Terry Tempest Williams, celebrated writer and dedicated conservationist will be the guest speaker at the Conservation Alliance membership meeting at the Salt Lake City Marriott. Williams talk will focus on the importance of protecting wild places throughout North America.
“Terry is not only one of our greatest writers, but also a riveting speaker,” said John Sterling, Conservation Alliance Executive Director. “Nobody speaks more passionately for the protection of wild places. We are honored to have her as our guest speaker.”
A dogged advocate for public lands and a fierce voice for freedom of speech, Williams was named by Utne Reader as one of its “Utne 100 Visionaries,” and Newsweek called her a “a person most likely to have a social and political impact on the American West.”
She is perhaps best known for her book Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place, which is now regarded as a classic in American nature writing. She is a strong proponent for the Redrock Wilderness of Southern Utah, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and many other iconic wild places.
Prior to Williams talk, The Conservation Alliance will provide a summary of the many conservation victories the organization has supported in 2006, and recognize the companies that have joined the organization since the August OR Show.
“The Conservation Alliance is on a roll,” said Sterling. “Weve celebrated five major conservation victories, and have added more than 30 companies to our membership in 2006.”
The Conservation Alliance is an organization of outdoor businesses whose collective contributions support grassroots environmental organizations and their efforts to protect wild places where outdoor enthusiasts recreate. Alliance funds have played a key role in protecting rivers, trails, wildlands and climbing areas.
Membership in the Alliance is open to companies representing all aspects of the outdoor industry, including manufacturers, retailers, publishers, mills and sales representatives. The result is a diverse group of businesses whose livelihood depends on protecting our natural environment.
Since its inception in 1989, the Alliance has contributed more than $5.3 million to grassroots environmental groups. Alliance funding has helped save over 34 million acres of wildlands; 25 dams have either been stopped or removed; and the group helped preserve access to more than 16,000 miles of waterways and several climbing areas.
