Conservation Alliance Grantees Start 2017 with Three Big Victories

January 26, 2017

Organizations protect 155,251 acres and 107 river miles in California and Oregon

Bend, Ore., January 26, 2017 – At the start of the new year, Conservation Alliance grantees delivered three major victories that protected 155,251 acres of land and 107 river miles in California and Oregon. With these successes, Conservation Alliance funding has helped save more than 50 million acres of land and 3,000 river miles since 1989. These new victories come on the heels of the designation of Bears Ears and Gold Butte National Monuments, designated by President Obama in the final days of 2016. Those new monuments protect more than 1.6 million acres in Utah and Nevada.

The new 2017 victories are:

California Coastal National Monument Expansion

On January 12, President Obama expanded the California Coastal National Monument to include six new areas totaling 6,230 acres of coastal land: Trinidad Head; Waluplh-Lighthouse Ranch; Lost Coast Headlands; Cotoni-Coast Dairies; Piedras Blancas; and Orange County Rocks. The original monument, designated by President Bill Clinton in 2000, preserved more than 20,000 offshore islands and rocks. The expanded monument provides on-shore public access while protecting important coastal resources for current and future generations to enjoy. The Conservation Alliance made two grants to Conservation Lands Foundation to secure this expansion.

Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument Expansion

Also on January 12, President Obama added 48,000 acres to the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. 42,000 acres of the monument expansion are in Southwest Oregon, and 5,000 are in California. The original 66,000-acre national monument declared in 2000 by President Bill Clinton was explicitly designated to protect the area for its biological diversity. The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument expansion continues this mandate, protecting habitat for many species at the intersection of the Cascade and Siskiyou mountain ranges. Soda Mountain Wilderness Council used several grants to earn these new protections.

Kalmiopsis Rivers Mining Prohibitions

The Bureau of Land Management executed a 20-year mineral withdrawal for 101,021 acres in Southwest Oregon, protecting the area from any new mining activity. The area includes Rough and Ready Creek, Baldface Creek, Hunter Creek, the North Fork Pistol River and the North Fork of the Smith River. As a result, 107 river miles are now protected from the adverse impacts of new mines for 20 years while Congress considers legislation to make this action permanent. We awarded three grants to Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center for their effort to secure this mineral withdrawal.

“We are proud to be a part of these impressive, grassroots conservation victories,” said Conservation Alliance Executive Director John Sterling. “Our members have proven, once again, their ability to identify and fund effective organizations that get the job done.”

The Conservation Alliance plans to contribute $1.7 million in grants in 2017, up from $1.61 million in 2016.

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 1989, The Conservation Alliance has contributed more than $17 million in grants that have helped protect 50 million acres, 2,991 river miles, remove or halt 29 dams, acquire 12 climbing areas & designate five marine reserves. 

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

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