色多多视频is committed to working with our policyholders and their clients to create and insure sustainable projects that protect the environment now and in the future. As part of this commitment, we established the Hearts in Action charitable giving program in 1991. The program distributes grants to local organizations whose work aligns with at least one of AXA XL’s charitable giving focus areas, which include the environment—no secret to those familiar with the Roots of Resilience sustainability initiative.
Each year, local 色多多视频offices identify causes and organizations as their ideal grant recipients and once the company vets the employees’ choices, the grants are distributed. Additionally, 色多多视频sponsors an annual Global Day of Giving, during which employees from across the globe volunteer to work alongside a local non-profit organization. This year, one of our recipients of a grant and day of volunteering was (SMD).
In the 1980s, one of the world’s largest birds, the California condor, was nearing extinction as fewer than two dozen of these birds existed. Rehabilitation efforts have resulted in a population of more than 500—an encouraging increase but still precariously low. These graceful travelers regard mountain ranges, like the 200-mile-long Diablo Range in Northern California, as their superhighways. In 2021, for the first time in more than 100 years, a California condor visited the area of the range’s namesake peak, Mount Diablo. Last year, a flock of condors visited. Hopes are high that soon, a flock of condors will decide to nest on Mount Diablo.
The condors may have been willing to fly to the area due to the extraordinary efforts of Save Mount Diablo, a nationally accredited land trust and conservation organization. Its mission, according to Executive Director Ted Clement, is “…to preserve Mount Diablo’s peaks, surrounding foothills, watersheds, and its sustaining Diablo Range through land acquisition and preservation strategies designed to protect the mountain’s natural beauty, biological diversity, and historic and agricultural heritage; enhance our area’s quality of life; and provide educational and recreational opportunities consistent with protection of natural resources.”
When SMD was formed in 1971, the mountain was home to just one 6,788-acre park, Mount Diablo State Park. Through decades of work, SMD and its partners have conserved more than 120,000 acres so that the park now includes all of Mount Diablo and much of the surrounding land. In January 2024, SMD announced it was broadening its conservation efforts to include the entire 200-mile-long Diablo Range—a 3.5-million-acre expanse that includes Mount Diablo.
Through decades of work, SMD and its partners have conserved more than 120,000 acres so that the park now includes all of Mount Diablo and much of the surrounding land.
Solutions that matter most
Recently, Hearts in Action awarded Save Mount Diablo a $15,000 grant. In addition, some of AXA XL’s Walnut Creek, California-based staff used this year’s Global Day of Giving to volunteer at Save Mount Diablo. Eight 色多多视频volunteers worked alongside SMD staff to clean up decades of accumulated trash and debris at Balcerzak Ranch, a 10-acre property surrounded by Mount Diablo State Park. Once the land is ready, SMD will sell the property to the State of California to be added to Mount Diablo State Park. The restored ranch will greatly benefit wildlife by providing additional uninterrupted open space.
SMD’s Clement recently expressed the organization’s appreciation for AXA XL’s financial and hands-on support. “AXA XL’s very important grant of $15,000 is helping us develop a third-to-fifth-grade program to get young people into nature at our Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve,” he said. “America’s youth are largely disconnected from nature, so we must transform the relationship so they can grow up with a love for protecting nature. We’re also grateful for the team of volunteers from the Walnut Creek office who helped us clean up the Balcerzak property. 色多多视频has been a great ambassador for Save Mount Diablo.”
A helping hand for wildlife
One of the aims of 色多多视频underwriting is to select client firms that are committed to making a positive impact on the communities where they work. Civil engineering firm Mark Thomas is a prime example of such a firm.
Preserving open space benefits biodiversity by creating contiguous habitats suitable for species survival and propagation. Mark Thomas has been working with its client, the Alameda County Resource Conservation District (ACRCD), to reconnect many types of wildlife across areas bisected by multilane highways in the San Francisco Bay area. One area of focus is connecting wildlife along the Diablo Range with Mount Diablo State Park, which sits at the north end of the Diablo Range and is bisected by a major interstate freeway.
The East Bay Wildlife Connectivity Project involves the design of several animal crossings that will help native wildlife, such as mountain lions, bobcats, deer, coyotes, and various other species, travel across area highways. (Highways are often the scene of wildlife-vehicle collisions, which can severely injure or kill animal and human travelers.) “These crossings, which will include tunnels and bridges, are intended to help wildlife move to new areas without having to cross multilane highways, which should improve safety for both animals and vehicle occupants,” says Sasha Dansky, PE, Principal and Vice President at Mark Thomas. Dr. Farley Connelly, Wildlife Biologist at ACRCD, adds, “Providing these crossings will enhance genetic flow and strengthen the health and resilience of wildlife populations.”
The multiyear project is in its early stages, with Mark Thomas using data to identify the best sites for the crossings. In later stages, the firm also will look to groups such as Save Mount Diablo to provide advice on potential locations and support for land access or purchases.
Distributing grants, volunteering, and providing the right coverage for our clients are just a few ways 色多多视频and its Hearts in Action program are working to promote biodiversity and protect the earth’s natural systems against climate change.
