PORTLAND, OR (August 19, 2014)–The Conservation Alliance will hold its fourth Backyard Collective event of 2014 on Thursday, August 21, in Portland, Oregon. The Conservation Alliance and its Portland area member companies are teaming up with Forest Park Conservancy, Hoyt Arboretum, Human Access Project, Johnson Creek Watershed Council, Portland Parks Foundation, and SOLVE to organize a day of trail work and restoration in multiple sites around the Portland area.
More than 350 volunteers are expected to participate with employee representatives from Conservation Alliance member companies, including: Brandlive, Columbia, Icebreaker, Jam Media Collective, Merrell, Nau, Noto Group, REI, The North Face, and Yakima. Conservation Alliance grantees, including Oregon Wild, WaterWatch, and Wild Salmon Center, will participate in a lunchtime volunteer fair along with other local organizations Friends of the Columbia Gorge, and Friends of Tryon Creek, along with the organizations previously mentioned who are also hosting work sites.
The Portland Backyard Collective will begin on Thursday, August 21 at 8:30 a.m. Following the stewardship activities, volunteers will return to Wallace Park for a catered lunch and the volunteer fair.
“At Columbia, we urge all of our employees to participate in The Conservation Alliance Backyard Collective,” said Susan Popp, Vice President of Global Human Resources. “This fun event provides a great opportunity for team building while demonstrating Columbia’s commitment to conservation and the local community.”
The Conservation Alliance is a group of outdoor industry companies that funds conservation organizations. The Alliance launched the Backyard Collective Program in 2008 to connect individuals in the outdoor industry with the work of organizations that receive financial support from the group. The Backyard Collective moves that action to the field, and gives people a venue to get their “hands dirty” for the sake of conservation.
“The Conservation Alliance looks forward to bringing our Portland-area members together for a day of stewardship and fun,” said John Sterling, Executive Director of The Conservation Alliance. “Our Backyard Collective in Portland is always productive and festive. We look forward to getting our hands dirty with our member employees.”
The Conservation Alliance plans to organize additional Backyard Collectives this year in Bend, and Boulder, Colo. For more information about this event, please contact events coordinator, Brook Hopper at brook@conservationalliance.com, or 805-340-5034.
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 $13 million to grassroots conservation groups throughout North America. The results of our funding have been remarkable. Alliance funding has helped save more than 42 million acres of wildlands; protect 2,825 miles of rivers; stop or remove 26 dams; designate five marine reserves; and purchase nine climbing areas.
For complete information on The Conservation Alliance, see: www.conservationalliance.com.
