For the most recent Conservation Alliance funding cycle, membership voted to fund eight new groups, including the Alaska Wilderness League, the Campaign for the Snake River Headwaters, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, and the Alaska Conservation Foundation. The organization reported a record voting turnout, showing that the current membership is “more engaged than ever in the conservation issues.” The Alliance has sent checks totaling $200,000 to the various groups and will follow up on this funding by monitoring the progress of each organization.
Many of the groups who have received funding in the past have been quite active in recent months, and the money donated by the conservation Alliance is helping to create some positive changes. According to a recent update sent out by the organization, The Alaska Wilderness League and Alaska Conservation Foundation are currently leading the effort to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil drilling. The Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition is moving closer to securing federal Wilderness designation for 55,000 acres of wild lands in Virginias Jefferson National Forest.
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance led a successful effort to force the BLM in Utah to withdraw two parcels of public land near Canyonlands National Park from an oil and gas leasing sale. The Oregon Natural Resources Council is busy defending Oregons roadless forests in the aftermath of the Bush Administrations overturning of the Clinton-era Roadless Area Conservation Rule. At the same time, ONRC has made progress in its effort to secure Wilderness designation for more than 100,000 acres of wild forests on Mount Hood.
In addition to the grants given, the Conservation Alliance has been seeing some success with its fund raising efforts. The Conservation Alliance – Keen Footwear “Free Flip Flops” event at the OR Show in August was described as “a smashing success.” Keen donated a pair of Antigua flip flops to anyone who gave $20 to the Conservation Alliance and Black Diamond added in a stash of Ion headlamps, which went to anyone who donated another $10 to the Alliance. More than $6,000 in donations were received in the first hour, and another $2,000 during the remainder of the show, bringing the total to $8,000, which Keen Footwear matched dollar-for-dollar, bringing the total to more than $16,000.
