California Institute of Environmental Studies

“The draft of the form 990 is given to each board member for review. The preparer of the form 990 will make any necessary revisions. Once all changes have been made, the board will approve the 990. The board treasurer signs the form 8879 eo authorizing the preparer to file the return electronically prior to filing the return.”

“Copies are maintained at the corporation office and are available as requested.”

“No documents available to the public.”

“The organization monitors compliance through self-monitoring. The conflict of interest policy includes officers, directors, and interested parties. It requires each party to submit an annual questionnaire, and provides that any person found to have a conflict is excluded from deliberations and decisions concerning the conflict.”

“Any change in the executive director salary or any other officer salary is reviewed by at least one independent member of the board, and findings contemporaneously recorded. Comparability data is reviewed; however funding restrictions limit the amount of salary allowable. The director salary is below average comparable salaries.”

“California Institute of Environmental Studies (CIES) is a non-profit organization that was established with the purpose of promoting conservation of marine and coastal birds and their habitats. In recent years, CIES has expanded its role in habitat conservation to include working with a variety of heavily impacted island habitats within the Channel Islands. During this past year, CIES was a key stakeholder in the conservation of natural resources, particularly marine birds and their habitats, within the Channel Islands. During fiscal year 2023-2024, CIES continued to be a leader within California for marine bird conservation. CIES conducted numerous studies and conservation actions for 16 species of marine birds working with land managers within the Channel Islands. Seabird conservation and monitoring work was conducted on 7 of the 8 Channel Islands, working with 6 different organizations. In addition, CIES staff assisted the Marine Bird Restoration Group of Japan, a sister nonprofit organization, with a study of Japanese murrelets. CIES produced numerous annual reports for its clients, presented results at several scientific conferences, and submitted 1 paper for publication during the year.Furthermore, CIES continues to expand its role in island habitat conservation within the Channel Islands. CIES conducted extensive restoration work for The Channel Islands National Park working with the National Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and The Nature Conservancy. Restoration work benefiting marine and coastal birds as well as a wide range of plant and animal species were conducted on Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, Santa Barbara and San Miguel islands. CIES conducted restoration work over hundreds of acres and out planted over 8,000 plants as part of these restoration efforts. Significant progress in habitat restoration was gained at Anacapa and Santa Rosa islands this past year. Also, during this fiscal year, CIES played a significant role in monitoring island fox and island skunk populations at Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel islands. CIES also played a lead role in efforts to eradicate Argentine ants from Santa Cruz Island. Finally, CIES has developed a partnership with the Catalina Island Conservancy and works with this organization on habitat restoration at Catalina Island. We anticipate expanding that partnership during the next fiscal year.”