We're the Padmasambhava Peace Institute, a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit dedicated to environmental stewardship and providing affordable retreat facilities. We're an entirely volunteer-run full-time residential center.

PPI’s 485 acres of northern California coastal redwoods and oak forest carry an extreme risk of wildfires. We’ve been working hard to mitigate fire risk and restore forest health through thinning forests and then applying controlled (low-intensity) burns (also known as prescribed burning).

Having adequate water storage is incredibly important in high-risk, remote areas like PPI, for drinking and for irrigation or fire-fighting. Where we are situated, there is no city or state water supply; property owners are responsible for managing their own. We have always consulted with local fire officials about our water supply, pumps and access, as part of our commitment to the safety of the wider community. Local fire departments during wildfire season will often rely on our water, including for emergency refills. Although many locals now have some storage capacity, our center is strategically important because there is easy access to hydrants and plenty of room to manoeuver even for large fire-engines.
When we do controlled burns, we use our water supply to keep things safe, for example hosing down any tree trunks that catch fire, and keeping control line or risky outer areas wetted down.

We already have about 75,000 gallons of water storage, and plan to add an additional 5 tanks, bringing our capacity to 100,000 gallons. Each 5000-gallon tank costs US$3868, with additional costs for plumbing parts. We are extremely grateful for whatever donation you can make to help with these purchases. Thanks so much!

To see a video of us at work, burning, check out this link https://www.facebook.com/padma... and follow us on Facebook or Instagram (padmapeace_ca).

All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the US tax law -- the Padmasambhava Peace Institute is a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit incorporated in California in 2003. Any donations beyond our target will be assigned to water supply items, eg pump/parts, pipes, fire hoses.

Water storage tanks for non-profit working on forestry and fire

Every drop counts...

Team Members