Conservation Alliance Member Businesses Unite for Inaugural Vancouver, B.C. Event

Aug. 28, 2012 - PRLog -- Vancouver, B.C.— On Wednesday, August 29, The Conservation Alliance member companies Mountain Equipment Co-op, Arc’teryx, Innate, and Icebreaker will come together for a day of collective action at the inaugural Vancouver, B.C. event.

The Conservation Alliance is working with grantee, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, BC Chapter (CPAWS-BC) as well as the City of North Vancouver, to lead a day of stewardship in Heywood Park, North Vancouver’s second largest park and part of the Mackay Creek watershed. Volunteers from outdoor industry businesses will work side-by-side to remove invasive species that threaten the natural flora and fauna of the Mackay Creek watershed.

“We are thrilled to make our Canadian debut and host our first Backyard Collective north of the border,” said John Sterling, Executive Director of The Conservation Alliance. “By doing an invasive species removal in Heywood Park, we will be playing an important role in protecting the diverse ecology of the Mackay Creek watershed and the numerous recreational opportunities it provides.”

The Vancouver Backyard Collective takes place Wednesday, August 29, 2012 from 9:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. meeting at Heywood Park. The event also features a volunteer fair at which Conservation Alliance grantees and local environmental organizations share information on their current conservation initiatives and share ways for individuals to get involved.

“The Backyard Collective is an exciting example of how the business sector can connect people with nature while helping protect our amazing B.C. environment,” said Nicola Hill, Executive Director for CPAWS-BC. “Parks not only provide recreational opportunities, but also contribute to human health and the health of our communities.”

Vancouver, B.C. is the sixth Backyard Collective event in the 2012 season. Upcoming locations include Bend, Ore. (September 13), and Peterborough, N.H. (September 18). This is the first Canada-based event for the Backyard Collective, which is now in its fourth season of member business volunteer events.

For more information about this event please contact coordinator, Cassondra Schindler at cassondra@conservationalliance.com or 541.222.9380

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 $10.4 million to grassroots conservation groups. Alliance funding has helped save more than 29 million acres of wildlands; protect 2,700 miles of rivers; stop or remove 25 dams; designate five marine reserves; and purchase nine climbing areas.

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

About Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, BC Chapter (CPAWS-BC)
The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society is Canada’s grassroots voice for wilderness. Since 1963 we’ve led in creating over two-thirds of Canada’s protected areas. That amounts to about half a million square kilometres – an area bigger than the entire Yukon Territory. Our vision is to keep at least half of Canada's public land and water wild. CPAWS believes that by ensuring the health of the parts, we ensure the health of the whole, which is our health too.

The BC chapter was established in 1978 and has played a lead role in more than doubling the amount of protected areas in the province to over 14%. As a national charity with 13 chapters, 55,000 supporters and hundreds of volunteers, CPAWS works collaboratively with governments, local communities, industry and indigenous peoples to protect our country’s amazing natural places. We’re also on guard to ensure that our parks are managed to protect the nature within them.  

For complete information on CPAWS-BC, see www.cpawsbc.org