The Conservation Alliance Outdoor Retailer Events Reap Big Rewards

Bend, Ore. (August 29, 2011) — The Conservation Alliance, along with its participating member companies, hosted several key events at the recent Outdoor Retailer Summer Market show in Salt Lake City.There was the marquee Conservation Alliance Breakfast, featuring Shelton Johnson, the Keep It Wild parties/grantee hosting, and the in-booth fundraising events.

Additionally, new for ORSM ’11, the Conservation Alliance’s first grant review session was held, directly after the Breakfast.About 25 Conservation Alliance Ambassadors joined executive director, John Sterling, to learn more about the organizations and projects on the Summer 2011 Funding Cycle Ballot.

“There were so many great educational and participation opportunities at this summer’s show, new ways for member companies and employees to show their support for our Conservation efforts,” said Sterling.“We are honored by the large show of support by member companies and attendees, and are thankful for all the incredible momentum this show generated for the Alliance for the remainder of 2011.”

The Conservation Alliance estimates that approximately 600 tradeshow attendees, representatives and retailers attended the Breakfast, marking it at one of the most well attended sessions to date.Shelton Johnson delivered an incredibly compelling presentation and left the attendees with many ideas to ponder as they find new ways to show their support. “Heaven isn’t a place you have to die to get to, you just need a good pair of hiking boots.” -Shelton Johnson

Additionally, for the fifth consecutive show, The Conservation Alliance’s member companies held several fundraising events throughout the show.No less than

24 members hosted events in which they sold their products at steep discounts and donated portions or 100-percent of proceeds to the Conservation Alliance.These donations keep growing year over year and this year is no exception, leading to approximately $50k in donations for the conservation organization.Participating companies include:

·Backpacker’s Pantry, Inc.

·Black Diamond Equipment, Ltd.

·Briggs & Riley Travelware

·Brooks

·CamelBak

·Chaco, Inc.

·Canada Goose

·Columbia Sportswear Co.

·Eagle Creek Travel Gear

·Dansko

·Horny Toad

·Ibex Outdoor Clothing

·Montrail

·Icebreaker

·NEMO Equipment, Inc

·Nikwax

·Outdoor Research

·Osprey Packs

·Ruff Wear, Inc.

·Stanley, a brand of PMI

·STM Bags

·Thorlo, Inc.

·Timex

Another key event for the Conservation Alliance at the show is the Keep It Wild Day.Conservation Alliance members hosted conservation organizations in their tradeshow booths, and the grantees asked participants to take action to protect a specific place. This offers another great way for industry patrons to learn about various grantee initiatives and get involved.

A total of eight grantees and member companies participated in Keep It Wild Day.Member companies and their correlating grantees are:

1.Keen – Winter Wildlands Alliance

2.Horny Toad – Nevada Wilderness Project

3.Canada Goose – Alaska Wilderness League

4.Patagonia – Trout Unlimiteds

5.Ibex – California Wilderness Coalition

6.Black Diamond – Save Our Canyons

7.Osprey Packs – American Whitewater

8.Adventure Travel Trade Association – American Rivers

The Conservation Alliance also hosted a Keep It Wild Party, and would like to thank the following companies for donating to the prize pack: Ibex, KEEN, SCARPA North America, Osprey Packs, Ruff Wear, Camel Bak, Briggs & Riley, Backpacker’s Pantry, Black Diamond, The North Face, Nikwax, and Canada Goose.

The Conservation Alliance is poised to mark some of their biggest donations yet, their largest conservation wins, and their biggest Backyard Collectives this year.Thanks to support from the industry and the many member companies, their efforts are continuing to make big impacts in preserving the wildlands in which we recreate.

To learn more about the Conservation Alliance and their member companies, visit them online at http://www.conservationalliance.com or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

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 $9.5 million to grassroots environmental groups. Alliance funding has helped save over 50.5 million acres of wildlands; 28 dams have either been stopped or removed; and the group helped preserve access to more than 18,500 miles of waterways and several climbing areas.

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

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