Conservation Alliance Funds Grant for Protection of 4.4 Million Acres
Conservation Alliance funding helps to protect 4.4 million acres in coastal British Columbia through its grant to Raincoast Conservation Society, which will help protect key areas in the Great Bear Rainforest.
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February 10, 2006
Contact:
John Sterling
541-388-4845
john@conservationalliance.com
Kristin Carpenter
970-259-3555
kristin@kristincarpenter.com
Bend, OR. (February 10, 2006) – The Conservation Alliance’s support for the Raincoast Conservation Society (www.raincoast.org) has helped secure permanent protection for 4.4 million acres of the spectacular Great Bear Rainforest on mid-coast British Columbia.
BC Premier Gordon Campbell announced on February 7, 2006 that collaboration between conservationists, First Nations, timber corporations, and the BC government resulted in an agreement to protect key habitat in the Great Bear Rainforest. The coastal lands are home to the rare white Kermode bear, as well as grizzlies, wolves and some of Canada’s healthiest salmon runs.
The Conservation Alliance made two grants to Raincoast Conservation Society totaling $65,000 to support the group’s efforts to protect the Great Bear Rainforest.
“After so many years of fighting to protect the Great Bear Rainforest, we’re pleased to see this development,†said John Sterling, Conservation Alliance Executive Director. “Conservation Alliance member companies can feel proud that our funding made a difference for this very special place.â€
Though news of the protection agreement is exciting, much work remains to ensure sustainable fish and wildlife populations in the Great Bear Rainforest.
“After 15 years of working to protect the Great Bear Rainforest, we are encouraged by the establishment of these protected areas,†said Chris Genovali, Executive Director of Raincoast Conservation Society. But Genovali noted that gaps in the protection of habitat for large carnivores and wild salmon remain and must be addressed by the establishment of additional protected areas if these species are to persist into the future.
To learn more about the Great Bear Rainforest and the Raincoast Conservation Society, please visit http://www.raincoast.org/proj-rainforest/index.shtml.
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 $4.7 million to grassroots environmental groups. Alliance funding has helped save over 34 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.
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