Earth Island Institute

Help us save sharks and protect ocean health with Shark Stewards!
Until December 31 have a matching grant to save endangered hammerhead sharks and mobula and manta rays and protect critical habitat in Indonesia. Iconic and endangered, manta rays and hammerhead sharks are vanishing from the ocean, driven largely by the international trade for their body parts.

Your tax deductible donations will benefit Shark Stewards, a non-profit project of the Earth Island Institute to combat the fin trade of endangered sharks like hammerheads and save coral reef ecosystems through marine protected areas  and increasing fisheries protection in SE Asia. In 2021 you can even join us diving or snorkeling to collect data and add to their permanent protection in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Thank you in advance for your contribution restoring ocean health and saving endangered sharks and rays from extinction.

About the Program
Initiated in 2019 our new efforts focus on Indonesia, the largest shark fishing country in the Pacific in the heart of marine biodiversity: the Coral Triangle, which includes major shark fin trade hubs of Malaysia and Singapore.  Threats to endangered species including hammerheads, whale sharks and mobula rays like mantas and devil rays in the Coral Triangle are severe. The shark fin trade and mobula ray gill raker trade for export is leading to the extinction of these species.


Since 2013 Shark Stewards has been working in the Coral Triangle in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore to increase shark and ray protection and reduce shark fin imports and exports to China. A 2019 report by the non-profit TRAFFIC ranks Malaysia as number 2 in global shark fin imports ahead of Singapore and behind Hong Kong. Trade records indicate that import and re-exports from Hong Kong to China are on the decline, while numbers are increasing at other trade hubs where we focus our work.

In 2021 Shark Stewards is focusing on a new campaign with our Singapore chapter to ban all import/exports of CITES protected shark and ray species. We are also continuing our work with the Sabah Shark Protection Association to focus on trade reduction in that shark fin hotspot in Malaysia.

Overfishing and habitat loss through fish bombing add additional threats to the survival of this fragile marine ecosystem. Supporting dive ecotourism, scientific research, and community education  enables alternative livelihoods and will reduce shark and ray fishing.
Our goal is to increase protection for endangered sharks in Indonesia and provide permanent protection by establishing marine protected areas.
Learn More 


Why Hammerheads and Mantas?
These charismatic species are among the most threatened with extinction. One study estimates that scalloped hammerhead sharks have been reduced by over 90%. Manta ray's are targeted and caught as bycatch in a number of global fisheries throughout their range. Manta rays are particularly valued for their gill rakers, which are traded internationally to make traditional medicine.  

These amazing fish are also the most sought after by divers to observe and photograph and revenue raised through ecotourism brings in over 100 million dollars per year. These sharks and rays also provide important ecological services and are worth far more alive than dead.


About Shark Stewards
Shark Stewards, is a non-profit project fo the Earth Island Institute. Our work is dedicated to saving sharks and protecting critical marine habitat through shark fin trade bans, stopping shark fishing and creating marine protected areas. Our work includes introducing and supporting shark fin trade bans in the USA and internationally, and introducing and expanding marine protected areas from California to SE Asia.  Since 2013 we have worked in the coral triangle with local partners and NGOS to limit the shark fin trade and protect sharks and habitat in Malaysia and Indonesia. Part of our efforts with the Sabah Shark Protection Association to Save Sabah Sharks 



Earth Island Institute grows environmental leadership through our core programs in Public Education, Project Support, Restoration Initiatives, and New Leaders Initiative (Brower Youth Awards) and has over 70 projects to save the environment internationally.

We started a Go Fund Me to support Shark Stewards in its work to create strict no-fishing and fin trade regulations for hammerhead sharks and mobula rays in 2021. We have a match for every tax-deductible donation. Can you help? Go to sharkstewards.org or please share this message!

Please help save the Albany Bulb as a place for free-range creative expression!

Support Love the Bulb and Bulbfest: RESILIENCE 2019!

The Albany Bulb is endangered habitat for a unique kind of Bay Area creativity.  At a time when artists are being driven out of the San Francisco Bay Area by high rents, this former landfill is a no-cost outdoor zone for artists to present their sculptures, art and performance to eager, non-traditional audiences.

This pile of rubble and rebar has become known around the world as home to fantastic offbeat art and wild nature.

But art at the Bulb is at risk. Official plans call for the removal of the art and stopping informal artmaking once the Bulb is incorporated into the McLaughlin Eastshore State Park.  Love the Bulb is actively advocating for park policies that will save the living artistic traditions of the Bulb. 

We believe it's worth fighting for. Since 2016 a group of artists and citizens called Love the Bulb has dedicated itself to celebrating the unique nature  of the Bulb and to preventing the erasure of what's makes it special. To highlight the value of this unfettered space by presenting more than 30 participatory art, theater, dance, environmental education and stewardship events.

Through art and dance, we can bring people together to save the Bulb. Love the Bulb is producing our second Bulbfest on May 4-5, 2019.  It’s not only a celebration of the Bulb–it’s a celebration of the creative spirit that makes our part of the world so vibrant, innovative, and inspiring.

Artists and performers are lined up to perform at Bulbfest 2019, but we need your help. Eleven amazing dance groups and more than 10 new art installations will bring people together to revel in and protect this open, joyful space. Our theme is RESILIENCE--both human and natural.

Will you chip in to support Bulbfest 2019? Every gift is appreciated, but if you give  $75 or more you get a VIP ticket to Bulbfest good for both festival entry days May 4 (art) and May 5 (dance).  Our goal is to raise $15,000 by May 4 in order to pay artists and cover costs including publicity, transportation, equipment, and stage construction.  

Please support the Bulb and your creative friends and colleagues! 

You'll be helping bring the following dancers to the Bulb:

Destiny Arts:  powerful youth hiphop dancers from  Oakland choreographed by Rashidi Omari  and Sarah Crowell 

MoTor Dance:  Evie Ladin's Body Percussion Choir

Tapper Dan:  Athletic tap with a sense of humor

Impromptu No Tutu:  Women elders in motion, choreographed by Greacian Goeke  and Kaethe Weingarten .

Andrea Spearman:  Earth-inspired contemporary dance

Hannah Young Trio:  Site-specific contemporary with  amazing views 

Sarah Bush: dancing the resilient nature of the body and notions of safety in public spaces 

Hannah Ayasse:  Modern dance quartet balancing on the flotsam

Sarah Keeney:  Magic on the rubble with a Golden Gate backdrop

Kali Futnani:  Bharatanatyam Indian dance like you've never seen it

Dance Monks:  Dances with trees by Moira Moriarty and Rodrigo Esteva

And these amazing visual artists:

Kelsi Anderson: sculpture–Willow Nest

Adrian Arias  & Mara Hernandez:  painting–Dream #8

Carrie Blanche , Michelle Echenique , Carol Newborg: installation–Tree Home

Cristina Bejarano, Ariel Resnikoff, Peter Trio, Rivka Weinstock: poetry installation: Rooted/Uprooted

Colin Christy: sculpture–Anthropocene Bench and Invasive Railrod

Santiago Insignares: sculpture–Try to Break Me I Will Bend

Liz Karosick: installation–The Giant Nest

Natalie Koski-Karell: installation–Doors of Protection

Kasey Smith: sculpture–750,000 Pounds

Claire Tompkins: audio art–Other Worlds

Tickets for Bulbfest 2019 can be purchased through Eventbrite:

Art Opening:  Saturday, May 4, 4:00-6:30pm

Dance Performances:  Sunday, May 5, 12:00-4:00pm

ABOUT LOVE THE BULB: Love the Bulb is a community organization that celebrates and protects the art and nature of the Albany Bulb, a former construction debris landfill on San Francisco Bay owned by the City of Albany. Since 2016 we have presented more than 30 art, theater, dance, environmental education and stewardship events at the Albany Bulb that celebrate its unique place in the Bay Area art and natural ecosystems.  We are part of the California Institute for Community, Art and Nature, a project of Earth Island Institute, a 501 c 3 non-profit organization.

*The John Muir Trail Foundation is a fiscally sponsored project of Earth Island Institute. Your donations will be received and processed by EII and then sent directly to us. *

Backcountry rangers are the main line of defense for both people and the wilderness they enjoy in the John Muir Trail Backcountry. They provide oversight and protection for the natural environment and everyone who is there to enjoy it all. You can easily see how important the backcountry rangers are to the 213.7 mile stretch of the John Muir Trail and the vast wilderness of the JMT Backcountry. These dedicated people are highly-skilled backpackers and mountaineers who are the first responders, the remote emergency medical technicians, and the trail ambassadors who remind everyone what “Leave No Trace” really means.


Through their regular patrols, backcountry rangers protect the wilderness and keep everyone safe. If you inadvertently pitch your tent too close to a stream or fragile meadow, you will be graciously guided to another spot. It is the rangers who restore illegal fire pits and campsites, and post warnings about sensitive terrain or dangerous spots. The backcountry rangers are our “nature guides” and will happily identify where you are on a trail map, what peaks you are looking at, and the distance and time remaining in your hiking day. They can tell you about the wildflowers, meadows, animals and birds you may encounter, usually with a personal story tossed in. If you sprain an ankle, break an arm, or take a fall, these people are the remote EMT’s that provide immediate medical attention to stabilize your injury and help you out. In the event you are lost or seriously injured, the rangers organize the search-and-rescue operations to get you home safely. If tragedy strikes, they put themselves in danger to scale the steep cliffs and or belay the sharp descents to recover a body for its return to family.


These unsung heroes push their limits regularly and literally risk life and limb whenever needed. Yet, it is an accepted truth that these rangers are “paid in sunsets”. The monetary compensation for a backcountry ranger is on the GS5 scale (annual base $37,500 at step 1) reduced proportionately to a half-year season. How can we enjoy the beauty and magic of the JMT wilderness without supporting the backcountry rangers who are its most effective guardians?

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

Please help the John Muir Trail Foundation support the ranks of backcountry rangers across the JMT Backcountry. Your donations will go directly to the rangers working the JMT Backcountry! Any additional funds will be used to repair and improve ranger shelters and stations, replace and update their gear and equipment, maybe even allow them to add a few creature comforts. These unsung heroes will receive a deserved addition to their hard-earned income.


IT IS UP TO US  to show our gratitude.  Your donation will be greatly appreciated, a much-needed boost in this season’s support of those who are dedicated to our safety while protecting this fragile wilderness. 

Please make a donation to support the JMT Backcountry rangers. Your support will show them that their daily hard work is truly valued and appreciated.


About the The John Muir  Trail:
The John Muir Trail is one of the oldest trails in America, and the first created by law (California 1915). It lies completely on public lands, and so is owned by the American people. The JMT crosses 3 national parks: Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon; two national forests: Inyo and Sierra; two federal wilderness areas: Ansel Adams and John Muir; and one national monument: Devils Postpile. The 213.7 mile route of the JMT forms the backbone of a network of other trails along this high-elevation stretch of the Sierra Nevada, roughly 400 miles of spectacular access to wilderness. Because of relatively mild weather, its high-elevation landscapes are accessible from June to October, a fairly long season. In the last decade, public demand for access has skyrocketed, leading to a tidal wave of backpackers pushing the limits of the JMT wilderness where the extraordinary high-elevation terrain does not recover easily. The John Muir Trail Foundation focuses on three areas: the restoration and repair of visibly damaged areas along the trail network; assessing the human impact on the broader wilderness along the JMT’s route; and affirming and restoring the trail’s historic value among America’s natural wonders.

The John Muir Trail Foundation  is a non-profit organization.
Dedicated to the conservation of the John Muir Trail (est.1915)

for people to enjoy for the centuries to come

by caring for the wilderness, wildlife and waters

along its path in the high Sierra Nevada of California