Conservation Alliance Member Businesses Volunteer in Portland

Portland, Ore. (August 14, 2012) — On Wednesday, August 15, The Conservation Alliance and member companies Columbia Sportswear, KEEN,REI,Icebreaker, Under Solen Media, The North Face and Merrell will partner with Forest Park Conservancy, Portland Parks, Friends of Tryon Creek, SOLV, and the Johnson Creek Watershed Council for a day of volunteer action.

“Our members in Portland always come out in big numbers for the Backyard Collective,” said John Sterling, Executive Director of The Conservation Alliance. “We’re looking forward to a fun and productive day with more than 350 volunteers.”

The Portland Backyard Collective takes place Wednesday, August 15, 2012 from 8:45 a.m. – 2 p.m. at five locations in the Portland area. With more than 300 volunteers from Columbia alone, the Portland event is on track to be the largest Backyard Collective ever. The event also features a volunteer fair at which Conservation Alliance grantees and local environmental organizations share information on their current conservation initiatives and share ways for individuals to get involved. Confirmed participants include The Wild Salmon Center, Our Ocean, Oregon Wild, Save Our Wild Salmon, and event partners, SOLV and Forest Park Conservancy.

“The Forest Park Conservancy is proud to partner with the Conservation Alliance in bringing the Backyard Collective to Portland,” said Renee Meyers, Executive Director of Forest Park Conservancy. “Without the support of the outdoor industry in Portland, we simply could not fulfill our mission!”

Portland will be the fourth Backyard Collective event in the 2012 season. Upcoming locations include Boulder, Colo. (August 24), Vancouver, B.C. (August 29) Bend, Ore. (September 13), and Peterborough, N.H. (September 18). This is the fourth year of Backyard Collectives for the Conservation Alliance and their members, grantees and partners.

For more information about this event please contact coordinator, Cassondra Schindler at cassondra@conservationalliance.com or 541.222.9380

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 $10.4 million to grassroots conservation groups. Alliance funding has helped save more than 29 million acres of wildlands; protect 2,700 miles of rivers; stop or remove 25 dams; designate five marine reserves; and purchase nine climbing areas.

For complete information on the Conservation Alliance, seewww.conservationalliance.com.

About Forest Park Conservancy

The mission of the Forest Park Conservancy is to protect and foster the ecological health of Forest Park, located in Portland Oregon. The Conservancy maintains and enhances the park’s extensive trail network, and inspires community appreciation and future stewardship of the splendor of this iconic urban wilderness as a gift for generations. The Forest Park Conservancy works collaboratively with Portland Parks & Recreation’s City Nature Division, which manages this city-owned Park on a limited budget. They focus on trail maintenance and improvement, habitat restoration, environmental education, signage improvements, and public outreach.