KEEN, Inc. Continues Partnership with Conservation Alliance

Bend, Ore. – KEEN, Inc. renewed a partnership with The Conservation Alliance that has played a key role in the growth and evolution of the Alliance over the past four years. Through its Hybrid.Care program, KEEN will cover a significant percentage of the organization’s operating expenses, and further the Alliance’s mission to protect North America’s threatened wild places for their habitat and recreational values.

First launched in 2005, the KEEN partnership with The Conservation Alliance has helped the organization add 110 new members, matching the first year of each new member’s dues dollar-for-dollar. To date, KEEN has matched $421,000 in dues, all of which has gone into the Alliance’s budget to fund conservation organizations. The partnership also provided resources for the Alliance to hire its first staff in 2005, and add a second position in 2007.

“I cannot overstate the importance of the role KEEN has played in helping the Alliance grow and evolve into a much more effective organization,” said John Sterling, Conservation Alliance Executive Director. “Ours has been a model partnership driven by a shared commitment to wildland protection.”

KEEN’s support in 2009 will provide stability during a challenging economic downturn, and help the Alliance maintain its 20-year commitment to funding the most effective conservation organizations in North America.

“Despite the slumping economy, the political landscape for conservation has rarely been this bright,” added Sterling. “Now is the time to invest in conservation, and KEEN has recognized that opportunity.”

This year, the Alliance will also roll-out a series of “Backyard Collective” events that will provide opportunities for industry employees to get their hands dirty volunteering for a Conservation Alliance grantee in their local area.

“We’re moving ahead with strong momentum, and look forward to keeping the outdoor industry actively involved in conservation initiatives,” said Sterling.

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 $7 million to grassroots environmental groups. Alliance funding has helped save over 39 million acres of wildlands; 27 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.

Contact:
John Sterling
541-389-2424
john@conservationalliance.com

Kristin Carpenter-Ogden
970-259-3555
kco@verdepr.com