Girls Education International could win a $25,000 grant if you vote now

Heidi climbing during HERA Climb4Life, SLC, 2007, photo by John Evans

December 1, 2008—Heidi Wirtz, professional climber and The North Face Athlete, up to win the $25,000 Inspiring Soles Award

The North Face athlete and professional climber Heidi Wirtz, co-founder of the nonprofit Girls Education International (Girls Ed), was notified in October that she was one of five semifinalists for the Inspiring Soles Award. Votes are now being collected to choose the finalist at the Inspiring Soles Website. Wirtz is the only climber in the group of athletes nominated for the award. Previous climbers who have won the award include Timmy O’Neill, who works with the disabled.


Heidi building a roof on a Moroccan House. Photo by Kris Erickson

Created by Crocs Inc. and Outside Magazine, the Inspiring Soles Award celebrates athletes who have dedicated their lives to shattering boundaries and raising awareness for meaningful causes. Wirtz has worked tirelessly for the past two years on fundraising and implementing projects for Girls Ed, and over the years she has regularly volunteered for HERA Climb4Life events, the Khumbu Climbing School and the dZi Foundation.

As a semifinalist, Wirtz received $5,000 to donate to the charity of her choice plus $500 worth of Crocs merchandise.

“It was fantastic to win $5000,” said Wirtz of the award. “It will pay for our Liberia Scholarship Program (LSP) through spring of 2010.” Implemented as Girls Ed’s first major project, the LSP provides $71 per year, per child to 47 girls in the mountainous regions of Liberia so they can pay their school fees.

As a finalist, Wirtz would win an additional $25,000, a Crocs shopping spree, a trip to Santa Monica, a full-page profile in Outside Magazine and a PSA ad for Girls Education International.

“If we win the $25,000, we could also pay for the viability assessment we need to do in a remote village in the Hushe Valley of Pakistan where we want to renovate a girls’ school,” Wirtz added, enthusiastically.

Girls Education International seeks to raise awareness and funds to help educate women and girls in impoverished areas in the mountainous regions of the world. For more information, please visit: www.girlsed.org or write to girlsed@gmail.com.

Heidi in Morocco, photo by Kris Erickson


Heidi in Morocco, photo by Kris Erickson

Climber-Run Nonprofit to Hold Benefit Dance Party at the B Side Lounge in Boulder, CO

Girls Education International, a nonprofit organization founded by The North Face athlete Heidi Wirtz and Rock & Ice senior contributing editor Lizzy Scully, will be hosting a late-night dance party fundraiser at the hippest new club on the Front Range, the b Side Lounge Restaurant in Boulder, Colo., 13th street between Pearl and Spruce, on Thursday, October 9, from 9:30 p.m. to 1:45 a.m.
The fundraiser includes goodie bags for the first 25 people through the door, a wine tasting provided by Redwood Creek Winery, FREE beer and hors d’oeuvres until 10:15 p.m., $5 Grey Goose Cosmos all night, and a tiered raffle for everything from artwork to quality outdoor goods. Live VJs will keep the beat going until 1:45 a.m. Music by: Jayce, Dirt Monkey, 1KONOKL4ST, Super Tuesday, along with a performance by the Kaivalya Hoopers. All proceeds will benefit GEI’s projects in Nepal, Liberia and Pakistan.
Because GEI is staffed entirely by volunteers, it is able to give 90% of its funding directly to the girls and schools it supports. Money goes for school renovation assessments, scholarships, books and uniforms.
Girls Education International seeks to raise awareness and funds to help educate women and girls in impoverished areas throughout the world, and will particularly support an ongoing girls scholarship program in Liberia and a new project in northern Pakistan. For more information, please visit: www.girlsed.org.

Marilyn Price Founded Trips for Kids

Shelah Moody, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, August 17, 2008

Longtime environmentalist and bicycle enthusiast Marilyn Price uses her passions to improve the lives of poor children. In 1986, Price founded Trips for Kids, a Marin County nonprofit that provides job training and outdoor activities for young people.

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"We take about 1,300 to 1,500 kids a year on daylong mountain bike rides, through Marin County, state and national parks," she said.

While she once aspired to become a social worker, she found that organizing mountain bike adventures was the perfect outlet for her to help young people. Price got the idea more than 20 years ago when she was biking on Mount Tamalpais.

"I was looking across the city; I used to volunteer at St. Anthony Dining Room, and I was remembering that area and the kids that used to live there," she said. "I thought it would be nice to bring them on a mountain bike ride to Mount Tam."

Since it incorporated as a nonprofit in 1988, Trips for Kids has benefited 14,520 children from more than 300 Bay Area schools and youth-service agencies. In 1999, it became a national program; it now has 64 chapters in the United States and Canada.

"For seasoned bicyclists, the day trips don't seem difficult, but for the children, it's a new experience, being out on a mountain bike, and going for several hours at a time," Price said. "It's a real challenge. ... They learn that if they just stick with it, they can make it. They get the encouragement of volunteers and the other kids."

In 1994, Price and the Trips for Kids staff opened the Re-Cyclery at 610 Fourth St. in San Rafael, which Price says is the largest bicycle thrift shop in the country.

"We also get donations from bicycle manufacturers around the country," she said. "(Re-Cyclery) helps provide affordable transportation for people and funds more than 50 percent of Trips for Kids."

The Earn a Bike Program, which was set up primarily for children in San Rafael's low-income Canal district, is a major component of Trips for Kids. The program teaches kids how to fix bikes so they can earn points toward bikes of their own.

As executive director of Trips for Kids, Price rode on biking trips for 10 years. Now she works 70 hours a week in the office. Price, 67, who has two adult children and four grandchildren, also spends 45 minutes a day riding her mountain bike to stay in shape. She said her goal is for Trips for Kids to become as prominent as the Boys and Girls Club of America.

"We are very proud to have started this idea in Marin and to have it take hold across the country," Price said. "It's a testimonial to what we're doing and to just how much people love the mountain bike."

For more information, go to www.tripsforkids.org

SmartWool Receives Local Philanthropic Award for Business Practices

Steamboat Springs, CO, July 31st, 2008 — SmartWool, Inc. was recently recognized as “Business Philanthropist of the Year” by the Yampa Valley Community Foundation. The award was accepted at the 11th Annual Celebration of Philanthropy Dinner ceremony honoring local individual, youth and business philanthropists for their vision, contribution and broad impact on the community.

“We are honored to receive this distinction from the Yampa Valley Community Foundation. It’s wonderful to be a part of a community that is home to so many fantastic non-profit organizations that really do make a difference in people’s lives,” states Mark Bryden, SmartWool President. “With so many opportunities, the giving part is easy and it feels good.”

SmartWool is committed to leaving “a smart footprint” on the planet for future generations. An example of this commitment is the company’s policy to provide 40 hours of paid leave per year for each full-time employee to volunteer their time for a nonprofit organization. In 2007, SmartWool employees volunteered 1,000 hours in their community. In addition, once a year the office is closed for a community service clean-up day, which was recently held at Hinman Campground in North Routt.

“We are proud to recognize and honor SmartWool, a company that actually lives the philosophy they promote to effect positive change in the world. They generously contribute funds, products, as well as the valuable time of their employees to help nonprofits and worthy causes in our community and beyond,” states Betsey Jay, Executive Director of the Yampa Valley Community Foundation. “They really ‘walk the talk’, which is pretty cool for a company that makes socks and so much more.”

In addition to product donations, SmartWool also contributes ten percent of every website order to the Advocacy Fund. The advocacy program is comprised of two separate funds and financed by separate revenue sources. The SmartWool Advocacy Program is funded by a percentage of net sales of SmartWool® products sold on www.smartwool.com. Additionally, a percentage of net sales from SmartWool “Pink Ribbon” socks go to the SmartWool Breast Cancer Fund. Since its inception four years ago, the SmartWool Advocacy Program has donated monetary as well as products in-kind to deserving non-profit organizations. A group comprised of SmartWool employees makes the final decisions on which worthy causes receive donations.

A Bicycle Changed My Life

HIGH BRIDGE, New Jersey (CNN) -- "The thought that I can reach out and permanently improve someone's life for the better is addictive," says Dave Schweidenback.

Several times a year, the 55-year-old can be found prepping large shipments of used bicycles bound for a developing country. For Schweidenback, gathering and breaking down these bikes is a labor of love -- one that is helping to keep the bikes out of landfills and give them new life.

"Used bicycles can transform the economic and social condition of families," says Schweidenback. "[They] give people access to jobs, health care and education that is too distant for walking."

Since 1991, Schweidenback's nonprofit Pedals for Progress has collected and shipped more than 115,000 used bicycles to 32 developing countries worldwide, where they are sold at a low cost to local residents like Don Roberto Garcia.

"A used woman's mountain bicycle changed my life," says Garcia, 54, a house cleaning supplies salesman in Nicaragua who works six days a week to support his six children and buy medicine for his wife, who suffers from cancer.

For 20 years, Garcia walked six to seven hours a day, hauling his merchandise in a wheelbarrow along a 6 mile route. This earned him $2-$3 a day.

"More than anything, I would always return home so tired from the walk," Garcia recalls.

Little by little, Garcia saved his money and was able to buy a used bicycle six years ago from a Pedals for Progress partner agency in Jinotepe, Nicaragua.

"Because of a bicycle, I now earn about $4 a day," says Garcia. "I sell more and I do my rounds quicker. I tell everyone to go buy a bicycle."

The seeds for Schweidenback's Pedals for Progress were planted years ago while he was volunteering for the Peace Corps from 1977-80 in Ecuador, near the Amazon Basin.
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"Besides the bus that comes through town and one guy that owned a pickup truck, everybody walked everywhere all the time," he recalls.

"My landlord was the exception because he owned the only bike in a 500-mile radius. He was the most successful man in the region because he could access a job and get wherever he needed to go."

Years later, Schweidenback noticed used bicycles at garage sales and in garbage cans throughout his New Jersey community.

"I remembered how [the need] in developing countries was so great, that I couldn't stop thinking about it," he says.

Knowing the bikes could be put to better use, Schweidenback asked members of his community to donate 12 used bicycles; he planned to send them to Ecuador. The community brought him 140. Within a year, Schweidenback had created Pedals for Progress and shipped roughly 500 bicycles to developing countries.

Today, Schweidenback organizes 140 used bike drives each year and, on average, collects 90 bicycles in three hours. Donors are asked to pay a $10 fee per bike to help cover shipping costs and reduce the cost of the bicycle when it's sold overseas. Each bike is sold for about $15.

"There's a bike that's unloved in every garage in this country. Rather than put these old bikes in landfills for no reason, we can use them as economic stimulus to aid our neighbors," Schweidenback says.

"This is the transfer of wealth between nations because these have great value overseas. And they give people the ability to hold a job or a child the ability to go to school."

Pedals for Progress bicycles have been sent to countries in Central America, Africa, Eastern Europe and the Caribbean. For Schweidenback, knowing he's making an impact keeps him going.

"You can change someone's life with your bike."

Chaco Proudly Sponsors National Geographic Adventure Lecture Series with the Green Living Project™

Paonia, COLO, July 14th, 2008 — Chaco, the maker of the finest quality adventure footwear, is teaming up with the Green Living Project™ this summer to help promote its lecture series taking place at various R.E.I., LL Bean, and Eastern Mountain Sports locations across the U.S. and Canada.

Presented by National Geographic Adventure, the nationwide Green Living Project™ Lecture Series is a must-see, multi-media event for any Africa enthusiast, adventure traveler or sustainability advocate. The lecture will revolve around an expedition led by the Green Living Project™ that documented sustainability projects across Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania in March 2008. Also the series will include valuable tips about responsible adventure travel including the latest new eco-lodges, wildlife conservation, alternative energy, community projects, and volunteer opportunities throughout East Africa.

“Chaco is thrilled to be part of this great opportunity with the Green Living Project,” said Brian Scranton, Director of Marketing at Chaco, “We are passionate advocates of alternative forms of education. Rob and his team are providing an incredible venue for developing nations to learn about ways to jump over the industrial age and go right to a sustainable way to live”.

Chaco will be onsite giving away two pairs of shoes at each event. Below is a listing of the date and locations of the lecture series. All lectures start at 7:00pm.

GLP Lecture Series:
June 16 Rancho Cucamonga, CA REI
June 17 Arcadia, CA REI
June 26 Seattle, WA REI
July 2 Santa Monica, CA REI
July 16 San Diego, CA REI
July 17 Santa Ana, CA REI
July 21 Fort Collins, CO REI
July 22 Denver, CO REI
July 23 Colorado Springs, CO REI
July 24 Boulder, CO REI
July 29 Berkeley, CA REI
July 30 Corte Madera, CA REI
July 31 Saratoga, CA REI
August 12 Portland, OR REI
August 18 Framingham, MA REI
August 19 Newton, MA EMS
August 20 Boston, MA REI
September 17 Sacramento, CA REI
December 6-7 Freeport, ME L.L. Bean


Green Living Project (GLP) is a media production, marketing and entertainment company that showcases sustainable initiatives around the globe. Through photojournalism and video, GLP aims to educate, inspire and entertain while encouraging individuals and communities to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.

Since 1989, Chaco has been designing and producing the finest and best fitting footwear available. For more information on Chaco products or philanthropy, contact Kristen Zemeitus, Carmichael Lynch Spong, kristen.zemeitus@clynch.com, or 781.544.3674.

Rock/Creek & Chaco Invite You to Take a Step Against Poverty

Chattanooga, TN, July 18th, 2008 — Take a step against poverty. Trade in your old but usable clean shoes for a 20% discount on a new pair of Chaco footwear. Your trade becomes a donation as Rock/Creek and Chaco will send the shoes to third-world communities in need. The shoes can be donated online or in any of Rock/Creek's Chattanooga, TN stores. Customers can donate any brand or model of shoe, as long as it is a clean, usable, and well constructed piece of footwear. Online instructions for donation can be found on Rock/Creek's Chaco Donation page: http://www.rockcreek.com/chaco/recycle/

The program begins today, July 18th, and continues until August 2nd.

This year marks the forth consecutive year of Chaco's recycling campaign. Since the start of the program in 2004, Chaco and the company's recycling program partners have distributed nearly 15,000 pairs of sandals to poverty stricken areas of the globe. Rock/Creek joined the recycling partnership in 2005 and since then the store's loyal customers have donated more than 320 pairs of old shoes. This support makes Rock/Creek one of Chaco's top donating partners.

"We're pleased that Rock/Creek will again apply their passion and commitment to our recycled shoe promotion. Our joint effort to provide shoes to those in need can and has made a difference to thousands of people." said Ann Ellinger, Sr. Marketing Coordinator for Chaco.

SHOES SAVE LIVES

Footwear donated from the 2008 campaign will support the elimination of Hookworm anemia in Sub-Saharan African villages. It has been estimated that as many as 1 in 3 people in Sub-Saharan Africa are affected by Hookworm anemia. The hookworm, a soil-born parasite, enters through bare feet and resides in the small intestine of its host. If the parasitic condition is left untreated, severe anemia and malnutrition will result. The condition will slowly advance until a blood transfusion becomes necessary for the infective individual's survival. In developing nations the cost of transfusion is often prohibitive and risky. Prevention, through the use of protective footwear, has been proven to prevent hookworm anemia. Through the 2007 Chaco recycling program an entire village in Uganda was outfitted with shoes--a simple solution that completely eliminated hookworm anemia in the village.

In previous years the program has supported communities in India and Nepal. Chaco's program has also impacted communities closer to home. After Hurricane Rita devastated the Gulf Coast region in September 2005, Chaco and participating retailers collected over 400 pairs of footwear and distributed them to displaced hurricane victims in affected areas of Louisiana.

"Sustainability typically is defined as the long term balance between the environment, the economy and the needs of society. By offering customers the ability to recycle old footwear through donations to developing countries, and purchase a new pair of Chaco shoes at a discounted price, the program touches on all three corners of sustainability. This is certainly a model program for all companies considering sustainability initiatives," said Brad McAllister, Sustainability Adviser for Rock/Creek.

Rock/Creek and Chaco have partnered several times in the past on business oriented sustainability initiatives. In April, Rock/Creek was approached by Chaco and the Arbor Day Foundation to run a special tree planting campaign. During National Arbor Day weekend, a tree was donated for every pair of Chaco sandals purchased at Rock/Creek. Over 300 trees were planted through the partnership. The promotion, dubbed "Buy One, Get One Tree," ultimately supported the planting of over 800 trees.

Additionally, Rock/Creek and Chaco are currently offering limited edition Chaco Z2 sandals. $20 from the purchase of each pair of Chacos goes to support low impact, responsible climbing access through donation to the Southeastern Climbers Coalition (SCC). To date, the sandal purchase program has raised over $20,000 for climbing access, including a $10,000 donation to the SCC in 2007. The limited edition sandals can be purchased at any one of Rock/Creek's Chattanooga stores or online. More information on the limited edition Chaco sandals can be found online at http://www.rockcreek.com/chacos/limited-edition.asp


About Rock/Creek:

Rock/Creek, member of the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, is an independent specialty outdoor retailer with over two decades of experience in the Southeast. Along with its online shops, RockCreek.com and ClimbingGear.com, Rock/Creek provides quality outdoor clothing and gear for a host of activities including kayaking, rock climbing, camping, hiking, trail running, travel, and everyday living. Rock/Creek is committed to fostering positive change. For this reason, it uses outdoor retail as a platform to encourage outdoor recreation and environmental stewardship and to improve public access to the backcountry. Rock/Creek supports worthy nonprofits such as the Southeastern Climbers' Coalition and the Wilderness Trail Running Association.

Pete Takeda to Raise Funds for Girls Education International in Estes Park, June 26

Photo by Jonny Copp. Nanda Devi

On Thursday, June 26, from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., the Hangar Restaurant in Estes Park is hosting a benefit for Girls Education International, a nonprofit organization founded by North Face athlete Heidi Wirtz and Rock & Ice Senior Contributing Editor Lizzy Scully. The fundraiser will feature tunes by local musician Justin Faye and a slide show by author and mountaineer Pete Takeda. The $35 ticket includes a BBQ, unlimited New Belgium Brewery beer, and raffle tickets for dozens of items. There will also be a silent auction.

Takeda recently published a book entitled, “An Eye at the Top of the World: The Terrifying Legacy of the Cold War’s Most Daring CIA Operation.” In the early 1980s, the CIA decided to put a nuclear-powered spy device on the top of Nanda Devi—one of the Himalayas’ most remote and forbidding peaks. The goal was to gather information on Chinese troop movements. Some time later, the apparatus stopped sending signals; it was as though it had completely disappeared. The device was never recovered, and now, nearly four pounds of plutonium, locked in the glacier beneath the mountain are moving ever closer to the source of the Ganges River.

“That’s enough manmade poison to kill every human on earth, or to produce a bomb capable of flattening a city,” explained Takeda.

For this book, Takeda not only interviewed surviving members of the original expedition—during which the climbers huddled around the spy device for warmth given off by the decay of radioactive elements—he retraced their steps to the peak itself. While en route, Takeda has his own harrowing experience with the violent forces of the mountain, and was almost swept away in an avalanche. To learn more, come to the Hangar Restaurant and check out Takeda’s exciting show. (For more information, please visit www.petetakeda.com).

Girls Education International (GEI) is a 501(c)3 operating under the umbrella of The Mountain Fund. GEI currently has two operational programs and two additional programs that they hope to launch by 2009. The profits from this fundraiser will go toward their Liberia Scholarship program, which provides scholarships to 42 girls in the mountainous regions of Liberia, and also to one of their Nepal scholarship programs, which provides scholarships to two girls in Kathmandu. For more information, please visit: www.girlsed.org, or call Lizzy Scully at 303-903-2768.

All donations, including the $35 dinner ticket, are tax deductible. Raffle and silent auction items provided by: Redwood Winery, Glassworks of Estes, The Meadow Mountain Café, Evolv shoes, The North Face, SkirtSports, La Sportiva shoes, jewelry by Suspended Stone Design, photography by Topher Donahue, Majka Burhardt’s book, “Vertical Ethiopia,” signed copies of Takeda’s book, and many other items.

Climbers Set Out to Conquer Highest Peaks Across America to Help Children with AIDS

June 18, 2008 — Harrisburg, PA (June 18, 2008) – Conquering the 50 highest peaks in the Unites States, climbers, hikers and walkers alike will participate in this year’s Summer Summit Challenge to raise awareness and funds for pediatric AIDS. The Climb-a-Thon encourages individuals and teams raise pledges by climbing hills or mountains of their choice across the country, from the majestic peak of Alaska’s Mt. Denali to lesser know high-points in every state.

Hosted by the American Foundation for Children with AIDS (AFCA) as part of its Climb Up So Kids Can Grow Up program, this year’s fundraiser will be held June 27 to July 6, 2008. Funds raised will be used to purchase medicine and supplies for children living with AIDS in Africa.

This year’s grand prize for the individual winner is a trip for two to the top of Kilimanjaro, a generous donation from Summit Expeditions and Nomadic Experience. Grand prize for the top team is a safari for two to Namibia, thanks to the generosity of CrissCross Namibia Safaris. Other top fundraisers will win gifts from the outdoor industry, including backpacks, climbing chalk, magazine subscriptions, shoes, Larabars, and a luxurious hotel weekend stay for two in DC, among other things.

“This event allows people to take action no matter where they live, and turn their passion for the outdoors into tangible help for kids that need hope, help and attention,” says Tanya Weaver, executive director of AFCA. “Hikers, climbers and the outdoor industry have seen the positive impact they can make in the lives of children living with AIDS by getting out and taking on this great challenge.”

In 2007, a Climb Up So Kids Can Grow Up global event saw hikers, climbers, bikers and staircase-climbers reach the tops of peaks of their own choosing and raise over $14,500 for AFCA and its work with children with HIV/AIDS in Africa.

To participate in the fundraiser, individuals raise a minimum of $115 and teams raise $5,000; AFCA provides many tips and pointers on fundraising for the Challenge.

To register, please visit www.ClimbUpSoKidsCanGrowUp.com.

About the American Foundation for Children with AIDS
American Foundation for Children with AIDS is an independent international humanitarian aid organization established in 2004. AFCA is recognized as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization incorporated in the state of Kansas, USA. The mission of AFCA is to improve the lives of children and youth struggling with the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. We provide cost-effective relief, services, medical and social support, education and advocacy to help these individuals achieve their full life potential. For more information visit www.helpchildrenwithaids.org.

About Climb Up So Kids Can Grow Up
Climb Up So Kids Can Grow Up is a growing partnership between outdoor recreation enthusiasts and American Foundation for Children with AIDS. Together with our sponsors, we invite “climbers” everywhere to bring awareness to the pediatric AIDS pandemic and to raise funds so AFCA can continue to send life saving anti-retroviral (ARV) medication to children affected by HIV/AIDS. For more information visit www.ClimbUpSoKidsCanGrowUp.com.

“Celebrate good times, c’mon”!

Salt Lake City, UT, June 9th, 2008 — Grab your Aquanet hairspray; feather your hair and “Do the Hustle” in your best bell bottoms with The Outdoor Industries Women’s Coalition and title Sponsor Fox River. Join us August 9, 2008 and “Turn the Beat Around” at this Disco themed event benefiting the OIWC Education Foundation. “Boogie, Oogie, Oogie,” 7:00 PM at Pierpont Place in Salt Lake City, UT. Limited tickets available- get yours now at http://www.oiwc.org/event/pollyesther, $25 for members, $30 for non members and $500 for the exclusive VIP tickets.

“Dance to the Music” and “Shake Your Groove Thing” to live music, including a Neil Diamond cover band, “Diamond Experience.” The appropriate “Boogie Shoes” will be available at the OIWC Thrift Store where donations are also accepted.

Other groovy events throughout the night include; a sideburn contest (sponsored by SNEWS), costume contest, and “If you Want to Dance with Somebody,” a dance off brought to you by Fox River. “Ain’t No Stopping us Now,” hula hoops, hustle lessons, prom photos (brought to you by JanSport), a black/white photo booth (brought to you by The North Face), and look out for the Roller Girls (brought to you by KPS|3).

Proceeds benefit the OIWC Education Foundation, launching summer 2008, to support OIWC’s professional development and educational programs. For more information, to buy tickets or to sign up for some fun visit us at: http://www.oiwc.org/event/pollyesther

About OIWC
OIWC is a non-profit corporation focused on the mission of equipping women to achieve their success. OIWC is sponsored at these levels: Gold Plus: EMS, Fox River, REI, Keen, and W.L. Gore & Associates. Gold: JanSport, Mountain Hardwear, and The North Face. Silver: Camelbak, Burton, GearTrends/SNEWS, Giant Bicycles, Hi-Tec, Interbike, Marmot, Outdoor Industry Association, Outdoor Retailer, SIA, Timberland, Tubbs Snowshoes, Twenty Four-Seven, and Yakima. Bronze: Backpacker, Bicycle Retailer & Industry News, Bikes Belong, Black Diamond, CGPR, Cascade Designs, Chaco, Columbia, Contourwear, ExOfficio, Filson, Fuji, GoLite, Guyot Designs, Kokatat, Nuun Active Hydration, Osprey, Outdoor Research, Plum, Primaloft, QBP, Schoeller, Sierra Magazine, Specialized, Terramar, Thule, and Turtle Fur. Friends: Chaos, EarMitts, Earth Creations, Kiss My Face, Wallaroo Hat Company, Aloe Up and the Trade Association of Paddlesports

BIG CITY MOUNTAINEERS

By Karen Hamlin

Why do climbers climb? It can be very difficult, dangerous and exhausting carrying twenty pounds or more on your back. Is it fun? Not exactly. Can it change your life? Absolutely.

Big City Mountaineers (BMC) is a 501 non-profit dedicated to providing wilderness expeditions under team mentors to at-risk urban teens. The setting and the adults who volunteer are the crux of the learning experience. With a 5:5 ratio of volunteer mentors to teens, the kids have positive role models to emulate plus the wilderness environment is often their first experience outside of the inner city. Both conditions are novel to the kids, forcing them to readjust to the situation.After eight days in the mountains, the teens overcome obstacles they never expected, buoying their spirit, pride and confidence.

"I'll always remember this trip when I want to give up…I'm not giving up! Said Robert from Christopher House in Chicago.

Youth agencies are targeted by BCM to partner in their selection of kids fourteen to seventeen to participate in the trips as a reward and an opportunity. After each trip, qualitative and quantitative feedback is gathered from the participating teens to determine the impact and significance of the experience. This information is used to adjust the program to make it more effective and secure grant funding. BCM has grown an impressive seventy per cent since 2006 attracting corporate sponsorship such as Timberland, Polartec, Geartrend and many more.

BCM has created a very successful program called "Summit for Someone", requiring volunteer climbers to raise money for the program which can range from $2500 up to $7500 depending on the location of the climb itself. DennisPinto has been participating for the past three years and has raised $10,000 by contacting over 200 companies, his friends, family and local businesses. Some donors have touch his heart such as Curtis Shoch, from Atlanta, who, when asked to contribute, responded with a $1000 donation even though they had only met once. Dennis considers the fundraising the difficult part; the climbing is easy. However, some companies have been exceptionally generous. Exofficio makes adventure clothing and has donated several items to Dennis, whileTracme has gifted personal locator beacons for his climbs. Earth River Expedition's president Eric Hertz has been instrumental in procuring donations for this charity in addition to bestowing substantial contributions himself.

Having climbed Mt. Rainier (14,410 ft) and Mt. Whitney (14,495 ft) in previous years, this year he will attempt the Grand Tetons (13,700 ft) in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. A big reason Dennis loves to climb is the people he meets who become life long friends, a brotherhood of climbers. On his first attempt with BCM, a fellow climber had difficulty remaining awake. The head guide placed him in a sleeping bag and anchored him to the side of Mt. Rainer at 13,000 feet where he dangled and slept through a gorgeous orange sunrise until the team picked him up on their descent.

After climbing Mt. Whitney for two hours, Dennis began coughing strenuously until he collapsed. Lying in his tent for the next fifteen hours, he was miserable, alternately freezing and sweating, vomiting and laying awake all night. In the morning, Debbie (a guide on the Whitney attempt), carried his forty-five pound pack along with her own down the mountain and settled Dennis into a hotel room to recuperate from pneumonia. Debbie returned to the group to climb up the mountain again, but later had to retreat due to severe storms. Kathy Haack (volunteer climber) was a great comfort to him recommending medications and suggesting
solutions to his predicament. They are hoping to meet again for the Mt.
McKinley summit attempt. Even though Kathy had difficulty raising the required amount for the climb, she proffered her own money to Dennis assisting him to meet his goal. “That’s the kind of people you meet on these climbs, one’s with big hearts".

Scott Wareham, a Texan, became a fast friend after meeting Dennis on the Mt. Rainer climb and pushing him up the mountain when Dennis became sluggish. They were a good team and reunited again for the Mt. Whitney climb. Scott when on to volunteer with guiding a group of teens last season for BCM and still raises money for the Summit program.

It is the unselfish gestures and generosity of all of the people Dennis has encountered through Big City Mountaineers that touches his heart. Why does he do it? "I love the challenge of climbing: The physical and mental part of it is very demanding. You must stay focused and be in top-notch shape in order to make your climb rewarding. But when you stop somewhere, maybe at the trail head, a summit or an overhang at 13,000 feet and realize why you are doing this, it's the smiles on the kids' faces that make it all worthwhile".

Rock/Creek & Patagonia Announce $3100 Grant for Lula Lake Land Trust

In a continued commitment to provide local, low impact access to the outdoors, Rock/Creek, in conjunction with Patagonia, announces a $3,100 donation to the Lula Lake Land Trust. The grant money awarded supports a growing trail network aimed at linking the Land Trust’s protected land with Cloudland Canyon State Park.

Adelaide Bratcher, Development Head for the Lula Lake Land Trust, commented on the partnership: "The Lula Lake Land Trust is fortunate to work with Patagonia and Rock/Creek because of the dedication shown by these two businesses to this organization. Without the help of Patagonia and Rock/Creek, new trails, accessibility to the public, and events like this upcoming trail run would be impossible. We at Lula Lake, cannot thank Patagonia and Rock/Creek enough."
To date, Rock/Creek and Patagonia have donated $9,225 to the Lula Lake Land Trust’s efforts. The most recent donation goes to the development of the High Point trail. On December 20th the newly created High Point trail will be the venue for Chattanooga’s longest trail run. The inaugural run of the historic Lookout Mountain 100k trail race will be presented by Rock/Creek, and Vasque, and will benefit The Wilderness Trail Running Association (The Boonies). In addition to the 100k main event, the day will also feature a 10K race for those interested in participating in a shorter run. More information about the Lookout Mountain 100k Trail Race can be found on the event website: http://www.rockcreek.com/lookout/

Grant awards are not the only method by which Rock/Creek supports the Land Trust. Rock/Creek further assists the non-profit organization by working directly on the trail system. Members from The Boonies and Rock/Creek employees take weekly trail building trips to the area. Once completed, the High Point and Cloudland Canyon Connector trails will open up 1000 acres of pristine public land to low impact recreational uses. The protected area is in the heart of the ancient Appalachian mountains and encompasses one of America's most diverse ecosystems. Users of the trail will be blessed with an intimate experience within a unique system of flora and fauna.

Lula Lake Land Trust was established in 1994 by the will of Mr. Robert M. Davenport. Since the Trust's inception, it has focused on preserving the natural beauty of the rock creek watershed through education, research and conservation. The trust protects species such as the threatened Virginia Spiraea, a flowering shrub that is classified in the rose family. Virginia Spiraea was previously known to exist in only one other area of North Georgia. Rock/Creek has a long history of supporting Lula Lake Land Trust through financial assistance and grassroots support. Dawson Wheeler, co-owner of Rock/Creek, shares his enthusiasm for the project: "Lula Lake Land Trust has a long history of land conservation on Lookout Mountain. We're proud to be involved with their visionary project linking the front of Lookout with Cloudland Canyon. This corridor links two key wilderness areas and opens access for hiking, trail running, and other low-impact uses."

Please see Rock/Creek Outfitters' environmental statement for more details on the company's commitment to responsible outdoor recreation. http://www.rockcreek.com/customer_service/environmental.asp

For photos from Lula Lake Land Trust, see Rock/Creek's flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rockcreek/sets/72157594240850537/

Information on the efforts of Lula Lake Land Trust's effort can be found at http://www.lulalake.com


About Rock/Creek:

Rock/Creek, member of the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, is an independent specialty outdoor retailer with over two decades of experience in the Southeast. Along with its online shops, RockCreek.com and ClimbingGear.com, Rock/Creek provides quality outdoor clothing and gear for a host of activities including kayaking, rock climbing, camping, hiking, trail running, and adventure racing. Rock/Creek is committed to making a positive impact on the environment. For this reason, it uses outdoor retail as a platform to encourage outdoor recreation and environmental stewardship and to improve public access to the backcountry. Rock/Creek supports worthy nonprofits such as the Southeastern Climbers' Coalition and the Wilderness Trail Running Association.

Coleman Donates 1,000 Tents to Chinese Earthquake Relief

Wichita, Kan.— The Coleman Company, Inc., a unit of Jarden Outdoor Solutions, recently donated 1,000 Coleman® tents for aid to people displaced by the massive May 12 earthquake in Sichuan Province, China.

“On hearing news about the earthquake, we knew immediately that we wanted to reach out to our friends in China and help shelter literally thousands of people,” said Sam Solomon, president and CEO of Coleman. “We were fortunate to have this volume of large tents (17-by-10 feet) ready to be shipped quickly to people in need.”

Representatives from the Coleman China office delivered the tents on May 22 to the distribution site designated by the Sichuan Provincial People’s Government Guangzhou Branch.The tents were delivered to earthquake victims on May 24, along with other commodities. The tragedy struck close to home as among those receiving the tents was one of Coleman’s own employees whose family had lost its home during the earthquake.

The Sichuan government awarded an official Certificate of Recognition for the gift to Coleman Company representatives at the distribution site, and expressed appreciation for the Coleman’s swift response to the victims.

In addition, Jarden Corporation, Coleman’s parent company, has made a contribution and is encouraging its employees worldwide, including those in Coleman China, to contribute directly to the Chinese Red Cross.

“Coleman China employees are pleased to be able to help the quake survivors in a meaningful way and proud of the responsiveness of our parent company to this tragedy,” said Daisy Du, Coleman’s senior sourcing manager.

Osprey’s Headquarters Now Operates On 100-Percent Renewable Energy

Cortez, Colo., May 28th, 2008 — Osprey Packs, Inc., an independent pack company located in the high desert and mountains of Southwestern Colorado, is proud to have achieved 100-percent renewable energy efficiency at its headquarters a full two years ahead of schedule.

“We just bumped our headquarters energy use up to 100-percent green energy blocks with Empire Electric,” said Gareth Martins, director of Marketing for Osprey. “Empire Electric sources the power we use from existing renewable sources like wind and small hydro.”

Osprey expanded their office headquarters in Cortez, Colo. in 2007 with environmental performance playing a major role. Some of the notable features of their energy-efficient headquarters include innovations from waterless urinals in men’s rooms to recycled carpets; they even have ceiling tiles and insulation constructed of recycled blue jeans. Also used in the expansion were energy-saving, rotating skylights, reducing electricity usage in half.

The project is part and parcel with Osprey’s most recent achievement of reducing energy use and meeting 100 percent of their energy needs with renewable sources two years earlier than originally planned. Last year, the company fulfilled 70 percent of its energy needs with alternative energies such as wind, biomass conversion and small hydro.

Osprey Packs’ environmental and social responsibility practices run deep into the company’s culture and, in addition to being a leader in making high-quality backcountry, urban and travel packs, serve as a foremost defining characteristic of the brand. Osprey’s approach to environmental integrity is multi-faceted and includes many other elements, from sustainable travel initiatives to their ReSource series of recycled packs.

Please read more about their corporate social responsibility efforts on the web at: http://ospreypacks.com/OspreyLifestyle/Sustainability/.


About Osprey Packs

From its humble beginnings building custom backpacks and sleeping bags in Santa Cruz California, to its current recognition as an industry leader, Osprey has always flown its own course. Their mission is to create innovative high performance gear that reflects a love of adventure and a devotion to the outdoors and the environment. Osprey defines success when it meets the demanding expectation of its most discerning customers. Based in Cortez, Colorado, Osprey has over thirty-five years of pack-making experience.

$100,000 Grant from The Outdoor Foundation Expands Teens Outside Program

Boulder, CO, May 29th, 2008 — The Outdoor Foundation has awarded a $100,000 grant to the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) to expand Teens Outside to 29 communities in 2008 including eight new agencies in California. The grant will inspire and grow future generations of outdoor enthusiasts in America by creating outdoor adventure programs in park and recreation departments around the country.

The funding will allow NRPA to manage and grow the program within its vast network of public agencies. NRPA has identified the program - which introduces youth to close-to-home outdoor recreation with sustained, season-long experiences in activities such as hiking, camping, climbing, biking, paddling – as a priority.

During 2007, more than 3,560 teens across the country and 250 mentors were involved in the Teens Outside program. Geographically, it spanned 21 communities in 15 states. Success of the program will mean impacting the lives of more than 50,000 teens and their families over the next five years.

Grant making is part of The Outdoor Foundation’s three-pronged approach to connecting youth with the outdoors.

The Foundation is working to:
•Provide multi-year funding for organizations and programs that build capacity, are increasingly self-sufficient, connect key players and have significant return on investment. The Outdoor Foundation will work with organizations that have a strong long-term strategic and financial commitment to the relevant program.
•Establish an annual Youth Summit to organize stakeholders, encourage collaboration, and foster communication.
•Invest, expand, and communicate active lifestyle research.

The purpose of The Outdoor Foundation’s grant making arm is to support programs that have a solid track record of increasing youth participation in outdoor activities. The Outdoor Foundation is proud of Teens Outside’s success. The Foundation’s grant to NRPA will impact significant numbers of youth, and make a real difference in the inactivity crisis plaguing this generation of children.

The Outdoor Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 established by Outdoor Industry Association to inspire and grow future generations of outdoor enthusiasts. The Foundation introduces youth to outdoor recreation through nationwide youth programming and produces high-quality, groundbreaking research that quantifies the extent and quality of participation in outdoor recreation as well as its economic impact on the U.S.

For additional information visit www.outdoorfoundation.org or call 303.444.3353.

Fox River gives to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation

Fox River donated $4,100 to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation® (BCRF). BCRF, www.bcrfcure.org, was founded in 1993 by Evelyn H. Lauder as an independent, not-for-profit 501(c) (3) organization dedicated to funding innovative clinical and translational research. Fox River, based in Osage, Iowa, has been making high-performance socks for more than 100 years. www.foxsox.com.

BCRF supports scientists at leading medical centers worldwide whose research is focused on achieving prevention and a cure for breast cancer in our lifetime and has raised more than $215 million to date. A minimum of 85 cents of each dollar donated to the Foundation goes directly to breast cancer research and awareness programs.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for all women (after lung cancer), and the leading overall cause of death in women between the ages of 40 and 55. One in eight women will develop breast cancer during her life.

“It is an honor for us to partner with BCRF and to support the fight against breast cancer through sales of our women’s sock collection,” says Joel Anderson, Fox River branded division president. “We’ve been donating 5% of the profits on sales to support breast cancer research for since the inception of our Fox River women’s line in 2000.”

Fox River continues to lead the sport-specific sock industry in technical advancements including its new Good Earth Collection of organic merino socks, and Bio-Fiber™ (made from corn, a 100% annually renewable resource) socks for both men and women.
For more information, visit www.bcrfcure.org or www.foxsox.com.

Solstice Partners with the Conservation Alliance

Portland, OR, May 20th, 2008 — Solstice Outdoor, Inc. has partnered with The Conservation Alliance, a non-profit organization, this May. The partnership will allow Solstice to participate in the contribution and distribution of grants that protect and conserve wild habitat.

Solstice is an active member in the local and outdoor community contributing to the YWCA of Greater Portland, WaterWatch of Oregon, Betties 360, National Ski Patrol and more.

About Solstice Outdoor, Inc. – Solstice is a technical outdoor apparel company based out of Portland, Oregon. Under a new owner and management team the brand is re-launching its design and label for Fall 2008. For additional information visit www.solsticeoutdoor.com.

Sierra Club Sends Military Families to Camp

San Francisco, CA--The Military Family Outdoor (MFO) Initiative, a joint project of the Sierra Club and The Sierra Club Foundation, today announced a three-year grant of up to $23 million, provided by generous donors to support three organizations that provide returning veterans and their families with healing, life-affirming outdoor experiences in the natural world.

"We are proud to serve military families thanks to the support of donors to The Sierra Club Foundation who are profoundly motivated to ensure that those protecting our country get to enjoy its natural wonders," stated Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club. "This project will connect a new generation of American servicemen and women and their children to the mental and physical benefits of our natural heritage."

The Military Family Outdoor Initiative is building on the success of a partnership the Sierra Club began last year with support to the National Military Family Association (NMFA) to provide week-long summer camp experiences to military children. NMFA's Operation Purple Camps engage kids in outdoor experiences and activities while teaching coping skills to help them deal with the deployment of one or both of their parents.

"Together with the Sierra Club we can make a difference in the lives of our nation's youngest heroes," said Nancy Alsheimer, Chairman of the NMFA Board of Governors. "Drawing on the healing and connecting experiences of the outdoors, Operation Purple Camps empower military children and provide a much needed respite from worries about their deployed parents."

The Sierra Club believes that every child has a right to have a special place in nature. In a 2005 study mandated by the California Legislature, the American Institute of Research found that children gain self-esteem and personal responsibility from outdoor experiences. In fact, students demonstrated a 27 percent increase in science test scores after a week-long outdoor experience. The Military Family Outdoor program will provide these experiences for military children during a crucial time in their lives.

This year, the Sierra Club has greatly expanded its work with NMFA and has added outdoor programs for returning veterans, as well as camping programs for the entire military family to experience together. Sierra Club's Military Family Outdoor Initiative has partnered with the Armed Services YMCA to provide additional family camps near military installations across the country and joined with Outward Bound to sponsor returning veterans in outdoor wilderness adventure courses.

"Outward Bound is grateful to the Military Family Outdoor Initiative Project for its support serving America's veterans through our proven outdoor wilderness adventure courses," said John Read, Outward Bound's President and Chief Executive Officer.

"The Sierra Club Foundation grant provides a rewarding outdoor camping experience for hundreds of military kids as well as military families. They'll have an opportunity to learn more about nature and most importantly, take time away from the stress of deployment," said Armed Services YMCA National Executive Director Frank Gallo, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret.). "The ASYMCA is proud to have the Sierra Club as a partner in our mission to support America's military families."

About Sierra Club:
The Sierra Club's members and supporters are more than 1.3 million of your friends and neighbors. Inspired by nature, we work together to protect our communities and the planet. The Club is America's oldest, largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. Our mission is to explore, enjoy, and protect the planet.

www.sierraclub.org/youth/events/operation_purple.asp
www.nmfa.org/
www.outwardboundwilderness.org/veterans.html
www.asymca.org/

Revenge-seeking student climbers headed to Russia in friend’s memory

By Brian Fontenot

What began as a way for two college students to strike back at Mother Nature for Hurricane Katrina by climbing the highest mountains on each of the seven continents has evolved into a charity event.

Brendan Batt, 22, a LSU pre-veterinary senior, and Andrew Hillery, 23, a University of Alabama graduate, are now supporting the Muscular Dystrophy Association of New Orleans and have created their own non-profit, Climb for New Orleans.

“It’s all about raising awareness through climbing,” Hillery said.

“It just kind troubles me when I think about what if I didn’t even have the option to [climb],” Batt said. “It’s the least we can do to spread awareness about muscular dystrophy.”

The pair was inspired to support the MDA after the death of their lifelong friend, Nick Ferran, who passed away in January.

In memory of their friend, their summit flags will include his name. If they are successful, they will have put their friend’s name on the Seven Summits.

“It’s going to be a complete tribute to him. He will be with us every step of the way,” Hillery said.

And that’s the ultimate goal – climb the Seven Summits.

The pair planned to climb Denali (Mt. McKinley) this summer, but decided the venture was going to be too expensive and too difficult for the time being.

Batt said Denali has the highest vertical rise of any mountain in the world, shooting from about 2,000 feet to a little over 20,000 feet. Everest, while higher than Denali, only has a vertical rise of about 12,000 feet, with its base at 17,000 feet and its summit at nearly 9,000.

Of the Seven Summits, Denali is second only to Everest when it comes to difficulty and required expertise, Batt said.

“It just seemed like the wiser thing to do first,” Batt said. “We decided it would be better to get [Elbrus] out of the way.”

Located in the Caucasus Mountains, Elbrus’ west summit towers 18,510 feet – the highest in all of Europe. Batt and Hillery will be departing from its base camp at 12,000 feet to make the climb, making for a 6,000 foot climb.

Elbrus offers the chance to experience climbing above 15,000 feet, where the amount of oxygen in the air is cut in half, Batt said, adding it will give them a better idea of what climbing Denali will be like.

“I’m pretty glad we decided to do this one as the first of the seven,” Hillery said.

Batt and Hillery should be physically over-prepared to tackle Elbrus. They have been training to climb Denali for a year, where one has to be in peak physical condition to even have a chance of reaching the summit.

“We were training for Denali the whole time,” Hillery said. “This mountain up in Russia is going to be pretty sweet.”

Batt does a lot of running, going for four miles twice a week and six miles every 10 days, and weight lifting, hitting the gym five days a week.

But to toughen himself up for a climb, he marches up and down the levee in Baton Rouge, carrying 115 pounds of extra weight. His older brother, David, has also been helping him train, especially in the weight room where a spotter becomes necessary.

Hillery currently lives in Los Angeles and has developed his own training regimen-running barefoot.

After finishing the 26-mile-long Los Angeles Marathon, Hillery wasn’t satisfied with the workout he was getting by just running. So, he shirked his shoes and hit the soft sands of California’s beaches and its rough roads.

He regularly treks 10 to 20 miles every few days barefoot, now, and said the whole experience has made his legs so much stronger.

“It’s so much better, especially for glacier climbing. Every move you have to press down on the ice,” he said. “When I strap on shoes now, it’s like a joyride.”

The climb to the Elbrus’ summit will take 12 to 15 days and a Russian not known for taking Americans on climbs will be their guide.

“It’s going to be quite an adventure with this guy. He doesn’t take Americans often,” Hillery said, adding the guide has a reputation of being a good climber and snowboarder.

While reaching the summit is an accomplishment, Hillery said the way back down is usually the most dangerous part. People get careless.

Fortunately, the way down Elbrus isn’t nearly as fraught with danger as other mountains. The duo and their guide intend to snowboard back to base camp.

“We’re going to the top to strap on a snowboard and hammer down,” Hillery said.

The pair hopes to climb four of the Seven Summits over the next year, moving from Elbrus to Aconcagua in South America to Denali next summer followed by Kilimanjaro in Africa.

“It’s way more impressive now, really,” Batt said. “Last year it was kind of an idea. Now, it’s a part of my life. Every day I’m thinking about it.”

They are flying out of Los Angeles on June 20. The price tag for their climb, which includes the flight and the guide, but not their gear, is $9,000.

Big City Mountaineers Launches the Change a Life Campaign

Denver, Colo., May 7th, 2008 — Big City Mountaineers, the nation's leading volunteer organization devoted to mentoring urban teens during wilderness trips, launches the 2008 Change a Life Campaign designed to motivate fundraising among volunteers.

Volunteers for the summer BCM programs pay a $100 fee to help cover administrative costs. Through the Change a Life Campaign, volunteers have an opportunity to earn back their fee as well as raising more funds for the BCM program. To add incentive for extra fundraising, volunteers and donors can earn and win prizes from sponsors.

Volunteer Incentives:
• Raise $50: Receive a BCM keychain
• Raise $100: Receive a BCM performance t-shirt and be entered to win 1 of 5 Timbuk2 Messenger bags
• Raise $200: Receive $100 volunteer fee back and your choice of either 1) an original signed print by outdoor adventurer Andy Skurka or 2) an autographed copy of "The Hippie Guide to Climbing the Corporate Ladder" by Skip Yowell.
• Raise $300: Receive a framed National Geographic map of your course area and a Camelbak water bottle
• Raise $400: Receive and a Primus stove and be entered to win a free alpine Summit for Someone climb spot for 2009
• Top Fundraiser wins a Mountain Hardwear Phantom bag and Mountain Hardwear UL Kiva. A $600 value
• Second through sixth place will receive a gift card for a free pair of KEEN footwear

Donor Incentives:
• Donors contributing $50 or more will be entered to win a Jansport luggage set. Value at $500+

Thanks to Keen, Primus, Jansport, Andy Skurka, National Geographic, Timbuktu, Camelbak and Howard Schwartz for making this campaign possible.

About Big City Mountaineers
Big City Mountaineers, Inc. is a 501c(3) tax exempt corporation based in Denver, Colo., with the mission of providing urban teenage youth in need of positive adult mentoring with challenging and safe wilderness experiences led by qualified adult volunteer guides. BCM is the largest non-profit in the country devoted to working exclusively with at-risk teens using the outdoors as a transformational element in their lives. Learn more at www.bigcitymountaineers.org.

Health Clinic and Porter Program Updates from Nepal

With the support of the Mountain Fund there are now two clinics where once no medical services were available. Over 10,000 families have access to primary health care.
Mountain Fund has returned to Kathmandu following two weeks in the
Rasuwa District of Nepal. Located a few kilometers from the border
with Tibet the Rasuwa District is home to dozens of small Tamang
Villages. The Tamang are believed to have migrated from Mongolia via
Tibet hundreds of years ago and settled in this remote mountain area. Life
in many Tamang Villages carries on much as it has for centuries. For many
of the villages subsistence farming is their way of life and these rugged,
inventive people have learned how to survive on the steep hillsides of the
northern Rasuwa District.
Click here to read the full article in The Mountain Fund April newsletter

SmartWool Announces Spring 2008 Advocacy Recipients

Steamboat Springs, CO, April 25th, 2008 —
SmartWool Corporation, a leading outdoor performance brand offering Merino wool-based apparel, socks and accessories, today announced the recipients of the SmartWool Advocacy Fund and SmartWool Breast Cancer Fund which includes 32 organizations ranging in size and subjects from protecting the outdoors, engaging children and breast cancer support. Awarded semi-annually, this round of gifting represented over $72,000 to non-profit organizations around the country. This brings the total amount of Advocacy Fund contributions given by SmartWool since 2004 to $390,000.

"The SmartWool Advocacy Program is one part of the broader employee-driven SmartPrint® corporate social responsibility platform which brings to life Smart Wool's philosophy to affect positive change in the world within which our employees and customers live, play and do business," states Mark Bryden, president of SmartWool. "Through our support and contributions, we see these collaborations and partnerships as key to SmartWool's continued success as an industry leader and hope to inspire other companies to follow suit."

The advocacy program is comprised of two separate funds and financed by separate revenue sources. The SmartWool Advocacy Program is funded by a percentage of net sales of SmartWool® products sold on www.smartwool.com. Additionally, a percentage of net sales from SmartWool "Pink Ribbon" socks go to the SmartWool Breast Cancer Fund. Since its inception four years ago, the SmartWool Advocacy Program has donated monetary as well as products in-kind to deserving non-profit organizations, including these 2008 recipients:

City Kids Wilderness Project Adaptive Sports Center of Crested Butte, Inc.
Appalachian Mountain Club Family Means
Women's Wilderness Institute Rails to Trails
Rocky Mountain Youth Corps Colorado RangeRider Youth Cops
Outdoor Outreach Higher Ground Youth Challenge
Colorado Fouteeners SOS Outreach
City Wild Splore
Humble Ranch Net Results Junior Tennis
Trust for a Mountain Classroom Kids Plus - Cook County
KIPP: Sunshine Peak Academy Boys and Girls Club of Craig
Big City Mountaineers Black Canyon Boys & Girls Club
Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association Elizabeth Stone House
Rocky Mountain Nature Association Northern California Cancer Center
Breast Cancer Fund The Norma F. Pfriem Breast Care Center
Casting for Recovery Clinica Tepeyac
Living Beyond Breast Cancer Cancer Survivor Center for Health & Wellbeing

Recipients of the SmartWool Advocacy Fund and SmartWool Breast Cancer Fund are selected from approximately 60 applications by the SmartWool Advocacy Board. This board is comprised solely of SmartWool employees elected by their peers as part of the larger SmartPrint® platform.

The SmartWool Corporation is comprised of passionate and healthy-minded employees who prescribe to the belief that a balanced life is a rich life. This belief is the foundation upon which the Leave My SmartPrint™ program was built. The program allows each full-time SmartWool employee to be paid for up to 40 hours of volunteer work at a local non-profit charity of their choice. In 2007, SmartWool employees donated nearly 1,000 volunteer hours to non-profit organizations in their hometown communities.

Applications are currently being accepted for the fall grants. To learn more about the SmartWool Advocacy Fund and SmartWool Breast Cancer Fund or to apply for a grant, please visit www. Smartwool.com. Applications for the fall grants must be received by September 1, 2008.


ABOUT SMARTWOOL: SmartWool® is a leading performance brand offering wool-based apparel, socks and accessories. Nothing can compare to SmartWool® products for the ultimate in performance, comfort and easy care. SmartWool® fiber is superior at vaporizing moisture, controlling temperature and order and is guaranteed not to shrink. It's also a renewable resource that illustrates the design genius of evolution. For information on the full range of SmartWool® products or to find a dealer near you, please log onto SmartWool's award winning website: www.SmartWool.com. SmartWool Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Timberland Company.

Climbers Help At-Risk Teens Reach New Heights

By WES SMALLING
Star-Tribune staff writer

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Like many visitors to Grand Teton National Park, Alex Wolf gazed up at the majestic chiseled summits of the Grand Teton Range last spring and couldn't help but wonder what it's like to climb them.

The 31-year-old New Yorker is a recovering alcoholic. He had quit drinking months earlier and that spring the outdoors became a sanctuary for him, an escape from the pressures of city life and the temptations that every alcoholic battles each day.

After his Wyoming trip he returned home to New York and began rock climbing, ice climbing and backpacking every chance he got. Those activities, his love of the outdoors and support from friends are helping him overcome his addiction and get the most out of life.

This summer he's returning to Wyoming to climb the 13,760-foot summit of Grand Teton. But the adventure isn't just for himself. It's also for someone else, someone he's never met.

Wolf is one of more than 300 mountain climbers participating in Backpacker Magazine's Summit for Someone program this year. The annual series of climbs is a fundraiser for Big City Mountaineers, a nonprofit organization that provides wilderness mentoring trips for at-risk urban youths.

"Living in Manhattan I'm in this fast-paced life every day," Wolf said. "Climbing and backpacking are a way to get out of that and to get away from all the drinking and partying and get into nature. It's had a tremendous impact on me both physically and spiritually. So when I learned about the Summit for Someone program I started thinking about these kids who had underprivileged backgrounds, who don't have a chance to do these things. The outdoors has had an amazing impact on my life and I saw how it could have an amazing impact on someone else's life."

To go on a Summit for Someone trip each climber raises $2,900 to $7,500 in pledges, depending on the type of expedition. Each climb raises enough funds to fully sponsor five teens and a youth agency leader for a summer outdoor youth mentoring program with Denver-based Big City Mountaineers.

Big City Mountaineers takes urban teens on challenging but safe guided wilderness expeditions. They are city kids who may otherwise never have the opportunity to experience the outdoors. On each trip, teens are matched with mentoring adults who teach them about nature and provide them opportunities to achieve success by drawing on resources they might never know they had.

For many of the teens, it's a life-changing event, said Big City Mountaineers spokeswoman Hillary Harding.

"Some of them fall in love with the wilderness. Some of them say, 'I never want to pee in the woods again.' But they almost all find something out about themselves, something inspiring," she said.

Summit for Someone climbs can also be life-changing, inspiring events for the climbers who raise money for the youth program.

Dennis Pinto, a retired police officer from New Jersey, is climbing in the Summit for Someone program this summer for his third year in a row. Previously he's climbed Washington's Mount Rainier and California's Mount Whitney. This year he'll be tackling the summit of the Grand Teton. He said the trips are a way for him to reach out and help kids in need, which is something he felt compelled to do during his many years as a police officer.

"I've definitely experienced more than my fair share of seeing troubled kids and wanting to help them and sometimes not being able to," he said. "I've been involved in some charities over the years -- Special Olympics, helping kids and adults with alcoholism. With the passion I have for climbing and the outdoors, naturally I read Backpacker magazine and they had a story about (Summit for Someone). I said to myself, 'What a great cause. I can actually help kids who are at-risk and do something I love.' So the combination draws me every year."

All the Wyoming climbs and one in Montana are being led by Jackson Hole Mountain Guides -- trips to the summits of Grand Teton, Middle Teton, Mount Moran and Buck Mountain in the Teton Range, Gannett Peak in the Wind River Range, and Granite Peak in Montana.

Other climbs around the West include Mount Rainier, Mount Baker and Mount Olympus in Washington, Long's Peak in Colorado, Mount Hood in Oregon, Mount Shasta in California and a five-day expedition on Alaska's Denali (Mount McKinley).

Slots are still available on many trips for climbers who want to participate in the Summit for Someone program. And many climbers, including Pinto and Wolf, are still working on raising pledges.

"To be honest, the fundraising is tougher than the climb itself," Pinto said.

Eco Everest Expedition 2008 launches from Everest Base Camp

Climate change is affecting people around the globe, and this is especially evident at the top of the world, around Mount Everest and other great peaks of the Himalayas. Glaciers are shrinking leaving behind glacial lakes with massive amounts of water threatening people and land downstream. The loss of ice and snow heralds water problems for the 1.45 billion people living in the great water basins of the Himalayan rivers. This is the message given by the 11 member climbing team of the Eco Everest Expedition 2008 when they met at Everest Base Camp on 18th April to mark the start of their climb with a traditional Buddhist religious ceremony, called puja. Dr Schild, Director General of ICIMOD, handed over the ICIMOD Silver Jubilee flag to Dawa Steven Sherpa, the leader of the climbing team, to take to the top of the world. A premier of a photo exhibition, 50 Years of Change – Glaciers, Landscapes, People and Resilience in the Mount Everest Region, Nepal is taking place at Base Camp at the same time. The exhibition includes a unique collection of repeat panoramas of mountains, valleys and glaciers taken in the 1950s, and retaken in the past few years. These photographs demonstrate the changes in the climatic, cultural and physical landscape of the Khumbu over the past half century. The exhibition will be unveiled at Everest Base Camp and will then tour several European countries.

The Eco Everest expedition is the brainchild of Dawa Steven Sherpa of Asian Trekking, shocked by his own experience of ice collapse in the Khumbu ice fall, and the realization of the impacts of climate change. Dawa Steven and Asian Trekking have joined with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development – ICIMOD – and the United Nations Environment Program – UNEP – in a plan to use the climb to draw the world's attention to the problems resulting from climate change and the need to help the people of the region, and the world. ICIMOD has been working for 25 years for the mountains and people of the Hindu Kush-Himalayas, 2008 marks its 'Silver Jubilee'. The Expedition is one of a number of events being held to celebrate this milestone. The expedition will also field test an eco-friendly approach to climbing, including a ten-point plan that could be used as a basis for international certification for environmentally friendly climbing expeditions. The expedition plans to bring down garbage left by other groups, and will encourage others to do the same. The climbing team is being supported by the renowned Japanese conservationist Ken Noguchi, who is expected to visit the Everest Base Camp. The expedition is endorsed by world renowned mountaineers including Reinhold Messner, Conrad Anker, and Peter Habelar, and is also supported by the Nepal Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Tourism Board, and Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and numerous local, regional, and international organizations.

Parallel to the climbing expedition, scientific research is being carried out to monitor glaciers and glacial lakes in the region and gather information to help communities and develop early warning systems. A six-member research team led by Basanta Shrestha of ICIMOD is already in Khumbu to start the work. A pilot early warning system will be implemented for Imja lake, one of the fastest growing lakes in the region, in collaboration with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and Keio University of Japan. The scientists have already carried out investigations to assess the status of Dig Tsho glacial lake, which had a devastating impact when it burst in 1985.
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A Trust Fund has been set up to support development of early warning systems, scientific investigations to help assess risks, monitoring of the melting glaciers, and removal and disposal of waste in eco-friendly ways. Every climber on the expedition has contributed to the fund and contributions are now being solicited from interested individuals and organizations.

ICIMOD's new strategy focuses on understanding the impacts of climate change, and finding ways to strengthen people's resilience and support adaptation. Says Dr. Andreas Schild, Director General of ICIMOD: "The changes taking place currently are alarming, and the time to act is now." While climate change is mostly caused by the highly industrialized parts of the world, the effects are already taking their toll in the sensitive mountain areas. Climate change needs global measures of mitigation, regionally focused measures of adaptation, and targeted measures to strengthen the resilience of the mountain people. "We want to build up a system of early warning of risks from glacial lake outbursts. We want to discuss and prepare measures to strengthen the resilience and adaptation of people to climate change. This means livelihoods, conservation of biodiversity, and maintenance of the landscape as a global heritage. Conservation and management of water has the highest priority," concludes Dr Schild.

Best wishes,

Ang Tshering Sherpa

Join ECO EVEREST EXPEDITION at www.ecoeverest.net.np

Editors Note: Ang Tshering Sherpa is the President of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, a non-governmental, non-profit and non-political organization working to promote mountain tourism, climbing sports, protection of mountain environments and preservation of the cultural heritage of Nepal and the Himalaya.

Working for the Himalayan Rescue Association in Nepal

About the writer. Dr Kirstie Nichol is a G.P. with a keen interest in expeditions and the medical issues or remote locations. She has attended the Expedition and Wilderness Medicine course in Keswick and the Polar Medicine training course in Alta, Northern Norway and worked as an expedition medic for Across the Divide Expeditions in locations as diverse as Kilimanjaro and Peru.

In 2007 I left ‘normal’ working life as a GP in Haddington behind for a while to work for the Himalayan Rescue Association in a high altitude clinic in Nepal.

The HRA is a Nepalese voluntary non-profit organisation formed in 1973 with an objective to reduce casualties in the Nepal Himalayas, especially in view of the increasing number of Nepalese and foreigners who trek up into the remote wilderness. Nepal alone now receives more than one hundred thousand trekkers from around the world every year. It can be easy to under-estimate the dangers of altitude illness; deaths from these conditions are all the more tragic because they are entirely preventable. Working at the clinic involves a mix of primary health care for local people including home visits, providing an emergency medical service for trekkers and the provision of daily lectures for trekkers emphasising the prevention, recognition and treatment of altitude illnesses. Because rescue is difficult in Nepal, prevention is a key part of the role.

Thus, the HRA increases the safety of the trekkers encouraging tourism, which boosts the Nepalese economy, and also uses the donations and charges to the foreigners attending the clinic to provide much-needed free health care to the local people. The Manang clinic where I worked is in a very remote part of northern Nepal situated at 3570m in a small mountain village surrounded by the 8000m peaks of the Annapurna mountain range. It is an incredibly beautiful and peaceful place. It takes seven days of trekking to reach it from the nearest road and the clinic is the only source of western medical care for the people there. The staff consisted of myself and another volunteer doctor and two Nepali staff who helped with day to day running of the clinic and translation. The clinic is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the two main trekking seasons. Manang is a mainly Buddhist area and Tibetan Buddhist philosophy is evident all around and added a very interesting aspect to our care of the local people.

Life at the clinic is basic but rejuvenating. I slept in a tent for the best part of four months, there is no hot water and no heating and the food consists of daal bhaat every day- a Nepali staple of rice and lentils. The clinic itself has a reasonable range of medications to cover most situations and an oxygen concentrator which is the life line.

This comes with its own problems though due to difficulty maintaining it and getting it adequately serviced. Also the only power supply is by solar panels which charge a battery and therefore if the weather is bad it is necessary to conserve power for the concentrator and conduct all business by torchlight and candles! It is difficult to get re- supplies in a hurry as they require to be sent from Kathmandu and take at least eight days to reach the clinic by mountain porters. Therefore an ability to do your best with what is available and be innovative is required. It can be refreshing to get back to the basics of medicine, relying on your clinical judgement with no back up from labs etc.

The commonest presentations among the local population were respiratory tract infections, diarrhoea, joint pains and gastritis but we also dealt with emergencies such as acute abdomen, myocardial infarction, and stroke and one night I was called to my most feared situation of an obstetric emergency. Thankfully, eventually, a healthy baby was delivered, with a combination of assistance to the mum from the limited obstetric medical supplies we had available and the blessings from the lama. Nature is an incredible thing!
As mentioned the locals did not pay for their health care at the clinic but the clinic did not provide evacuation costs for them if they required hospitalisation. It therefore very much depended on their position within the community what was possible for them. For instance one local man who was the owner of the roksi (local brew) shop and therefore well known in the community, required emergency surgery and was an ‘in-patient’ with us for a few days whilst his family gathered a loan from prosperous teahouse owners and village elders, enabling him to be evacuated by helicopter to Kathmandu. However life is much more difficult for others and I treated a young fifteen year old mule herder with life threatening pneumonia whose only means of evacuation was to be carried in a basket on the back of a porter; a journey which took five days for him to reach a basic hospital.

The commonest presentations in the trekkers were diarrhoea and acute mountain sickness. We treated several cases of life threatening high altitude pulmonary oedema and arranged helicopter evacuations where needed.

The helicopter can only fly to this altitude during settled weather in daylight hours and even in an emergency often takes more than eight hours to come. Other means of evacuation are by horse or being carried by porters. Often these means are quicker and can be life saving at altitudes above Manang rather than waiting on a response from the helicopter. During our time we also ran a pilot study of a small clinic at Thorung Phedi 4500m, a teahouse stop where trekkers on the Annapurna circuit stay for the night before they attempt the Thorung La Pass 5416m. There is plenty exposure to high altitude medicine here!

It is amazing the range of people that come to trek in these mountainous areas, many with no or limited previous experience of mountain environments and of course others with a wealth of experience. Some of the life threatening cases we saw among the trekker population were related to people with pre- existing medical conditions that were compromised by being at altitude.

They either hadn’t been provided with adequate information about the risks of altitude or had failed to accept that the information they were given really did apply to them.

There is an important role in pre travel health consultations to educate travellers to high altitude areas about the risks, taking into account their past medical history. I carried out a questionnaire based study among the trekkers with the aim to establish whether advice about altitude illnesses was given at their pre-travel health consultation (i.e. when attending for vaccinations); what this advice consisted of; where they received it; whether they were advised to take or given a prescription for acetazolamide and if so at what dosage and when they were advised to start it; and whether they sought information about altitude illnesses from other sources e.g. internet, guidebooks. I am currently processing the results of this study but from the initial data survey it looks like we certainly could improve the information we give to travellers to high altitude areas to reduce their risks of these life threatening altitude illnesses. There will be more on that to follow once I have completed the data analysis.

My sincere thanks go to my partners for permitting me this period of unpaid leave and to the Alastair Short Memorial Award which provided me with financial support for this work and study project.

Access Fund Announces 2008’s First Round Grant Recipients

April 18, 2008, Boulder, CO—The Access Fund continues its support of grassroots climbing advocacy and conservation projects by awarding four grants totaling $11,750 in 2008's first round of Climbing Preservation Grants. Presented three times annually, these grants provide financial assistance for local climber activism and protection of the climbing environment in the United States.

The Access Fund awarded grants to the Mid-Atlantic Climbers, Northern Colorado Climbers Coalition, The Mohonk Preserve, NY, and Carolina Climbers Coalition.

Mid-Atlantic Climbers (MAC) will use its grant award to help offset the cost of graffiti removal equipment needed for its Adopt-a-Crag at the Northwest Branch climbing area. While the Northwest Branch is a smaller climbing area, it provides quality climbing convenient to the DC Metro area. MAC will remove graffiti (not climber related) that covers boulders and the base of climbs at the Northwest Branch. For more information about MAC or the Northwest Branch Adopt-a-Crag, visit www.dcmetroclimbing.org.

Northern Colorado Climbers Coalition’s (NCCC) grant award will help this new Local Climbing Organization with formation and start-up costs, including its 501(C)(3) filing fee and web-hosting costs. NCCC is one of the Access Fund’s newest affiliates and is off to a great start. For more information about NCCC contact, Cameron Cross at horsetoothhang@yahoo.com.

Grant funds awarded to the Mohonk Preserve, NY will help fund a two-seat, solar-vented toilet at the Preserve’s West Trapps trailhead. The Preserve is home to the world famous “Gunks” climbing area, and the West Trapps trailhead provides access to many of the area’s finest climbs.

The Carolina Climbers Coalition (CCC) will use its grant award to pay off remaining bridge loans and interest for its Laurel Knob, NC acquisition. In 2006, the CCC purchased the 50 acre tract that included Laurel Knob, one of the tallest cliffs in the East.

June 15, 2008 is the second-round grants deadline. Please review the grants requirements at www.accessfund.org/cons/guidelines.php and send your completed application to Ellen@accessfund.org.

The Outdoor Foundation Seeks Gear Support for Teens Outside 2008/09 Program

Boulder, Colorado, April 14th, 2008 — The Outdoor Foundation Teens Outside program partners youth with mentors across the country and introduces them to close-to-home recreation and outdoor activities. Utilizing existing high-quality youth-oriented programs, Teens Outside connects hard-to-reach teens with outdoor recreation through sustained, season-long experiences in hiking, camping, climbing, biking, paddling and other activities.

Replicability and sustainability are core strengths of the Teens Outside program. The program's goal is to expand Teens Outside each year for the next three years. By 2011, the program is projected to reach approximately 50,000 youth nationwide. Success of the program will mean impacting the lives of tens of thousands of teens and their families around the country in the next five years.

In order for participants to fully experience the outdoor activities provided by Teens Outside and ensure the program's success, the kids need access to high-quality gear and equipment communities can use season after season, year after year.

The Outdoor Foundation is currently searching for industry business partners to provide that important gear for these programs. Companies will receive significant recognition for their participation, and have the opportunity to impact the future of these participants and, indeed, the industry's future for years to come.

Support for 2008 Teens Outside can be in the form of gear donations to the 20 existing programs and eight new California programs (locations TBD) or adoption of a local park and recreation department and provision of gear and/or mentors.

Existing Teens Outside programs are in the following communities: Peoria, Arizona; San Diego, California; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Littleton, Colorado; Coral Gables, Florida; Frostburg, Maryland; Waterford, Michigan; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Livingston, Montana; Lebanon, New Hampshire; Newmarket, New Hampshire; Charlotte, North Carolina; Asheville, North Carolina; Fremont, Ohio; North Clackamas, Oregon; Houston, Texas; Cedar City, Utah; Radford, Virginia; Bellevue, Washington; Tacoma, Washington and Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

For 2009 expansion, Teens Outside has needs for additional equipment in the following categories:

- Hiking and camping gear, including rain gear, water bottles, and first aid kits.
- Day Use backpacks
- Sleeping bags and tents
- Camp cook sets and stoves
- Rock climbing gear, including shoes, helmets, ropes, and harnesses
- Bicycles and appropriate gear
- Paddling gear, including kayaks, canoes, paddles, and throw ropes


Introducing youth to gateway outdoor activities like camping and hiking is the best predictor of adult participation. Encourage them while they are young, give them the skills to enjoy the outdoors, and they likely will become outdoor enthusiasts for life.

Businesses interested in learning more about gear donations and the benefits of partnering with Teens Outside should contact Bryan Mahler at bmahler@outdoorindustry.org or 303.327.3512.

The Outdoor Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 established by Outdoor Industry Association to inspire and grow future generations of outdoor enthusiasts. The Foundation introduces youth to outdoor recreation through nationwide youth programming and produces high-quality, groundbreaking research that quantifies the extent and quality of participation in outdoor recreation as well as its economic impact on the U.S. For more information visit http://www.outdoorfoundation.org or call 303.444.3353.

Conservation Alliance Awards $450,000 in Grants to 17 Organizations

Bend, Ore., April 15th, 2008 — The Conservation Alliance sent checks totaling $450,000 to 17 organizations working to protect wild places throughout North America. The donations marked the Alliance's first disbursal of funding for 2008, and represent the largest single funding round in the organization's history. This round brings total giving to $6.5 million since the organization's founding in 1989.

By a vote of the group's 155 member companies, The Conservation Alliance made donations to 17 grassroots conservation organizations as follows, by organization, location and amount:

1. American Whitewater (Cullowhee, NC) $25,000

2. Appalachian Mountain Club (Boston, MA)/Trust for PublicLand (Montpelier, VT) $30,000

3. Audubon Alaska (Anchorage, AK) $30,000

4. Campaign to Save the Roan Plateau (Carbondale, CO) $20,000

5. Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (Ottawa, ON) $30,000

6. Cascade Land Conservancy (Seattle, WA) $30,000

7. Colorado Mountain Club (Carbondale, CO) $20,000

8. Colorado Wild (Durango, CO) $20,000

9. Conservation Northwest (Bellingham, WA) $25,000

10. Greater Yellowstone Coalition (Bozeman, MT) $30,000

11. Idaho Conservation League (Boise, ID) $20,000

12. Northern Alaska Environmental Center (Fairbanks, AK) $30,000

13. Oregon Natural Desert Association (Bend, OR) $30,000

14. Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition (Asheville, NC) $30,000

15. Trout Unlimited/Alaska (Juneau, AK) $30,000

16. WaterWatch of Oregon (Portland, OR) $25,000

17. West Virginia Wilderness Coalition (Morgantown, WV) $25,000

Total $450,000

"We are proud to once again make the largest grant disbursal in our history," said John Sterling, Executive Director of The Conservation Alliance. "Our member companies continue to recognize that protected wild places are important to the outdoor industry."

This round of grant recipients reflects the geographic distribution of Conservation Alliance members. Conservation Alliance funds will support efforts to: secure new wilderness designations in West Virginia, Tennessee, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon; protect wild rivers in Colorado, Oregon, Alaska, and Washington; halt oil and gas development on public lands in Wyoming and Colorado; protect private forest lands in Maine; and expand park boundaries in Canada.

Each project was first nominated for funding by a Conservation Alliance member company.

"Our members do a terrific job identifying projects for funding," said Sterling.

This is the first grant disbursement The Conservation Alliance has made in 2008. The Alliance plans a second $450,000 funding cycle in October.

"We are on track to contribute $900,000 in 2008," said Sterling. "That's a significant investment in protecting our wild places." (See below for a description of each project.)

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 $6.5 million to grassroots environmental groups. Alliance funding has helped save over 38 million acres of wildlands; 26 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.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF GRANTS
1. American Whitewater (Cullowhee, NC): Colorado Stewardship Program to protect and restore water flows in streams throughout Colorado.
2. Appalachian Mountain Club/Trust for Public Land•Vermont (Montpelier, VT): Mahoosuc Campaign to protect key natural and recreational areas in the Mahoosuc region of New Hampshire and Maine.
3. Audubon Alaska (Anchorage, AK): Alaska Conservation Program to build support to protect key Alaska wildlands including the Tongass National Forest and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
4. Campaign to Save Roan Plateau (Carbondale, CO): Oil & Gas Development Campaign to protect the public lands on Colorado's Roan Plateau.
5. Canadian Parks & Wilderness Society (Ottawa, ON): Nahanni Forever Campaign to protect the 7•million•acre South Nahanni River Watershed in Canada's Northwest Territories.
6. Cascade Land Conservancy (Seattle, WA): Boulder Falls Acquisition Campaign to protect Boulder Falls on Washington State's Boulder River, a site threatened by a proposed
hydroelectric dam.
7. Colorado Mountain Club (Carbondale, CO): ORV Management Plan Campaign to secure a network of non•motorized recreation designations on public lands throughout Colorado.
8. Colorado Wild (Durango, CO): Wolf Creek Pass Development Campaign to protect key habitat in the Southern Rockies from a proposed development on Wolf Creek Pass.
9. Conservation Northwest (Bellingham, WA): Columbia Highlands Initiative to protect 350,000 acres of wilderness, and restore 300,000 acres of forests in Eastern Washington.
10. Greater Yellowstone Coalition (Bozeman, MT): Wyoming Range Campaign to protect the 1.2- million-acre Wyoming Range from proposed oil and gas development.
11. Idaho Conservation League (Boise, ID): Boulder-White Clouds Wilderness Campaign to protect 320,000 acres of wildlands in central Idaho's Boulder-White Clouds Mountains.
12. Northern Alaska Environmental Center (Fairbanks, AK): Yukon Flats Refuge Campaign to protect three areas in Alaska's Yukon from oil development.
13. Oregon Natural Desert Association (Bend, OR): Badlands Wilderness Campaign to secure Wilderness designation for 30,000 acres of desert wildlands in central Oregon.
14. Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition (Asheville, NC): Tennessee Wilderness Campaign to permanently protect 18,000 acres of public land in Tennessee's Cherokee National Forest.
15. Trout Unlimited Alaska Program (Juneau, AK): Pebble Mine Campaign to protect the Bristol Bay watershed from a proposed open-pit gold-copper mine in the bay's headwaters.
16. WaterWatch of Oregon (Portland, OR): Free the Rogue Campaign to remove Savage Rapids Dam and other barriers to fish passage and river recreation on Oregon's Rogue River.
17. West Virginia Wilderness Coalition (Morgantown, WV): Wild Monongahela Wilderness Campaign to protect more than 70,000 acres of public land in the Monongahela National Forest.