The Conservation Alliance held its Backyard Collective event in North Vancouver, British Columbia on Friday, May 31. The stewardship project drew 45 volunteers from six member companies, two conservation partners and one local non-profit.

The volunteers worked in support of North Shore Mountain Biking Association (NSMBA) on projects in North Vancouver, BC. The​ group continued​ great work from last year’s Backyard Collective event on Bridle Path. The group worked at five work sites, ​removed 500+ buckets of dirt and refreshed 125 meters of trail. Bridle Path is a connector trail across Seymour that is used by many different types of trail users and is being revitalized in 2018 and 2019 as part of the NSMBA’s Adaptive Mountain Bike Loop.​

Conservation Alliance member companies Arc’teryx, Helly Hansen, MEC, SAXX Underwear, SOLE, and YETI participated in the event. Member company CLIF Bar generously donated energy bars for all attendees, Deschutes Brewery donated beer to celebrate the Conservation Alliance’s 30th Anniversary and Red Truck Beer donated to the raffle. Local coffee roasters Moia Coffee generously donated coffee for attendees.

The mission of The Conservation Alliance is to engage businesses to fund and partner with organizations to protect wild places for their habitat and recreation values. The Conservation Alliance launched the Backyard Collective Program to give member company employees in the outdoor industry the opportunity to work together on local stewardship projects while learning more about organizations that receive funding from the group.

Conservation Alliance grantees joined in a conservation and grantee fair to share current information and calls-to-action related to their programs. Grantees included Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) and Raincoast Conservation Foundation, and NSMBA joined as a local non-profit.

“We have a great community of members in Vancouver, and they turned out in force for the Backyard Collective,” said John Sterling, executive director of The Conservation Alliance. “We are grateful to our members and conservation partners for coming together to improve the Bridle Path. Conservation starts at home, and these events represent a strong commitment to preserving these companies’ backyard.”

For more information about this event, please contact Abby Becker, Backyard Collective Outreach Coordinator at abby@conservationalliance.com.