Wild Arizona (Formerly Arizona Wilderness Coalition Et Al - See Sch O)

“- BOARD RELATIONSHIPS Director Kim Vacariu serves on the board of Friends of Cave Creek Canyon FCCC which granted funds to WildAZ in 2021. Vacariu recuses himself from any FCCC board funding decisions related to WildAZ. Prior to joining the WildAZ board, Director Kurt Menkes company had a longstanding business relationship with WildAZ. The business relationship still exists 0 payments in 2021, and Kurt recuses himself from any WildAZ board decisions involving business with his company.”

“- REVIEW OF FORM 990 Once the draft of Form 990 is completed by an outside accountant, it is reviewed in detail by the Chief Executive Officer and staff bookkeeper, along with a copy of the preparers detailed workpapers. An electronic copy of the udpated draft 990 is then sent to all board members and officers for their review before it is finalized and filed.”

“- CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY COI Post merger, the COI policy was reviewed by each director at the organizations December 2019 board meeting, and no conflicts were identified or declared at that time. Signed COI policies including disclosures are kept on file. The COI policy continues to be annually reviewed along with potential conflicts stated by each director this is documented in the board meeting minutes.”

“- COMPENSATION REVIEW The Board of Directors reviews and compares the CEOs compensation to salary information for conservation nonprofits from a comprehensive annual survery report by consulting advisor TREC Training Resources for the Environmental Community along with a detailed analysis of funding for staff salaries in current and projected budgets, and consideration of the staff salary structure and limitations of WildAZs budget. The current CEO salary has been constrained by initial budget limitations during the merger integration period and lower than the previous CEOs salary prior to the merger, but is expected to be increased to better align with comparable regional CEO salaries as the budget grows post merger. Officers and directors serve in those capacities as volunteers and are not compensated.”

“- PUBLIC RECORDS The annual Form 990, conflict of interest policy and the application for tax-exempt status under IRS Section 501c3 are made available to the public upon request. The 990 is also available at www.guidestar.org. The organizations Articles of Incorporation and annual report to the Arizona Corporation Commission are available to the public at www.azcc.gov. Other governing and key policy documents are also available to the public upon request.”

“- COVID RELIEF GRANTS LOANS - In FY 2020 and 2021, the organization received Paycheck Protection Program PPP loans of 33,900 and 35,700, respectively, as part of the federal governments Covid-19 relief programs. The proceeds were spent on payroll and other eligible expenses and were fully forgiven. They are accounted for as government grants in the financial statements. The organization also received an unsecured Economic Injury Disaster Loan EIDL of 25,000 during FY 2020. The term is 30 years at an interest rate of 2.75. Repayment began in November 2021 at 107/month. Additionally, the organization received an EIDL advance grant of 7,000 in FY 2020 and an EIDL targeted grant of 3,000 in 2021, accounted for as government grants in the financial statements.”

“- PRIMARY EXEMPT PURPOSE Our mission is to protect, unite and restore wild lands and waters across Arizona and beyond, for the enrichment and health of all generations, and to ensure Arizonas native plants and animals a lasting home in wild nature. During FY 2021, 75 volunteers provided 2,756 hours of service to the organization the value of these services is not reflected in the financial statements in keeping with generally accepted accounting principles. Wild Arizona is also known as WildAZ.”

“- MERGER CHANGE IN FISCAL YEAR - During 2018, the former organization Arizona Wilderness Coalition AWC began the legal and management process of merging with an existing 501c3 organization, Grand Canyon Wildlands Council GCWC based in Flagstaff, AZ. Arizona Wilderness Coalition AWC first made the corporate name change to Wild Arizona, followed by the merger with Grand Canyon Wildlands Council GCWC, filed May 8, 2019. The merged organization maintains the tax ID and legal address of the Arizona Wilderness Coalition. For brand and legal entity continuity, we registered the legal trade names of Wild Arizona DBA Grand Canyon Wildlands Council and dba Arizona Wilderness Coalition. The former Executive Director of GCWC, Kelly Burke who also served as a long time board member and Treasurer of AWC, and as its volunteer acting Executive Director during parts of AWCs FY 2018 and 2019, is the Chief Executive Officer of Wild Arizona. The merged organization changed its fiscal year end from June 30 to December 31, beginning 7/1/19. FY 2020 represented the first full 12 months of reporting for the organization. For more information about Wild Arizona, please visit www.wildarizona.org.”

“- WILDERNESS STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM WILD STEW Wild Stew is dedicated to restoring maintaining conditions in wilderness areas and other public lands across Arizona to preserve ecological integrity and improve visitor experience in primitive outdoor settings. Arizona has 90 designated wilderness areas and agency resources are insufficient to address needs such as trail maintenance, erosion control, removal of invasive species, riparian restoration, installation of signage and meeting Wilderness Stewardship Performance measures. The Wild Stew program assists public lands management agencies with addressing these needs, while also connecting volunteers to outdoor experiences in the wild, as well as providing ecological and socio-cultural education to inform and inspire conservation advocacy. WildAZs Wild Stew program coordinates hundreds of volunteers to conduct stewardship projects primarily on public lands of the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service. WS projects completed between January 1 and December 31, 2021 occurred in eight different wilderness areas located in the Tonto TNF and the Coronado CNF National Forests. Specifically, Wild Arizona assisted CNF in advancing Wilderness Stewardship Performance WSP scores by completing Rapid Trail Condition Assessments of 110 miles of trail within the Galiuro Wilderness and 25 miles of trail within the Santa Teresa Wilderness. Also, together with the Chiricahua Regional Council, Chiricahua Wilderness Stewards and volunteers from the local community of Cave Creek Canyon, WildAZs field crew restored a substantial section of the South Fork and connecting trails in the Chiracahua Wilderness. Overall, more than 12.5 miles of trails were improved, 85 drainages were cleaned or repaired and 180 downed trees were cleared. Lastly in the CNF, the Youth Conservation Corps YCC completed their second annual project in 2021. Over the course of six weeks, they completed 9.2 miles of trail maintenance and restoration work, with outdoor education presentations from guest experts in conservation and ecology. In the TNF, WildAZ returned to Arnett Creek and Telegraph Canyon near the town of Superior, AZ to control the spread of invasive oleander and tamarisk, and to repair damage caused by flooding after the 2021 Telegraph Fire. Overall, more than 51.5 acres were treated.”

“- ENDURING PROTECTION, POLICY PLANNING PROGRAM This program proactively addresses diverse public lands, wildlife and water issues facing Arizona, seeking to expand preservation of wilderness areas, natural waters, cultural landscapes and broad regional movement corridoors through administrative, legislative, and executive plans and actions. In 2021, WildAZ worked with agencies, organizations and constituents to advance wilderness stewardship and preservation, public lands protection, and conservation management across Arizona in our priority Wild Connections framework. 1 30x30 a global initiative to conserve 30 of lands and waters by 2030 in Arizona WildAZ worked with conservation partners to create an Arizona 30x30 coalition and steering committee. We developed education/outreach materials, media releases and content, and advocated with the public and congressional leaders to support the Biden Administrations America the Beautiful directive. WildAZ also developed detailed proposals that will contribute to the 30x30 goals, as well as the definitions, science background, and analysis of current protected areas and additional acreages suitable for protections that could be added, based on previous wilderness inventories, river studies and Forest management plan revision comments. We continued to participate in planning for several Arizona national forests and in BLM vegetation planning. 2 Verde-San Pedro-Gila Rivers Wild Connection WildAZ continued to oppose a two-dam pumped hydro storage project in southeast Arizona on the lower San Francisco River, a Gila River tributary. WildAZ worked with partners to strategize protecting Arizonas portion along with segments of the Blue and Black Rivers, and with a coalition of partner groups on comments and media to oppose permitting of the dam project and to engage supporters in public comment during the process. In late 2021 we engaged in the start of a Wild and Scenic Rivers suitability study for the Verde River by the Prescott National Forest in anticipation of proposed fish barriers. 3 Grand Canyon to the Gila Wild Connection WildAZ continued collaborating with a long-standing coalition of organizations, individuals and tribal representatives to secure a permanent uranium mining withdrawal for over 1 million acres currently under temporary administrative withdrawal on the north and south rimlands of Grand Canyon. WildAZ played a major role mobilizing outdoor and Veterans communities for support of the Native Nations-led effort that culminated in House passage and subsequent Senate introduction of the Grand Canyon Protection Act. WildAZ worked intensively with partners and hydrologists to organize and comment to oppose renewal of Canyon uranium Mines ADEQ Aquifer Protection Permit and call for mine closure. 4 Sky Islands/Borderlands Wild Connection WildAZ refined and added to a map of proposed protections and strategies for conserving the Sky Islands region of Arizona. We also joined a broad coalition of groups concerned with catastrophic environmental and cultural damage from the border wall construction. 5 Colorado River Wild Connection Grand Canyon Wildlands Council GCWC by WildAZ continued to distribute its Colorado River Map Guide book, including the Glen Canyon Dam chapter and stewardship recommendations. WildAZ/GCWC brought together and led a statewide resource group of Adaptive Management Program AMP stakeholders to have a voice in decision-making in regard to Colorado River water release from upriver reservoirs to maintain the level of Lake Powell above the power plant intakes. In 2021 we led an AMP stakeholder letter including several tribal representatives, angler and recreation groups, and environmental stakeholders to Interior Secretary Haaland regarding the need for spring high flow releases and the need to fully integrate tribal values. The letter was entered into the Congressional Record during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee hearing by Senator Mark Kelly”

“- OUTREACH, EDUCATION COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT In early March 2021, WildAZ cosponsored Tha Yoties performance at the Arizona Roots music and arts festival many of the songs are calls to action or draw attention to issues and celebrate Grand Canyon, the Colorado River, Indigenous perspectives and environmental/cultural justice. In mid-August 2021, WildAZ cosponsored and helped plan the first return to in-person Rumble on the Mountain 7 Indigeous edu-tainment event to help carry the message of the need to protect Grand Canyon from uranium mining, protect the Colorado and Little Colorado Rivers, and address the plight of Indigeous peoples on the Colorado Plateau. We supported Hopi hoop dancers and a video performance of the Antelope Track Dancers. The audience this year included dignitaries and decision-makers from local and tribal governments. WildAZ also supported a Colorado River flim project stemming from Hopi and Tewa artist/musician Ed Kaboties river trip in Grand Canyon. In 2021, we launched more regular outreach and education via multiple social media series and blog posts on our website, many featuring Wild Stew projects, and moved these out via all of our digital channels. We redesigned posts and channels to reflect our logo and a consistent color palette, conducted a social media audit, and increased our engagement and reach.”

“- OTHER ASSETS Capitalized River Guide Costs Other Assets - Intellectual Property - Represents costs capitalized to the Grand Canyon Wildlands Council balance sheet initially in 2013, including costs incurred to research, write, edit and design the organizations primary educational publication, The Colorado River in Grand Canyon. The copyright to the publication, which had not been updated or republished in 30 years, was donated to GCWC in 2013 by its former board member and current Senior Ecologist staff, Dr. Lawrence Stevens. The long-term costs associated with updating the publication were capitalized as intellectual property and are being amortized over a 10-year life.”