Three of the original "Old Goats" who had a vision, built trails and made skiing the Bolton backcountry possible. Pictured left to right Olga Vrana, and Clem and Sylvia Holden. Photo: Alexandria Bombach. In the spring of 2012, The Conservation Alliance first funded the Vermont Land Trust's Bolton Valley Conservation Campaign; to permanently protect the…
Photo: Greg Freyberg Last week, The Conservation Alliance made a trip to our Nation's Capitol; with a delegation made up of member company representatives from around the country, including Conservation Alliance Ambassador, Greg Freyberg, from Ruff Wear. Greg was asked to join us on this trip because of his outstanding commitment and involvement to The…
A note from John Sterling, Executive Director. Photo: William Thompson At a meeting earlier this year, The Conservation Alliance board and staff learned from a pollster that roughly 75 percent of voters in the Intermountain West support stronger protections for public lands and open space. In the wake of the 2012 elections, it is tempting…
Our Boulder volunteers truly rocked at this year’s event! With over 100 participants from member businesses Osprey, SmartWool, Nite Ize, La Sportiva, IMBA, Outdoor Industry Association, Backpacker’s Pantry, American Recreation Company and our friends at Sea to Summit, we put McLeods, Pulaskis, and Bucket Brigades to work on the completion of a reroute project initiated…
The Bay Area Backyard Collective brought together more than 60 volunteers for a day of invasive plant removal with the guidance of our partners at Marin County Parks. Volunteers from Marmot, CamelBak, Clif Bar, REI and and The North Face hiked a steep incline to reach four areas for Himalayan Blackberry, Barbed Goat Grass and Pioneer Fennel removal in the Terra Linda Sleepy Hollow Preserve….
Seattle's Pike Place Market Last week I had to opportunity to venture north, to Seattle, and visit a number of our member companies. Seattle is a big city, full of sights, sounds, and a hustle-and-bustle we don't have in Bend, Oregon. As I negotiated my way through a maze of freeways, only one thought…
Ever dreamed of being a polar bear? Join Alaska Wilderness League and the feisty nonprofit will fulfill your wish with one of its eight "Ice-P" costumes. You'll be covered in white fur from the top of your head to the bottom of your shoes. These costumes regularly travel the country as "Ice-P" to appear at…
Photo: Brian Hotz Conservation Alliance grantee, Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, reports they have executed a conservation easement deed on the 55-acre Royce Property, located on the flanks of Mt. Monadnock, North America's most popular hiking destination. Mt. Monadnock is in the backyard of Conservation Alliance Pinnacle Member Eastern Mountain Sports and…
Republican Representative Elton Gallegly, who serves California's 24th Congressional District, introduced legislation on Wednesday that would protect many important wild places in the Los Padres National Forest in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. This is first step toward securing Wilderness and Wild & Scenic designations for these areas, an effort led by Conservation Alliance Grantees…
More than 100 volunteers from Eastern Mountain Sports, Briggs & Riley Travelware, EarthTec, NEMO Equipment, Jetboil, and Polartec came out to support the East Coast Backyard Collective. This great group of volunteers partnered with several local environmental organizations and spread out through the Monadnock region of New Hampshire to work on a variety of…
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…
It's always important for Conservation Alliance to maintain the connections between our member companies and grantees, and what's one of the best ways to do that? Bringing them all together for a day of volunteering where they can "get their hands dirty" for conservation! Which is why last week, we brought Colorado-area member companies…
This week, the Conservation Alliance granted $400,000 to 15 organizations. With the strong support of our member companies, we are looking forward to a year of more conservation victories! Protecting mountains in Appalachia from mountaintop removal, to saving a climbing wall in Washington for future generations, and working to remove four dams on the Lower…
In one afternoon, more than 100 volunteers at last Friday's Backyard Collective in Ventura removed nearly 4 tons of trash from Ventura River and beach — resulting in a dumpster full of waste that would have otherwise polluted the waters of hte Ventura River and the Pacific Ocean. From Santa Barbara's KEYT Television: You may…
Key lawmakers say that they are likely to pass another sweeping package of wilderness, parks and other natural resources bills by the end of this year. This action would follow the passing of the unprecedented Ominibus Public Land Management Act last year that protected 3 million acres of land, and 1,000 miles of rivers…
MAKE SURE TO HONK AND WAVE IF YOU SEE THIS VAN DRIVING IN THE SAN DIEGO REGION! Outdoor Outreach (www.outdooroutreach.org) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower at-risk and underprivileged youth to make positive, lasting changes in their lives through comprehensive outdoor programming. Through the encouragement of Conservation Next, our entire…
The House of Representatives voted today to pass the Omnibus Public Land Management Act. The final vote in the House was 285-140. The bill passed the Senate 77-21 last week. The lands package now goes to President Obama for his signature, possibly as early as next Monday. The President is expected to sign the bill….
Teague Hatfield, owner of Alliance member FootZone of Bend was recognized by the Campaign for America's Wilderness for his commitment to Wilderness protection for The Badlands, a 30,000-acre desert wildland outside of his home in Bend, Oregon. Congratulations to Teague for this much-deserved recognition. Check out the article here. On an unrelated note, Teague's shop…
President-elect Barack Obama nominated Colorado Senator Ken Salazar to serve as his Interior Secretary. This appointment will have the greatest impact on the land and water conservation efforts over the next four years. The only other position that rivals the Interior Secretary's importance to conservation is Forest Service Chief. The Interior Secretary oversees the National…
I have to say transitioning from the walls of the Grand Canyon to the walls of the capital is no easy task. In fact my head was spinning a bit as I left a 15 day Grand Canyon trip, made the quick 12 hour drive back to California and hopped on a plane heading…
