Interview: Robert Mazurek Historic $71M Climate Resilience Grant

Robert Mazurek is now overseeing a historic climate resilience grant, and working on even bigger stuff.   COURTESY CALIFORNIA MARINE SANCTUARY FOUNDATION

Santa Cruz-based California Marine Sanctuary Foundation receives a historic $71 million climate resilience grant from Biden Administration

Last June, President Joe Biden announced significant funding for coastal communities to enhance climate resilience. This sparked hope for Robert Mazurek, head of the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation. That hope was realized when the foundation secured a historic $71 million federal grant, the largest ever awarded to a non-governmental organization in California. Mazurek quickly mobilized local organizations across the Monterey Bay Area to collaborate on a proposal. In just a week, 100 people joined a Zoom meeting to address the region's urgent environmental needs. Their coordinated effort has now become a legendary success in Santa Cruz conservation circles.

What happened next is the stuff legends are made of. Read California Local’s interview below.