff Holden: Right. 

Mackenzie Wieser: And so will all those other kids that came out that day on that volunteer experience.

Right. So I think if we can plant these seeds now, we may not be around to see the harvest here, but I am a whole hearted believer that. We're going to be better if we work together and there's plenty out here for us from the money tree if we continue to work together. 

Jeff Holden: We love that tree. 

Mackenzie Wieser: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: So speaking of that, you, you mentioned the situation with the all program and how you want to grow that and where that funding needs to come as it goes forward because you're going to lose that 75%.

Would you say that's your most significant need at this point looking forward? 

Mackenzie Wieser: I would. Although I'd love to create more programs, I can't create any more programs till the current programs are sustainable. [00:46:00] So, at this point, that is the hemorrhage that follows me around. And it's that, like, backburner thing of, if we don't find the money to keep this, you know, I'm not one for running out the gates and creating a program that's incredible to then go, Oh, sorry, we don't have enough money now.

And you're not going to be able to participate in three years. So it's gonna be, you know, in my purview here to work and run myself into the ground until I find this money. Sure. And so, yes, that's the biggest need. And meeting people, right? Just, I like meeting you through Leisha, uh, the chat center. I know who I know and I know as many people as I know and I've, trust me, they're tired of hearing from me.

So I need to know more people and there are more people. Sacramento is small, but there are [00:47:00] still more connections that I have yet to make. And. When we're done, I'm going to give 

Jeff Holden: you about 10 names because I'm thinking of opportunities that they need to connect. They don't know you exist. 

Mackenzie Wieser: Right. Well, and I ad nauseum, I say Sacramento splash is the best kept secret in Sacramento because we were a sleeper organization for over 20 years before I got here.

And legitimately nobody knew about Sacramento splash except for teachers. And even principals didn't know about Sacramento Splash until I got here. And so, yes, we are trying to tell the secret at nauseam. We don't want 

Jeff Holden: a best kept secret. 

Mackenzie Wieser: No. 

Jeff Holden: We want the world to know. 

Mackenzie Wieser: Exactly. 

Jeff Holden: For a variety of different reasons.

Right. How is the best way to get in touch with the organization if somebody has an interest in doing whatever? Either participating, donating, teachers that don't know about the program. 

Mackenzie Wieser: So [00:48:00] we're everywhere. We're on all the social media channels, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn. You can find us at www.

saksplash. org and you can 

Jeff Holden: Saksplash or Sacramento Splash? Saksplash. Saksplash? Okay. 

Mackenzie Wieser: Yep. org. And you can click on my beautiful face on the website or anybody's face on the website or just hit info at saksplash. org and it will get forwarded to me or whoever the appropriate person is and we would love to hear from you.

Jeff Holden: Yeah, and I will put those up on the show notes too. So anybody that's listening to the episode can just look and it'll be right there with it. Yeah. We do have 

Mackenzie Wieser: a e newsletter as well. We are not a spamming newsletter. We send one newsletter a month on the last Wednesday of every month, and it's highly informative of what we are doing at the current time.

And it also informs parents and teachers [00:49:00] about when program signups are because our summer camp, as mentioned, was canceled. Super over subscribed. We release. Our application in February and kids need to do one volunteer project before March 31st to get preference on acceptance. We cut the application off at 128 people for 60 spots this year.

That was a lot. So we had 90 and then the weekend happened and we were like, Oh God, turn it off. Yeah. So you just never know what can happen in four days time and the interest, but the newsletter is the best way. to really know kind of like what we're doing and how you can engage and how you can become involved.

We have tons of volunteering opportunities. We often have to make those platforms that the kids lay on where so they don't 

Jeff Holden: smash the little ecosystem of the [00:50:00] rural pool. 

Mackenzie Wieser: Yes, and we have tons of opportunities to help out at the dairy. We've had Eagle Scouts do tons of projects for us out there. Um, we just had an Eagle Scout make a turtle pond for us at Splash.

So, always opportunities to engage and we invite collaboration of all 

Jeff Holden: kinds. I would imagine that if I'm a parent, my kids are all grown. So, I don't have that, and my grandkids don't live here. I wish they had it where they are. Maybe they do. I'll have to find out if there's anything close. Right. In terms of the organization, if I'm not in the school system that you're servicing, can my kids still get involved in anything?

Mackenzie Wieser: Yes. Okay. So we do also extracurricular programs. We have public tours in the spring where kids and families can come together on an experience. We definitely try to be something [00:51:00] for everyone. We have 40 plus animals at our Critterville in the Sacramento Mather location and four amazing farm animals down at the dairy.

And so we're always trying to be thinking about how to engage with the public to share more of the secret of what we do. Right. And so there's always a way to engage schools. just know about our field trip programs, but we have all of these other programs as well. 

Jeff Holden: It's so neat. It's such a unique and novel organization.

And again, one that you're not top of mind familiar with, unless you've been through it or you're in a school system that's been doing it for years. So I, I, I really applaud what you're doing and for you to make the move from. Anything State of California environmental policy, however challenging that is, is a big deal.

And it's a huge impactful deal not only to the state, but to the country. Globally because we are a world leader in terms of what we do for [00:52:00] the environment, but to take that down to the youth level What grade do we start at second third grade 

Mackenzie Wieser: second our? Program at the dairy goes from second to fifth grade and at the Mather center we have the fourth and fifth grade is when the vernal pools hit And then our summer camps, sixth and seventh graders.

Okay. So we range from second to seventh graders. We are in development talks right now for a second layer of the environmental leadership camp for ninth and tenth graders. It is our goal to do a deeper workforce development type program. To give kids that hands on experience with these scientists in like a more robust feel so campers that came through can reapply Right now the biggest Bummer of our camp is that the kids always say well I want to come back next summer and Because it's a free camp our [00:53:00] funders want as many kids as possible to get exposed to this experience And so we have to say no, and so I'd really like to develop something for that You know sweet spot where kids are trying to figure themselves out.

I think we have found ourselves in a technological technological A society of kids who do not know how to utilize networks, do not know about human connection because they're only connected to games and devices and this virtual reality and so it's going to be critically important for us. To teach them skills that they're not getting in school anymore.

We know kids don't know how to write a check. We know, and you may not need to write a check, but you do need to know about fiscal responsibility and how to manage oneself and gain these human skills. And so I think we can be a [00:54:00] really important. organization that can help do that through an environmental lens as well.

Jeff Holden: Especially when you think of the children in. the disadvantaged areas where they're, they're, they're challenged beyond what is just the school curriculum or the school day. That's the only thing that gets them out of the house to when they can just come home and they can't go out. They, you know, parents are both working, whatever the situation may be.

What if there was an opportunity for them to actually engage and see and experience something that is beyond that neighborhood, you know, that maybe is at a ranch or a farm or. To see snow in the mountains, you know, just, just these things that trigger a whole cascade of opportunity in that child's mind, where, you know, where you came from, it's adults, we screwed it up, we're trying to fix it, the kids haven't screwed it up yet, and they have the ability to fix it, if we get them started on the right path, so, even though, name aside, it's not a swimming pool, [00:55:00] Sacramento Splash really is A novel concept that is starting at the, the very base, the root of where a child can spark that interest and, and grow.

Mackenzie Wieser: And we feel that largely, you know, we can say us adults screwed it up, but there are a lot of us adults who are still trying to fix things ourselves. Mm hmm. And. We're learning from our kids. We are learning now things that we didn't even know. And we learn them from our kids and so that's why we at Splash feel like it's critically important to hit these topics with that generation because what your kid comes home and spews into your ear at night is what may resonate for you and may stick.

It may change your behavior. I could have sat at the governor's office for 20 [00:56:00] more years collected my pension and been fine. However, I know for a fact that behavior change isn't happening at a fast enough pace. We can write policy till we're blue in the face. I mean, case in point right now, we just signed a contract with Republic services, trash hauler.

Here in Rancho Cordova, Citrus Heights, and the Elk Grove area around helping implement the organic waste deferment from our garbage stream. It is, it's been in law for over a year and a half, but only 10 percent of families are even participating. We've found that Families don't even know that they need to do this.

And so we've got to take this to the kids to get them to tell their parents, because everybody's busy living. Everybody's busy doing life. We have phones in our faces. We have bills to pay. We have careers to [00:57:00] go to, and it's not until You know, Johnny Sue tells me tonight that, Oh, mom, did you know you're not supposed to put your food waste in the garbage?

Jeff Holden: Exactly. 

Mackenzie Wieser: And gives you a little brochure that shows you what you're supposed to do. I mean, the cities can send. You can take things home till they're blue in the face. They can attend rallies. They can be at community events and tell you about it. But it's not until your child tells you you're messing up and they don't want, you don't want to be a failure in their eyes.

So you're going to change your 

Jeff Holden: behavior. And then modeling behavior is everything for the child too. Because they stay. 

Mackenzie Wieser: Right. And if we're doing it together. we're going to change behavior. And if we change behavior, we're going to have a different outcome in 15, 20 years from now that we wouldn't have by just writing this down in a law and saying, by the way, you need to do this.

Jeff Holden: Yeah. And you'll be fined if you don't. Mackenzie, thank you so much. What a great [00:58:00] What an interesting discussion, you know, so much fun and I can just see all these children just the bright eyes with a little cup with the little species in it for the first time ever realizing that that's in my backyard, you know, I get to see that.

So for what you do, for what the organization does, thank you. And I applaud your passion to make a change. That's a big deal. 

Mackenzie Wieser: Well, it's not going to get done any other way. So it's just something I'm very passionate about, as you can see. And I feel like our community deserves it. And the only way to make a change is to actually do it.

Jeff Holden: So thank you. Thank you for listening to the nonprofit podcast network. I hope you enjoyed the episode. If what you heard moved you, please reach out to that organization and do what you can to help. If you like and appreciate what we're doing to support local non [00:59:00] profits, please give us a positive review, subscribe, and share.

If you're a non profit with an interest in participating in an episode, you can reach me at jeff at hearmenowstudio. com. If you have a need for the services or products our sponsors offer, please reach out to them. CAP Trust, Fiduciary Advice for Endowments and Foundations, Runyon Saltzman Incorporated, RSC, marketing, advertising, and public relations creating integrated communications committed to improving lives, and Western Health Advantage, a full service health care plan for individuals, employer groups, and families.

The non profit podcast network is a production of, is recorded at, and edited by Hear Me Now Studio.