The Conservation Alliance raised $12,000 at its Block Party event at the recent Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in Salt Lake City. The event celebrated the seven successes that Conservation Alliance funding helped achieve in 2006. KEEN, Inc., Salomon, Eagle Creek, Hi-Tec, and Hot Chillys co-sponsored the event at their booths, which were adjacent to one another.
Each sponsor gave product to people who made donations to The Conservation Alliance. Leading the effort, KEEN gave a pair of its Targhee II or Humboldt shoes to anyone who donated $35 to the Alliance.
“We are fortunate to have the support of these great companies,” said John Sterling, Conservation Alliance Executive Director. “Each company was happy to help us celebrate the great year we had in 2006.”
In 2006, Conservation Allinace funding helped protect 1 million acres of land in the US, create a 4.4-million-acre park in British Columbia, remove one dam in Colorado, and permanently close 300,000 acres of land in Montana to oil and gas development. The Block Party featured large photographs of each place protected with Alliance support.
A throng of several hundred people surrounded the five booths, enjoying beverages, listening to the music DJ Knucklz, and admiring the images of newly-protected places.
“Conservation is important, but it should also be fun,” said Sterling. “The outdoor industry knows how to have a good time while doing meaningful work.”
The $12,000 raised will help the Conservation Alliance continue its efforts to protect wild places throughout North America for their habitat and recreational values. The group will contribute at least $700,000 to conservation efforts in 2007, its highest grant budget ever.
