More than 350 people braved a frosty Vancouver night November 23 to attend an inspiring Flathead River Valley event at Science World. The evening featured National Geographic writer and adventurer Doug Chadwick, botanist Dr. Richard Hebda, photographer Andy Wright, Sierra Club BC's Sarah Cox and other guests.   Speakers conveyed the global ecological importance of the Flathead and the urgent need to protect it permanently: as a National Park in the south eastern one-third of the Flathead Valley and a Wildlife Management Area in the rest of the valley and adjoining habitat.  "You've done an amazing job on our behalf," wrote one attendee in an email to Sierra Club BC following the event. "Keep up your efforts and leadership.  I know that more of us will join the action as a result of evenings such as this one. I will be spreading the word to family, friends, colleagues etc.  And I have sent... Read More

 

The Conservation Alliance invites you to join in our efforts to protect North America's last wild places. We all believe in conservation, but don't always know which organizations are doing the most effective work. By supporting The Conservation Alliance, you will invest in an array of the most compelling conservation projects in North America. Our rigorous screening process ensures that our funds go to organizations with the ability to succeed.
 
Love the outdoors? Debating on a good place to put your money this holiday season? Consider making an individual donation to the Alliance. 100% of your donation to the Alliance will go directly into our grant fund to support organizations working to protect special wild lands and waterways throughout North America.  
 
Donate here to protect our wild places!

The work at Conservation Alliance wouldn't be possible without all of our outdoor industry brand members. But a lot of them aren't only involved with Conservation Alliance; many of our member brands are committed to a diverse variety of environmental causes. Every Thursday we'll be featuring a cross-post from one of our member companies to highlight the causes that they're active in. Today we're celebrating member company Timberland for the Earthkeepers Virtual Forest, a Facebook application that invites users to plant virtual trees to make a real difference.

***

Are you excited about planting trees? We certainly are. So much so that in addition to the real trees we're planting around the world, we've launched a new Timberland Earthkeepers Virtual Forest application on Facebook.  By creating their own individual virtual forests and inviting friends to plant trees in them, members of the Facebook  community are helping to get real trees planted in Haiti. So far, as a result of the Facebook community's adoption of the application, which was launched in October, 1,762 real trees will be planted in Haiti

If you haven't checked it out already, go ahead and do so. By either planting trees in already existing virtual forests or by creating your own forest, you can help Timberland plant an additional 1 million real trees in Haiti.  It's that simple. The more virtual trees and virtual forests, the more real trees we'll plant in Haiti (up to 1 million) - above and beyond the ones we're already planting there. Create a forest and invite your friends to do the same and then plant trees in each other's forests too. Nature will thank you. Haiti will thank you and Timberland will thank you by planting more trees. And while you're there, check out the videos that chronicle our projects in Haiti and share them with your friends. Then, share your ideas with other virtual tree planters from all around the world on the CONVERSATION tab.

We're also working on some updates to the Virtual Forest, so stay tuned for those changes at the beginning of December.

Photo by Zach Stern

 

In 2010, the Conservation Alliance awarded American Whitewater a grant to protect two dozen Wild and Scenic rivers representing more than 450 river miles, new wilderness areas that protect key watersheds, and additions to Olympic National Park that enhance watershed protection. Last month, the Washington State Department of Ecology took the final step toward the removal of Condit Dam by issuing the necessary water quality permit. AW has been working to remove this dam for nearly a decade.

 Via Andy Maser on Dagger.com:

Last month, the Washington Department of Ecology issued the water quality permit needed to remove Condit Dam on the White Salmon River. The permit is a major milestone and is the final step before issuance of a dam removal order by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which is expected later this year. Once removed, the dam will restore several miles of whitewater and allow the White Salmon’s namesake fish to recover from the brink of extinction.

The Wild & Scenic White Salmon River is one of the Pacific Northwest’s gems—very few other rivers in the country boast 365 days of vertical class V, commercial class III and IV rafting, class I floating, and ideal salmon spawning habitat. Condit dam allows no fish passage, so migrating salmon and steelhead have been cut off from this habitat since the dam was constructed.

American Whitewater has been working with local conservation groups for nearly a decade to make this a reality. AW’s Tom O’Keefe had this to say: “We believe that removal of Condit Dam will have a positive benefit on fishery resources, recreational opportunities, and cultural resources of the White Salmon River and we are thrilled with today's issuance by the State Department of Ecology that was essential to moving this process forward.”

The dam removal itself, which could happen as early as next October, will be as dramatic as they come--a crew will divert the water around the dam site, drill a hole in the bottom of the dam, pack it full of explosives, and blow it up...

 

 More information at AmericanWhitewater.org.

 Photo by Darrell Wyatt

There's not much time left this year to Save the Wild Rogue River. With new faces coming to Congress in January, who knows if public lands protection will be on the agenda.Take action today to protect 58,000 acres of wild forest along southern Oregon's famed Rogue River.We've made it super easy to call and take action. Just follow this link, enter your information, click, and we'll call your phone to patch you through to Senator Ron Wyden's office.Let Senator Wyden know it is important for the Wild Rogue Wilderness to be protected before the year is out!... Read More

The Roving Joshua Tree Returns! And this time it’s in YOUR Living Room (or office, or Facebook page) In the wake of a successful Roving Joshua Tree photo postcard collecting campaign, we’re bringing back the Rovin’ Jtree VIRTUALLY. If you’ll recall, last spring, the CWC’s field staff and volunteers took a 7’ tall Joshua Tree photo to a plethora of events in Southern California to talk with local folks about the importance of conserving our beautiful desert lands and to urge people to get their photo taken with the tree to support desert conservation. From April through September the Joshua Tree went a-roving and hundreds of Southern Californians participated in this unique project. The result? Stacks of photos of people with Joshua Trees were delivered to key decision makers in Congress during the CWC’s lobby trip this fall. Well, the postcards were a hit! Even some members of congress who... Read More

 

The work at Conservation Alliance wouldn't be possible without all of our outdoor industry brand members. But a lot of them aren't only involved with Conservation Alliance; many of our member brands are committed to a diverse variety of environmental causes. Every Thursday we'll be featuring a cross-post from one of our member companies to highlight the causes that they're active in. Today we're celebrating member company Polartec for the Made Possible College Challenge. The winning collegiate outdoor program will receive $10,000 and awesome Polartec gear!

***

via the Polartec blog:

At Polartec, we understand the incredible experiences that are possible in the outdoors and many of us consider our own personal involvement with collegiate outdoor clubs to be some of the most rewarding experiences of our lives. Because of that, we have decided that this year we are going to award one college outdoor program with $10,000 to help support their efforts.

During the month of October, we asked college outdoor programs across the nation to submit in writing or on video, their ideas for how they would spend the $10,000. Well, we were completely floored by the level of effort and creativity that we saw in the submissions. Narrowing the finalists was incredibly difficult, but we finally named our final four- The University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Middlebury College, Appalachian State University, and the University of Idaho.

We have now put all four schools on our Facebook page in a Final-Four style contest. The school with the most votes as of midnight MST on Nov. 30th will win the grant money and Patagonia R1 Full-Zip Jackets for the entire club. To vote for your favorite, go to our Facebook page and click on the “Made Possible” tab. You can only vote once a day and voting will close on Nov. 30th at midnight.

Good luck to our finalists!

Photo by Frank Kovalchek

 

In 2010, the Conservation Alliance awarded the Grand Canyon Trust a grant to protect one million acres around the Grand Canyon from uranium exploration and mining through legislation or by securing a 20-year mineral withdrawal from the Interior Department. Congratulations to Grand Canyon Trust employee Dr. Mary O'Brien for receiving the Wilburforce Foundation Conservation Leadership Award!

 

From the Grand Canyon Trust: 

The Wilburforce Foundation has honored Grand Canyon Trust employee Dr. Mary O’Brien with its Conservation Leadership Award. A statement issued by the Foundation said: “Dr. O’Brien embodies what we look for in Conservation Leaders: a deep and abiding commitment to protection of functional ecosystems, (even the ones that are more subtle in their beauty like grasslands), adherence to science and democratic processes, and an unwaveringly wonderful sense of humor. She truly takes her work seriously and her self lightly. “

Mary currently works with a coalition of organizations that is proposing alternatives for the forest plans, livestock grazing EISs, and travel/off-road-vehicle plans for the three southern Utah national forests: Dixie, Fishlake, and Manti-La Sal. Her current focus is on changing the sheep and cattle grazing practices, and establishing reference areas on the three forests. Mary has worked as a staff scientist and organizer for the past thirty-five years with toxics and conservation organizations, including Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides, Environmental Research Foundation, Science and Environmental Health Network, and Hells Canyon Preservation Council. O’Brien taught (1992-1994) as Assistant Professor in the graduate University of Montana Environmental Studies Program...

She is particularly interested in working for the retention and restoration of native grasslands and riparian areas, increasing public and rancher consciousness of and affection for grassland and riparian communities, and learning and conveying the ecological differences between those grasslands and riparian areas that are grazed by livestock and those that have not been grazed by livestock for a number of years.

 

photo by James Marvin Phelps 

 

It's that time again! Mark your calendars for the Conservation Aliance breakfast at Winter Outdoor Retailer. This time, we're welcoming writer Craig Childs who has spend much of this year in Patagonia with Rios Libres working to protect the region's wild, free-flowing rivers. You don't want to miss this!

When: 7-9am - Friday, January 21, 2011

Where: The Marriot, Salt Lake City

Please join us in Vancouver on November 23 for an evening of extraordinary speakers, images and action in support of permanent protection for the Flathead River Valley. This Science World event will feature National Geographic writer and adventurer Doug Chadwick, botanist Dr. Richard Hebda, photographer Andy Wright and other guests.   Flathead photographs by members of the International League of Conservation Photographers will be on display, and a free reception will follow. Get event details. B.C.’s Flathead has long been recognized as the missing piece of the adjacent Waterton-Glacier World Heritage Site. The Flathead, in B.C.’s southeast corner, has some of the world’s purest water and is home to 40 per cent of all plant species found in the province. It houses the full suite of animal species found in the area at the time of European contact -- including 16 carnivore species ranging from marten and badger to grizzly... Read More

 

The work at Conservation Alliance wouldn't be possible without all of our outdoor industry brand members. But a lot of them aren't only involved with Conservation Alliance; many of our member brands are committed to a diverse variety of environmental causes. Every Thursday we'll be featuring a cross-post from one of our member companies to highlight the causes that they're active in. Today we're celebrating member company Columbia for their Facebook photo contest Ice Pics, which gives contestants a chance to win cool gear while supporting three awesome causes.

***

Have a great shot of some wintery outdoor fun? Check out Ice Pics, the new photo contest on Columbia Sportswear's Facebook page!
 
Columbia is collecting their fans' "coolest" outdoor pics and giving them a chance to win a $50 gift card - or $100 if they're a Columbia Greater Rewards member! They will award a winner each week between now and January 31st.
 
And here's another cool thing: They're giving $5,000 each month to the following groups in honor of all the cool fans who participate!
 

• November: Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness - Dedicated to preserving the ecosystem of the boundary waters wilderness area in northern Minnesota.
• December: Yampah Mountain High School - Offering a nontraditional curriculum in Glenwood Springs, Colorado that emphasizes environmental responsibility.
• January: Youth Restoration Corps - Recognized as one of the top conservation programs for youth in the country and promotes wilderness stewardship through service projects emphasizing their connection to the outdoors.

So stop by, submit your pics and check out the excellent work these groups are doing!

Photo by Hamed Saber

In 2010, the Conservation Alliance awarded the Alaska Wilderness League a grant to encourage President Obama to designate the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) a National Monument . This winter, the ANWR celebrates its 50th year; what better time to give it the gift of permanent protection?

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge celebrates its 50th birthday this winter, and the Alaska Wilderness League is asking Americans to join the celebration.

The refuge, established in 1960 by the Eisenhower administration, is the pristine habitat of caribou, polar bears, grizzly bears, musk oxen, Dall sheep, wolves and wolverines. The people of the Gwich'in Nation call it the "Sacred Place Where Life Begins."

With every flux in gas prices, the ANWR is threatened by drilling attempts. Conservation advocates are calling for President Obama to give the refuge permanent protection by declaring it as a National Monument.

The Alaska Wilderness League is inviting all Americans to join their stand for protection by building and flying Arctic Kites on December 6, 2010. These kites symbolize the millions of migrating birds that are born in the ANWR's coastal plains.

Another way to protect American Wilderness here.

Photo by USFWS Headquarters.

In 2010, the Conservation Alliance awarded Save Our Wild Salmon a grant to restore wild salmon and steelhead populations in the Columbia and Snake Rivers by removing the lower Snake dams, and implementing a full spill/flow regime through Columbia River dams. Next week, join Save Our Wild Salmon and KEEN Footwear for a special sneak peek of EP Films' The Greatest Migration, a short documentary about the amazing journey of the Snake River's endangered salmon...

Snake River salmon travel more than 900 miles inland and climb almost 7,000 feet to reach their spawning grounds. The Greatest Migration explores this incredible feat, following their journey from the waters of southeast Alaska to the rivers of Idaho's Sawtooth Valley.

"Before we started filming, I had no idea the awesome feats these animals tackle to survive. Making this film was humbling," EP conservation filmmaker Andy Maser said. "I feel so incredibly lucky to be working on this issue. I certainly hope that this opportunity to get up close and personal and document their final journey home will help ensure their return from the Endangered Species List."

Salmon Film Teaser from Epicocity Project on Vimeo.

Join EP Films, Save Our Wild Salmon, and KEEN Footwear to celebrate these amazing fish!

WHAT: The Greatest Migration Sneak Preview - Celebrate Snake River salmon, enjoy FREE beverages and appetizers and gear giveaways from KEEN and more! BYOC - Help reduce waste and remember to bring your own cup! 

WHEN: Wednesday, November 10 from 7 to 9 p.m. 

WHERE: KEEN HQ - 926 NW 13th Avenue, PDX 97209 

WHO: EP Films, a PDX-based production company, Save Our Wild Salmon and Keen Footwear

 More information here.