It’s that time of year again – tax season! For some it inspires dread, for others, anticipation at the prospect of a sizable return. For sea otters in California, it’s a chance to get critical funding to support their recovery and conservation… and that funding comes from you! It’s as easy as checking a box – when you file your tax returns, you can donate to help ensure that research and conservation for the imperiled otters continues.
Sea otters, a keystone species, are already threatened, and with climate change impacts looming, they need all the support from researchers and advocates that they can get in order to make a full and lasting recovery. According to a 2014 USGS population survey, there are fewer than 3,000 sea otters in California waters. We know that disease, toxic algal blooms and shark bites contribute to the otters’ low population numbers, and researchers are working hard to find out what other risks affect them, and how we can help them recover. This is why we have the California Sea Otter Fund – a fund used entirely for sea otter research and conservation programs. The donations from this fund have enabled researchers to identify the leading causes of sea otter disease and mortality and help advocates provide educational resources to the public. What is special about it is that the fund is built entirely through contributions from Californians through a tax check-off program on state income tax forms. During the seven years it has existed, the fund has raised more than $2 million for sea otter research and conservation programs.
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And there is potentially some great news for the fund. Senator Bill Monning has introduced a bill, SB17, that would extend this the fund’s check off for another five years (from January 1, 2016 to January 1, 2021). But that is also why this tax year is especially important. The fund must reach a minimum donation amount of $283,775 in order for it to continue to be included as a voluntary contribution tax check off. The only way we can reach this minimum is for you to donate – there are no other dedicated state funding sources to continue this important work for sea otter recovery. The fund needs contributions this year in order to make sure it stands a chance of being extended to January, 2021.
So if you live in California or plan to file California state income taxes this year, please consider contributing to the California Sea Otter Fund. This support has helped sea otter populations from Half Moon Bay to Santa Barbara grow every year. And, hopefully, it will be this support that finally boosts Southern sea otter numbers enough to no longer be threatened with extinction.
Don’t live California? You can still help save sea otters by adopting one of these marvelous marine mammals. Not only will you be sharing your appreciation for this imperiled species, but you’ll also be helping to support Defenders’ work on their behalf.
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