ConservationNEXT’s Backyard Collective Hosts Event in Seattle

Bend, Ore. (June 8, 2010) — ConservationNEXT, a program of The Conservation Alliance, will organize its next Backyard Collective Friday, June 11 at the Mt. Baker Park in Seattle, Wash. After three successful events in California this year, ConservationNEXT is excited to head to the Northwest to bring the area’s outdoor industry employees, eager volunteers and Conservation Alliance grantees together for a hands-on stewardship event.

The Cascade Land Conservancy, Green Seattle Project and ConservationNEXT have put together a full morning of volunteer work. They will come together at a popular outdoor recreational spot to help maintain and restore one of Seattle’s oldest and favorite city parks, Mt. Baker Park.

Patagonia, Stanley, Outdoor Research, Nikwax, Brooks, Filson, Teva, and Cascade Designs are all proud sponsors of the event this year. Volunteer check in will begin at 8:30 a.m., while the volunteer work session will run from 9:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. Lunch will be provided at 1:00 p.m., followed by a Conservation Alliance grantee table open for questions and discussion. There will also be an after-work party gathering at Mioposto Café, adjacent to the park, starting at 2:00 p.m.

“Huge thanks to ConservationNEXT for arranging these local, community clean-up events,” said Chas Fisher, president of Nikwax N.A. “We’re proud to be a supporter of The Conservation Alliance for the important environmental protection work the organization accomplishes on a national level. Plus, the regionally relevant work of ConservationNEXT is where we can tangibly make a difference with our own hands – something that is important to the Nikwax organization and the people who work here. Several of us from the Nikwax N.A. offices will be at Mt. Baker Park to participate in the clean up. The Conservation Alliance and ConservationNEXT are positive catalysts for truly thinking globally and acting locally.”

The Conservation Alliance is a group of outdoor industry companies that fund conservation organizations. The Alliance launched ConservationNEXT in August 2008 to connect individuals in the outdoor industry with the work of organizations that receive financial support from the group. ConservationNEXT.com provides people with opportunities to take online action in support of conservation. The Backyard Collective moves that action to the field, and gives people a venue to get their “hands dirty” for the sake of conservation.
For more information about this event please contact Joanna Nelson, at 206.240.222.

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 $8.3 million to grassroots environmental groups. Alliance funding has helped save over 49.5 million acres of wildlands; 27 dams have either been stopped or removed; and the group helped preserve access to more than 17,000 miles of waterways and several climbing areas.

For complete information on the Conservation Alliance, see www.conservationalliance.com.

About The ConservationNEXT Backyard Collectives

ConservationNEXT, a program of The Conservation Alliance, announced the launch of the Backyard Collective in 2008. The initiatives goal is to connect individuals in the outdoor industry with the work of organizations that receive financial support from the Alliance through the online forum, www.conservationNEXT.com. This initiative provides people with opportunities to take online action in support of conservation. The Backyard Collective moves that action to the field, and gives people a venue to get involved at the grassroots level and help further the conservation efforts within their communities.

In 2009, The Conservation Alliance hosted seven Backyard Collectives with their 22 participating grantees, 34 participating member companies, and more than 400 volunteers. These seven events allowed the volunteers to help clean up their communities’ recreational areas by removing trash, eradicating invasive species, restoring and building trails and re-planting marsh lands. Learn more about these initiatives by visiting www.conservationNEXT.com
and join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Media Contact:
Julie Popp
970.259.3555
juliepopp@verdepr.com