Conservation Alliance Benefit Ad Auction Raises $205,000

Bend, Ore., January 18, 2007 – The Conservation Alliance “Ads for the Earth” benefit auction raised $205,210.40, all of which will go into the group’s fund to support organizations working to protect wild places throughout North America.

The online auction consisted of ad space donated by Backpacker, Climbing, Canoe & Kayak, GearTrends, National Geographic Adventure, Outdoor Business, Outside, and Sierra magazines. Each publication donated one full-page and one 1/3-page ad, and the Alliance auctioned that ad space to member companies. The fundraising goal for the auction was $200,000.

“We are just thrilled that the auction went so well,” said John Sterling, Conservation Alliance Executive Director. “Adding more than $200,000 to our grant fund will allow us to support at least six additional organizations in 2007.”

Based on the results, The Conservation Alliance plans to make the auction an annual event.

“The outsized results that Conservation Alliance grant recipients have achieved over the years inspire everyone in the outdoor community,” said Fran Farrell, Publisher of National Geographic Adventure. “I think the publishers that donated ad space and the bidders who drove the auction felt fortunate to have an organization like the Conservation Alliance to rally around. We owe a lot to the visionary people who started the Alliance.”

Twelve companies participated in the bidding including: American Alpine Institute; Backpacker’s Pantry; Chaco; Fendler Communications; KEEN; Patagonia; Teva; The North Face; and Timberland.

“We’re pleased that both large and small companies participated in the auction,” said Sterling. “We worked hard to ensure that there were ad pages everyone could afford.”
The Conservation Alliance acknowledges the following people and publications for donating ad space:

Fran Farrell, National Geographic Adventure
Scott Parmelee, Outside
Charina Lumley, Backpacker
Jeff Paro, Climbing, Canoe & Kayak
Michael Hodgson, GearTrends
Sam Wender, Outdoor Business
Kristi Rummel, Sierra


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 $5.3 million to grassroots environmental groups. Alliance funding has helped save over 35 million acres of wildlands; 25 dams have either been stopped or removed; and the group helped preserve access to more than 16,000 miles of waterways and several climbing areas. For complete information on the Conservation Alliance, see www.conservationalliance.com.