Sequoia Riverlands Trust event to honor former Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin
Ashley Swearengin, chief executive officer of the Central Valley Community Foundation and former mayor of Fresno, will be honored with a conservation award Oct. 16 at Sequoia Riverlands Trust’s annual fundraiser dinner, “Evening Under the Oaks.”
Swearengin is the recipient of the Alan George Conservation Award and joins a who’s-who list of San Joaquin Valley residents recognized for their spirit of conservation and environmental protection.
“Evening Under the Oaks” begins at 6 p.m. at Kaweah Oaks Preserve, just east of Visalia. The open air, relaxed evening will feature live music by 99 Strings, a rock band from Bakersfield, a catered meal, and live and silent auctions.
Swearengin spearheaded efforts to coordinate and write a $58 billion dollar investment plan for the Fresno, Madera, Tulare and Kings counties known as Sierra San Joaquin Jobs Initiative, or S2J2. The plan aims to create an inclusive and resilient economy, delivering more than 138,000 new jobs in a 20-year period.
“Ashley’s role in conservation in the region has had an undeniable effect in getting attention from the governor’s office, state agencies, and other important leaders who have been drawn to the region because of her leadership and persistence that we not be overlooked or forgotten,” said Phil Daubenspeck, SRT’s chief investments and partnerships officer.
The award is named for the late Visalia resident whose efforts were instrumental in the formation of Kaweah Oaks Preserve, one of SRT’s first conservation spaces.
Last year’s honoree was Greg Collins, former president of SRT, who also served as Visalia’s mayor and co-authored the book, “ “Seven Generations: The Past, Present and Future of the Tulare Lake Basin,” with James Holloway.
Other past recipients of the award include rancher Bill Clark, former Sequoia-Kings National Park superintendent William C. Tweed, retired College of the Sequoias biology professor Rob Hansen, teacher Nancy Bruce, and Michael Chrisman, a native Visalian who served on multiple boards, including as president of the Water Education Foundation.
SRT is a regional nonprofit land trust founded in 2000 that protects more than 43,000 acres along the Kaweah, Kern, Kings, and Tule rivers, as well as in the Carrizo Plain National Monument. According to its mission statement, SRT aims to “conserve the lands and waters of California’s heartland.”
It engages with landowners, farmers, conservationists, businesses and governmental agencies.
Daubenspeck said revenue from “Evening Under the Oaks” will help fund habitat restoration, stewardship of preserves, and protection of working lands, as well as educational programs that connect local communities with nature and teach the next generation about conservation.
About 250 guests are expected to attend. Tickets are available until Oct. 10 or until sold out.
Tickets for the event may be purchased through the SRT website, https://sequoiariverlands.ticketspice.com/evening-under-the-oaks
