California Nature Art Museum Announces the 2024 Honorees to be Feted During Annual Wilderness Spirit Award Brunch

Community Environmental Council and Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians will be celebrated for their long history of conservation efforts on Sunday, May 19 at the Buellton Marriott Hotel

The Board of Directors and Staff of the California Nature Art Museum (www.calnatureartmuseum.org) proudly announce Community Environmental Council and Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians as the 2024 honorees for the 18th Wilderness Spirit Award Brunch.

This year’s event will be held in The Figueroa Ballroom at the Marriot Hotel in Buellton, on Sunday, May 19, from 11am until 1:30pm. Don’t miss out on a beautiful morning filled with can’t-miss auction items including a six-night stay in Oahu, Hawaii, a sunset cruise, an animal encounter at the Santa Barbara Zoo, a one–night Staycation in Santa Ynez, and much more. There will also be live artist demonstrations from Jeremy Harper, Clare Carey, and David & Nansi Gallup, who will share a sneak peek of their upcoming exhibit, A Deeper Love: New Paintings Inspired by Coral Reefs coming to the museum this Fall. Plus, a wine pull, raffle, incredible food and drink, and of course, a unique chance to support our mission to inspire stewardship of nature through art and education.

Each year, the California Nature Art Museum presents the Wilderness Spirit Award to a person or group who strives to bring awareness to natural places through various platforms. This year, for the first time, there will be TWO honorees. Community Environmental Council (CEC) with the
Wilderness Spirit Award, as well as the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians with the newly announced Sustainability Award.

The Board chose CEC this year in large part due to their success in creating and opening the HUB facility, as well as for their focus on tackling local climate change issues, training climate change activists, and their commitment to diversity and inclusion in their programming. The Museum uses solar energy thanks to a CEC program which helped conservation-minded nonprofits convert to solar, which would not have been affordable otherwise.

“We are so proud to present this year’s Wilderness Spirit Award to the Community Environmental Council. With the recent opening of their new Environmental HUB in downtown Santa Barbara, we felt it was the perfect time to honor their many efforts to offer a facility for like-minded groups and individuals to gather and collaborate,” said Stacey Otte-Demangate, Executive Director for California Nature Art Museum. “We admire their outstanding efforts to tackle local climate change concerns, help the region to be more sustainable, and raise awareness through impactful events such as the annual Earth Day Celebration.”

The mission of CEC is to build on-the-ground momentum to reverse the threat of the climate crisis and to transform the systems that fuel it. CEC opened the region’s first Environmental Hub, a 10,000-square-foot epicenter for climate action, in downtown Santa Barbara. Since opening in July 2023, the Hub has hosted more than 5,000 community members at 120+ educational lectures, workshops, and community-led events. They also trained and certified 154 CEC Climate Stewards, equipping everyday individuals to play an active role in their community to advance rapid and equitable solutions to the climate crisis. In 2020, CEC was recognized as a California Nonprofit of the Year, and in 2022, CEO Sigrid Wright was honored with a Congressional Woman of the Year Award.

“More than 50 years ago, we answered an urgent call to protect and preserve the health and integrity of the Central Coast,” said Sigrid Wright, CEO for Community Environmental Council. “We strongly believe that by embracing fierce hope, taking collective action, and harnessing a proven blueprint that draws on the best of people and nature, we will ensure our region remains a treasure for future generations.”

This is the first year the Museum also recognizes a second honoree with a new Sustainability Award. They wanted to shine a light on the impressive efforts the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians does to minimize – or even eliminate in some instances – waste from their Casino and Hotel operations. In addition, they also support other tribal communities in their own efforts to operate more sustainably, and their new Cultural Center and Museum has achieved Silver LEED Certification, which is laudable.

“As the original stewards of this land, our tribe understands the importance of prioritizing sustainability measures and conserving resources at our local businesses,” said Kenneth Kahn, Tribal Chairman for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. “It’s an honor to be recognized for our efforts to reduce our impact on the environment, and we greatly appreciate being the first recipient of the California Nature Art Museum’s Sustainability Award.”

Tickets are on sale now for California Nature Art Museum’s biggest bash of the year – the annual Wilderness Spirit Award Brunch which is generously sponsored by Schiele Family Foundation, Allan Hancock College, and Louise Clarke and John Carbon along with other supporters. All proceeds from this event enable the Museum to continue to provide unique art exhibits and educational programs for the community and visitors, free school tours and children’s activities, and future installations designed to inspire a love of nature and to encourage advocacy.

California Nature Art Museum is open Weekdays 11 am-4 pm (except Tuesday and Wednesday) and Weekends from 10 am-5 pm and is supported by the generosity of its sponsors and members. For more information about California Nature Art Museum please visit www.calnatureartmuseum.org. To schedule interviews with Executive Director, Stacey Otte Demangate, or request broadcast-quality B-roll and high-res images, please contact Joni Kelly, Communications Specialist at 805-886-1869 or jonikellycomm@gmail.com

ABOUT CALIFORNIA NATURE ART MUSEUM
California Nature Art Museum uses art to educate and inspire people to better understand and care for our dwindling natural and wilderness areas. California Nature Art Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a small staff of 2 full-time and 4 part-time employees, augmented by 35 dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers. The mission of California Nature Art Museum is to inspire our community and visitors to enjoy, value, and conserve wildlife and natural areas through art, and provide artistic, educational, and field experiences of nature for that purpose. Our vision is to be recognized as an exceptional and innovative leader in inspiring our communities and visitors to value wilderness and other natural areas through the lenses of a diversity of artists. The California Nature Art Museum strives to collaborate with others for the betterment of our communities.

ABOUT COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL
Recognized as a 2020 California Nonprofit of the Year and 2020 City of Santa Barbara Climate Hero, Community Environmental Council (CEC) has worked since 1970 to incubate and innovate real-life environmental solutions that directly affect the California Central Coast. They have pioneered environmental solutions on California’s Central Coast for more than 50 years. And believe that, together, we can reverse climate change, repair the damage, and protect local communities from extreme weather effects. Their current work advances rapid and equitable solutions to the climate crisis – including ambitious zero carbon goals, the drawdown of excess carbon, and protection against the impacts of climate change. CEC’s programs lead to clean vehicles, solar energy, resilient food systems, and the reduction of single-use plastic.

ABOUT SANTA YNEZ VALLEY BAND OF CHUMASH INDIANS
Established in 1901, the Santa Ynez Reservation is home to more than 250 members of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. The Santa Ynez Valley Band of Chumash Indians aims to foster the well-being of future generations while honoring the traditions of their past. From preserving the Samala language with language apprentices and state-credentialed language teachers; to creating youth programs for basket weaving, community garden and cooking, and archery; to cultural resources management, the Santa Ynez Valley Band of Chumash Indians promotes passion for Chumash culture and resilience. Chumash descendants and culture are alive and thriving on tribal land in the Santa Ynez Valley, and resources are devoted to education, health, and culture — ensuring a vibrant future for Chumash generations to come.