Next Friday, March 19, volunteers from local outdoor recreation businesses in Ventura, Calif. will get their hands dirty in an effort to clean-up the Ventura River and Surfers Point Beach. This event will kick off the 2010 Backyard Collective season!
The CEO’s of each of the three participating companies will kick the day off before getting down to work cleaning up the beach and the river. Volunteers will be rewarded for their hard work with an after party including refreshments, music by Todd Hannigan, and food catered by Spencer Makenzie’s Fish Company.
“The Backyard Collectives are a great way to bring outdoor industry companies together to help with an environmental service project in their own backyard. And these types of events can make a huge difference,” said Deanna Lloyd – ConservationNEXT board member and employee at The Forest Group. “This group of volunteers will be making a significant contribution to the overall maintenance and beauty of this area.”
The event will also feature a volunteer fair at which Conservation Alliance grantees and local environmental organizations will share information on their current conservation initiatives.
The Conservation Alliance launched ConservationNEXT in August, 2008 to connect individuals in the outdoor industry with the work of organizations that receive financial support from the Alliance. ConservationNEXT provides people with opportunities to take online action in support of conservation. The Backyard Collective moves that action to the field, and helps people get their hands dirty in their own communities.
In the spirit of Conservation Alliance's Backyard Collectives, comes another great idea for community outreach...The Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival. The annual event each January kicks-off the national tour to over 90 cities nationwide. 80% of these venues are hosted by environmental organizations who receive a grant from Patagonia to help pay for the turn-key, festival kit. The festival was started by fellow Conservation Alliance grantee, The South Yuba River Citizens League. SYRCL is now sharing their success with other grassroots groups in forming a network of host partners connected by a common goal of using film to inspire local activism! Learn more about hosting a tour venue, grant guidelines and how to apply @ http://wseff.org/grant. Take a virtual tour of one festival venue hosted by the Access Fund at Clif Bar headquarters in Berkeley, CA.
Thanks to Susie Sutphin, Tour Manager, for this content.
The Conservation Alliance's Program Associate Krissy Moehl placed first among women, and fifth overall in the Mt. Mitchell 40-miler over the weekend. Unusual snowy weather in North Carolina made the course challenging. Way to go Krissy!
If passed, the bill will protect 22,000 acres of wilderness adjoining the existing Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area, and will add 10 miles of the Pratt River and 30 miles of the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River to the National Wild and Scenic River System.
“Protection of these spectacular rivers has so many benefits for nearby communities,” said Thomas O’Keefe, Pacific Northwest Stewardship Director for American Whitewater. “With the proximity of the Pratt and Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie rivers to the major urban center of Seattle, residents of the region have unparalleled access to an abundance of recreational opportunities provided by these world-class rivers. As someone who has explored hundreds of river miles across the country and around the world, I can confidently say that we have some of the most spectacular river resources of any place in the world.”
Next steps: The bill, which has strong bipartisan support, will be brought before the House and Senate for votes. When the bill passes through there, it will go on to the President to be signed in.
February 26, 2010 by Sierra Club of British Columbia
Great news! The B.C. government recently announced a ban on mining and energy development in the Flathead River Valley, adjoining Glacier National Park. The ban is a vital first step towards permanent protection for the Flathead, and one that we’ve asked for. Now we must build on our momentum. The Flathead is home to rare and threatened species like grizzly bears and tailed frogs, and it has some of the world’s purest water. This ecological jewel deserves full protection. Sierra Club BC will continue to work for a National Park in the south eastern one-third of the Flathead River Valley, to fill in the missing piece of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. The Flathead deserves the same level of protection that Alberta and Montana have given their share of the same Crown of the Continent ecosystem—National Park status. It’s also crucial that we establish a Wildlife Management Area in the rest... Read More
Utah Senator Robert Bennett introduced legislation yesterday that would prevent any President -- now or in the future -- from designating new National Monuments in Utah without the consent of Congress. The move came just days after a leaked Department of Interior memo showed that the agency is eyeing 14 potential new Monuments, including two in Utah. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar explained that the memo was just a draft. Click here for the full story.
Hostility to protected public lands in Utah is nothing new, but this is an unusual step. Since 1906, the American Antiquities Act has given US Presidents the authority to designate National Monuments from any sites "situated upon the lands owned or controlled by the Government of the United States." Even George W. Bush used the Antiquities Act to designate a National Monument. Senator Bennett's legislation does not stand much of a chance of passing in this Congress, but it demonstrates how adamantly opposed Utah's elected officials are to protecting spectacular wild places like the San Rafael Swell and Cedar Mesa.
It's amazing that the state that benefits economically from the outdoor industry's trade show -- held twice yearly in Salt Lake -- works so hard to obstruct protections for its special wild places.
Last week, American Whitewater, a Conservation Alliance grantee, celebrated the removal of Dillsboro Dam on the Tuckaseegee River in North Carolina. For the first time in more than 100 years, this portion of river will run free! Check out the before and after photos below.
Congratulations to American Whitewater and all of the folks who worked so hard on this conservation victory!
Channeling his former movie star persona, Gov. Schwarzenegger addressed the crowd who gathered to watch the historic agreement take place.
From the Salem Statesman Journal: "It was 15 months ago that we were all promising each other we are going to do everything we can to get through our differences and finalize an agreement to tear down those dams — to say 'hasta la vista' to the dams and restore the majesty of the Klamath River," he said... "I can see the salmon fishery screaming, 'I'll be back.' "
In all seriousness, he did say California would do its part to raise the $250 million to carry out its share of the agreement. The expected cost of dam removal and basin restoration is about $1.5 billion. Oregon has already committed about $200 million; the federal government will contribute the other $1 billion.
Thursday's agreement is a critical step, but it's been a long battle, and it's far from over.
From the New York Times: "The dams, which have provided hydroelectric power and water for farm irrigation for decades, have caused severe depletions in salmon populations in the 250-mile river, hurting Indian tribes in the area and helping force shutdowns of some West Coast commercial fishing.
"In 2001, farmers were angered when irrigation was cut off to provide more water for salmon migrating up the river to spawn. The next year, irrigation was restored, only to have tens of thousands of fish die. The roller coaster increased tension but eventually led to talks. The basic outlines of the agreements became final in November 2008 under the Bush administration.
"The agreements would remove the four dams by 2020 if a series of federal studies and Congressional approval and appropriations follow suit; the interior secretary is to make a final decision on removal by March 2012.
Gov. Kulongoski added: "The two agreements we are signing do not completely put to rest this decades-old conflict. Everyone who has been involved with the agreements knows that there is much work still to be done."
The Conservation Alliance has twice funded California Trout for its work on restoring the Klamath River and recovering salmon. Chuck Bonham, CA Director for Trout Unlimited added, “We all recognize that we must work as partners with the agricultural community and private landowners to make fisheries recovery possible. We want the fish welcomed home.”
The Season combines the outdoors, adventure, conservation and how a few incredible people are making their way through the course of a single season in the Pacific Northwest.
In the most recent episode, released today, Jonaven Moore, a pro snowboarder, searches for a way to return to the roots of his sport. His story is inspiring to say the least and he shreds in some of the Northwest's most beautiful mountains, so take a moment and enjoy. Be sure to stay tuned until the very end because the Conservation Alliance gets a major shout-out as this episode wraps up! Thanks to Fitz Cahall, lead man of the The Dirtbag Diaries and one of the masterminds behind the Season, for supporting the Conservation Alliance's work!
And thanks to Conservation Alliance member company Outdoor Research for supporting this great project.
After nearly a decade of negotiations and involvement by American Whitewater, Dillsboro Dam on the Tuckasegee River in North Carolina is finally being removed! February 4, 2010 saw the first steps of a multi-week process to remove the 100+ year old dam from blocking this great river from flowing freely.
American Whitewater, a Conservation Alliance grantee, is looking foward to celebrating the removal of Dillsboro Dam with the paddling community. Taking the dam out will provide a great river access area in Dillsboro and allow paddlers (and fish) to pass through the area for the first time in over a century.
We would like to thank the many paddlers that have supported this river restoration initiative over the past nine years, including a special thanks to the Carolina Canoe Club and Western Carolina Paddlers. Conservation Alliance member company, KEEN, also supported this project.
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going to do everything we can to get through our differences and finalize an agreement to tear down those dams — to say 'hasta la vista' to the dams and restore the majesty of the Klamath River," he said... "I can see the salmon fishery screaming, 'I'll be back.' " 
"The agreements would remove the four dams by 2020 if a series of federal studies and Congressional approval and appropriations follow suit; the interior secretary is to make a final decision on removal by March 2012. 
