Group Will Disburse $1.65 Million in 2016

Bend, Ore., March 29, 2016 – The Conservation Alliance sent grants totaling $790,000 to 20 organizations working to protect wild places throughout North America. The donations mark The Conservation Alliance’s first funding disbursal for 2016.

The Conservation Alliance has more than 190 member companies who care passionately about protecting wild places for their habitat and recreation values. By a vote of these members, The Conservation Alliance made donations to 20 grassroots conservation organizations as follows:

Organization	Project Name	Grant
Access Fund	Save the Homestead Campaign	$         50,000
Audubon Alaska	Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Campaign	$         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 Campaign	$         45,000
Friends of Nevada Wilderness	Gold Butte National Monument Campaign	$         40,000
Grand Canyon Wildlands Council	Protect the Grand Canyon’s Watershed Campaign	$         50,000
Hawaiian Islands Land Trust	Kona Cloud Forest Protection Campaign	$         35,000
Klamath Siskiyou Wildlands Center	Kalmiopsis Wild Rivers Campaign	$         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 Campaign	$         40,000
Utah Dine Bikeyah	Bears Ears National Monument Campaign	$         50,000
Wallowa Land Trust	East Moraine of Wallowa Lake Conservation Campaign	$         35,000
Western Rivers Conservancy	Western Slope Rivers Campaign	$         50,000
Winter Wildlands Alliance	Northern Sierra Winter Recreation Campaign	$         50,000

TOTAL:  $790,000

“Our member companies continue to step up and support efforts to protect the places where their customers recreate,” said John Sterling, Executive Director of The Conservation Alliance. “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,” said Sterling. “We plan to disburse $1.65 Million in 2016 thanks to the support of our members.”

For a complete overview of each grant, visit conservationalliance.com or download the Winter 2016 Grant Announcement: 

Website: http://www.conservationalliance.com

PDF: http://www.conservationalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/FINAL_W16-Grant-Announcement_SMALL.pdf

About The Conservation Alliance: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. Alliance funding has helped save more than 45 million acres of wildlands; protect 2,972 miles of rivers; stop or remove 28 dams; designate five marine reserves; and purchase 11 climbing areas.

For complete information on the Conservation Alliance, see www.conservationalliance.com.

Contact:                 John Sterling                                                          Julie Evans541-389-2424                                                         970-259-3555 john@conservationalliance.com                          julie@verdepr.com