The Conservation Alliance sent checks totaling $350,000 to 13 organizations working to protect wild places throughout North America. The donations marked the Alliances first disbursal of funding for 2007, and represent the largest single funding round in the organizations history.
By a vote of the groups 135 member companies, The Conservation Alliance made donations to 13 grassroots conservation organizations as follows:
Organization (Location) Amount
1. Alaska Coalition (Washington, DC) $35,000
2. Appalachian Voices (Boone, NC) $30,000
3. Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (Salt Lake City, UT) $25,000
4. California Wilderness Coalition (Oakland, CA) $35,000
5. Campaign for the Snake Headwaters (Jackson, WY) $30,000
6. Raincoast Conservation Society (Victoria, BC) $30,000
7. Conservation Northwest (Bellingham, WA) $25,000
8. Idaho Conservation League (Boise, ID) $25,000
9. Friends of Nevada Wilderness (Reno, NV) $25,000
10. Arizona Wilderness Coalition (Tucson, AZ) $30,000
11. Transboundary Watershed Alliance (Whitehorse, Yukon) $25,000
12. Winter Wildlands Alliance (Boise, ID) $20,000
13. West Virginia Wilderness Coalition (Masontown, WV) $15,000
Total $350,000
“Conservation Alliance member companies continue to demonstrate their commitment to protecting North Americas wild places,” said John Sterling, Conservation Alliance Executive Director. “Our membership has doubled over the past two years, so we are able to fund a larger pool of organizations.”
This round of grant recipients reflects the geographic distribution of Conservation Alliance members. Conservation Alliance funds will support efforts to: add wilderness acres in Joshua Tree National Park; protect wild rivers in Wyoming; improve mining regulations to protect mountains in Appalachia; promote non-motorized winter recreation throughout the West; secure new Wilderness designations in West Virginia, Idaho, Arizona, and Washington; and protect two spectacular wildlands in Canada.
“This slate of grantees is leading the most exciting conservation work in North America,” said Sterling. “Our members do a great job identifying these projects.”
This is the first of two grant disbursements The Conservation Alliance will make in 2007. With the recent increase in membership, the Alliance plans to contribute at least $700,000 this year. That amount is twice what the organization granted in 2004.
“There is a real hunger in the outdoor industry to make a difference on conservation,” said Sterling. “Our members are truly walking the talk.”
