Representatives from more than 14 outdoor companies attended The Conservation Alliances annual board meeting in Washington D.C. the week of March 11 before heading out to lobby Congress.


The Conservation Alliance board and staff spent a full day hearing from experts about National Monuments; Wilderness, the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Arctic. The briefings were designed to help the group better understand what conservation gains are possible with the new Congress and a second-term Obama administration.


Though the Alliances primary function is to make grants to grassroots conservation organizations, the group supplements that funding with targeted education and advocacy.


After the training day, the group hit Capitol Hill to meet with Congressional offices to demonstrate business support for specific conservation proposals. The group met with 15 different offices, primarily to share the message that protecting wild places is good for the outdoor industry and its customers.


When Congress protects Wilderness areas and Wild and Scenic Rivers, the industry benefits, said John Sterling, Conservation Alliance Executive Director. Customers need these protected places to enjoy the products our industry makes and sells.
Since its inception in 1989, the Alliance has contributed more than $11 million to grassroots conservation groups. Alliance funding has helped save more than 41 million acres of wild lands; protect 2,700 miles of rivers; stop or remove 25 dams; designate five marine reserves; and purchase nine climbing areas.
 
More than 150 companies representing all aspects of the outdoor industry belong to the Alliance, including retailers, publishers, mills and sales representatives. Pinnacle members, who contribute at least $100,000 a year, include Columbia Sportswear, Cliff Bar, Eastern Mountain Sports, Keen, Merrell, Patagonia, REI and The North Face.