Leave Your Legacy by Supporting Stanford’s Conservation Program 

Already Given? See Your Legacy in Action

Saving Stanford’s Salamanders

California tiger salamanders are just one of the thousands of native species of plants and animals that share our local ecosystem. They live at Lake Lagunita and have been studied at Stanford for more than 60 years. Students, staff, and faculty work together to protect this endangered species. 

California tiger salamanders live underground in burrows created by California ground squirrels, emerging only on rainy nights to migrate to vernal pools where they lay their eggs. On these rainy nights, students and staff pull on their rain boots and venture out to capture and recapture the salamanders to assess population health.

In 2026, your funding is supporting:

• Ongoing monitoring of California tiger salamander—from eggs, larvae, to adults
• Stewardship of existing habitat, including maintenance of breeding ponds
• Restoration of grassland plant communities and the underground sanctuaries where the salamanders reside during the dry periods of the year 

See how the salamanders are doing

Meet the Team Preserving Stanford’s Lands

The staff behind the Conservation Program are leading Stanford’s land stewardship efforts to ensure the university’s vast natural landscape and biodiversity can thrive.

Read more in the Stanford Report

Restoring Critical Habitat

Stanford’s Conservation Program is committed to protecting threatened and endangered species and maintaining native ecosystems. Stanford is home to 150 species of birds, over 45 species of mammals, 19 species of reptiles, 11 species of amphibians, 8 species of fish, and countless species of invertebrates.

These species rely on the over 670 species of native plants. Highly invasive, non-native species impact biodiversity and ecosystem function. Students, staff, faculty, and the broader community restore critical habitat through frequent volunteer events–planting native trees and shrubs and removing invasive plants.

In 2026, your funding is supporting:

• Restoration of native plant communities
• Control of invasive species
• Monitoring of stewardship interventions

Learn more about our environmental stewardship

Looking to Give? Start Your Legacy

The Stanford Celebrates You program recognizes staff milestones in appreciation of their dedication to the university’s mission. Starting at five years, and in five-year increments after that, Stanford celebrates staff with a ceremony and an award of their choosing.

You can now choose to give the value of your gift to Stanford’s Conservation Program. Once you receive the milestone recognition, you can search the catalog to adopt a salamander or sponsor a Stanford tree. Funding will go directly to protecting endangered species and restoring natural habitat in Stanford’s open spaces to support biodiversity and resiliency.

Adopt a Stanford Salamander

We share our campus with California tiger salamanders – a species found only in California and protected under the federal and state endangered species acts. Due to a variety of threats, the species is at risk of extinction.

In 2026, your funding will support:

• Ongoing monitoring of California tiger salamander–from eggs, larvae, to adults
• Stewardship of existing habitat, including maintenance of breeding ponds
• Restoration of grassland plant communities and the underground sanctuaries where the salamanders reside during the dry periods of the year 

See how the salamanders are doing

Choose to Give

Join the growing number of staff choosing to give to Stanford’s Conservation Program.

Sponsor a Stanford Tree

Stanford’s native trees work hard to mitigate extreme heat, sequester carbon, stabilize soil, and create habitat for hundreds of California’s iconic native species. Native plant communities provide the structure and resources that are linked to the persistence of thousands of native species and the clean air and water we all need to survive.  

In 2026, your funding will support:

• Restoration of native plant communities
• Control of invasive species
• Monitoring of stewardship interventions

Learn more about our environmental stewardship