Castleton Tower, Utah. Photo: Ben Moon
History of Effective Grantmaking
Since our founding in 1989, The Conservation Alliance has built a track record of identifying and funding the most effective conservation projects in North America. Our rigorous grant review process ensures that we support organizations that can succeed given the necessary resources. Our grants have helped organizations protect more than 35 million acres of land, stop or remove 26 dams, and preserve access to thousands of miles of rivers and several climbing areas. Following is a list of the success stories that make us proud of our work.
Cedar Mountains Wilderness
Grantee: Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
Year: 2006
With Conservation Alliance support, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance built widespread public support for Wilderness designation on 100,000 acres in the Cedar Mountains of Utah’s West Desert. This special area is now protected from oil and gas development and mining, and is permanently preserved for nonmotorized recreation.
Great Bear Rainforest
Grantee: Raincoast Conservation Society
Year: 2006
In February 2006, the government of British Columbia announced the creation of a 4.4-million-acre Great Bear Rainforest Provinical Park that protects key old-growth forests on mid-coast British Columbia. We made two grants to the Raincoast Conservation Society to support the group’s work to protect this spectacular landscape, which is home to grizzly, Kermode, and black bears, wolves, and important salmon runs. The new park is an important step in the ongoing effort to save the Great Bear Rainforest, though it leaves several key areas unprotected. Raincoast will continue its efforts to gain comprehensive protection for this singular landscape
Chipeta Dam Removal
Grantee: North Fork River Improvement Association
Year: 2006
The Conservation Alliance made a timely grant to the Colorado-based North Fork River Improvement Association to support the group’s effort to remove the Chipeta Dam on the North Fork Gunnison River. Long an obstacle to paddlers and migrating fish, the Chipeta Dam was removed over the course of two weeks in February, 2006. NFRIA is now using Conservation Alliance funds to restore streamside vegetation to improve habitat for birds and aquatic species.
California North Coast Wilderness
Grantee: California Wild Heritage Campaign
Year: 2006
The California Wild Heritage Campaign used two Conservation Alliance grants to help secure Wilderness protection for 275,000 acres of federal land on California’s North Coast. This effort protects the Lost Coast, the longest undeveloped stretch of coastline in the Lower 48. The campaign also won Wild and Scenic River status for 21 miles of the Black Butte River.
New England Wilderness
Grantees: Appalachian Mountain Club and ForestWatch
Year: 2006
In November 2006, Congress designated 76,000 acres of federal land in New England as Wilderness. Supporting the New England effort, The Conservation Alliance made grants to the Appalachian Mountain Club (NH) and Forest Watch (VT). Our grant to AMC helped the group identify lands in New Hampshire worthy of Wilderness designation, and secure recommendations from the Forest Service that those lands be protected. ForestWatch used our support to build support in Vermont for the Green Mountain protections.
Nevada Wilderness: White Pine County
Grantee: Nevada Wilderness Project
Year: 2006
The Nevada Wilderness Project used Conservation Alliance support to help secure Wilderness protection for 558,000 acres of federal land in White Pine County, Nevada. The White Pine effort adds Wilderness areas to the rugged eastern Nevada county, including an expansion of Wilderness lands in Great Basin National Park. Since 2000, NWP has led the effort to protect more than 2.5 million acres in Nevada.
Rocky Mountain Front
Grantee: Montana Wilderness Association
Year: 2006
With Support from The Conservation Alliance, Montana Wilderness Association built public support for legislation to permanently prohibit oil and gas development on the Rocky Mountain Front. The region is important habitat for grizzly bear, elk and bighorn sheep and offers world class hunting, fishing and camping opportunities. In December 2006, Congress passed legislation to close at least 350,000 acres of the Front to oil and gas drilling.
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Grantees: Alaska Wilderness League and Alaska Coalition
Year: 2005
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is threatened by members of Congress who would like to open this special wild area to oil development. In 2005, it appeared likely that Congress would approve oil drilling in the Refuge. We made two grants to Alaska Wilderness League and the Alaska Coalition to support their work to demonstrate grassroots opposition to drilling in the Arctic Refuge. With our support, and that of many other funders and individuals, these organizations led the effort to halt the drilling proposal.
Oregon Badlands
Grantee: Oregon Natural Desert Association
Year: 2005
Conservation Alliance funding helped the Oregon Natural Desert Association (ONDA) secure protection for the Badlands Wilderness Study Area east of Bend, Oregon. ONDA used our support to participate in a BLM management planning process that resulted in a new plan for the Badlands that prohibits motorized vehicles from the 30,000-acre wildland. The plan also allows BLM to permanently retire permits to graze livestock in the Badlands. While working to influence the new management plan, ONDA negotiated a deal with a local rancher to purchase his Badlands grazing permit and pass it back to BLM to retire.
Nevada Wilderness: Lincoln County
Grantee: Nevada Wilderness Project
Year: 2004
The Nevada Wilderness Project used Conservation Alliance support to help secure Wilderness protection for 760,000 acres of federal land in Lincoln County, Nevada.
Bear River, Utah
Grantee: Utah Rivers Council
Year: 2003
Utah Rivers Council used two Conservation Alliance grants to support its campaign to protect the Bear River from three proposed dams. The Bear is an important tributary to the Great Salt Lake, and the dams would have significantly de-watered the lake and diminished its bird habitat. By engaging grassroots support, URC successfully led the effort to halt the proposed dams.
Penobscot River, Maine
Grantee: Atlantic Salmon Federation
Year: 2003
With Conservation Alliance support, the Atlantic Salmon Federation secured a deal t purchase and remove three dams on the Penobscot River in Maine.
Nevada Wilderness: Clark County
Grantee: Nevada Wilderness Project
Year: 2002
The Nevada Wilderness Project used Conservation Alliance support to help secure Wilderness protection for 400,000 acres of federal land in Clark County, Nevada. The lands surround the growing urban area of Las Vegas, and provide a much-needed open space and recreational area for the region.
Big Sur Wilderness
Grantee: Ventana Wilderness Alliance
Year: 2002
The Ventana Wilderness Alliance used Conservation Alliance support to secure Wilderness designations for 50,000 acres of public land on California’s spectacular Central Coast.
Castleton Tower
Grantee: Utah Open Lands
Year: 2002
The Conservation Alliance supported Utah Open Lands in their successful effort to protect the lands surrounding Castleton Tower in Southern Utah. This effort preserved access to one of North America’s classic climbing monuments.
Steens Mountain
Grantee: Oregon Natural Desert Association
Year: 2000
Oregon Natural Desert Assocation used Conservation Alliance funding in its successful effort to protect 175,000 acres of Wilderness on Eastern Oregon’s Steens Mountain. The effort also protected 29 miles of rivers as Wild and Scenic.
South Yuba River
Grantee: South Yuba River Citizens League
Year: 1999
Three grants to the South Yuba River Citizens League helped the group lead the effort to secure permanent protection for 39 miles of the South Yuba in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California. The effort halted seven proposed dams on the river.
Dugout Ranch, Utah
Grantee: The Nature Conservancy of Utah
Year: 1997
We made a grant to The Nature Conservancy of Utah to purchase theDugout Ranch, a key parcel of land adjacent to Canyonlands National park and home to the some of the best rockclimbing in Indian Creek.
Yellowstone River Watershed
Grantee: Greater Yellowstone Coalition
Year: 1996
We supported Greater Yellowstone Coalition’s successful campaign to halt a proposed gold mine whose tailing would have polluted the Yellowstone River watershed in Yellowstone National Park.
Clavey River, California
Grantee: Tuolumne River Trust
Year: 1994
With Conservation Alliance support, the Tuolumne River Trust stopped a proposed dam on the Clavey River in California’s Sierra Nevada. The campaign preserved one of the state’s premier paddling runs.
Tatshenshini River Watershed
Grantee: BC Spaces for Nature
Year: 1993
BC Spaces for Nature used Conservation Alliance support to protect 2.4 million acres of wilderness surrounding the Tatshenshini River in British Columbia.
The Gunks
Grantee: The Access Fund
Year: 1992
The Access Fund used our support to purchase a key parcel of land in the Shawangunks, a premier rockclimbing area in upstate New York. The purchase prevented commercial development on and preserved access to this climbing destination.
North Fork Payette River
Grantee: Friends of the Payette (now Idaho Rivers United)
Year: 1991
Our support of Friends of the Payette helped the group halt a proposed dam on the North Fork Payette, a classic whitewater run.