California’s Elkhorn Ridge declared Wilderness

On Thursday, January 13th, the US Bureau of Land Management announced the designation of more than 11,000 acres of wilderness in Northern California.  The Elkhorn Ridge Wilderness Area was classified as potential wilderness in 2006 under the Northern California Costal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act; a victory protecting 275,000 acres of Wilderness and celebrated by Conservation…

EPA vetoes Spruce Mine permit!

West Virginia is celebrating!  The largest single mountaintop removal mining permit in the US, Spruce No.1 Mine, was vetoed by the US Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday, January 13th.  Conservation Alliance grantee, Appalachian Voices, has been instrumental in protecting the 2,300 acres and six miles of headwater streams surrounding the proposed Spruce No.1 Mine. EPA…

Recreational Equipment Inc. Receives The Sharp End Award

Each year The Access Fund presentsThe Sharp End Award to individuals and businesses going above and beyond to preserve climbing access and the climbing environment. REI, a Conservation Alliance founding member and long time steward of our wild places, received The Sharp End award this year because of a long-term dedicate to protecting the places we…

Wilderness on tap for the 112th Congress!

  The first day of the 112th Congress is now history; and written into that history is great news for Wilderness.  During the first day of this new Congressional term, two important California Wilderness bills were introduced. Representative David Dreier (Republican of Rancho Cucamonga) introduced the "Angeles and San Bernardino National Forests Protection Act" which,…

The Economic Benefits of Wilderness, Like Wilderness Itself, Can Last Forever.

Two days before Christmas, at Conservation Alliance member Recreation Equipment, Inc's flagship store in Denver, CO, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced an important policy change; the Bureau of Land Management is now directed to identify and maintain an updated inventory of lands with wilderness characteristics.    This announcement is not only important because it allows…