Rivers across North America reaped in big rewards recently, as The Conservation Alliance has announced grants totaling $790,000 to 20 organizations working to protect wild places. The donations mark The Conservation Alliance’s first funding disbursal for 2016.
The Conservation Alliance has more than 190 member companies who care about protecting wild places for their habitat and recreation values. By their vote, the association doled out 20 donations to grassroots conservation organizations.
“Our member companies continue to step up and support efforts to protect the places where their customers recreate,” says executive director John Sterling. “This list of grants supports a variety of important land and water conservation opportunities in the U.S. and Canada.”
Seven out of the 20 organizations received funding from The Conservation Alliance for the first time: Backcountry Hunters & Anglers; Connecticut River Watershed Council; Hawaiian Islands Land Trust; Lake Champlain Land Trust; Methow Valley Citizens Council; Utah Diné Bikéyah and Wallowa Land Trust.
Each project was first nominated for funding by a Conservation Alliance member company. Conservation Alliance member companies also play a key role in determining which organizations receive funding.
“Our program gives our members the ability to contribute real dollars to protecting wild places in their backyards,” adds Sterling. “We plan to disburse $1.65 Million in 2016 thanks to the support of our members.”
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 $16 million to grassroots conservation groups, helping save more than 45 million acres of wildlands and protecting 2,972 miles of rivers. The funding has also helped stop or remove 28 dams; designated five marine reserves; and purchased 11 climbing areas.
This year’s first round of awards:
Access Fund (Save the Homestead Campaign: $50,000
Audubon Alaska (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge): $30,000
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (Protecting Steamboat Creek Watershed Campaign): $40,000
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (Protecting the Bay of Fundy Campaign): $35,000
Connecticut River Watershed Council(Deadbeat Dam Removal: $45,000
Friends of Nevada Wilderness (Gold Butte National Monument): $40,000
Grand Canyon Wildlands Council (Protect the Grand Canyon’s Watershed): $50,000
Hawaiian Islands Land Trust (Kona Cloud Forest Protection): $35,000
Klamath Siskiyou Wildlands Center (Kalmiopsis Wild Rivers): $30,000
Lake Champlain Land Trust (Whitehall Cliffs Conservation Project):
$30,000
Methow Valley Citizens Council (Methow Headwaters Campaign): $28,000
Northern Alaska Environmental Center (Brooks Range Conservation Campaign): $40,000
Save Our Canyons (Wasatch National Monument Campaign): $30,000
The Pew Charitable Trusts (Grand Canyon Heritage National Monument Campaign): $50,000
The Wilderness Society–Colorado (Owyhee Canyonlands National Monument Campaign): $32,000
Trout Unlimited – Alaska (Protecting the Tongass): $40,000
Utah Dine Bikeyah (Bears Ears National Monument): $50,000
Wallowa Land Trust (East Moraine of Wallowa Lake Conservation Campaign): $35,000
Western Rivers Conservancy (Western Slope Rivers): $50,000
Winter Wildlands Alliance (Northern Sierra Winter Recreation): $50,000
