Contact: Steve Wagner,
Blue Heron Communications,
800-654-3766 | steve@blueheroncomm.com

Elk Foundation Grants to Benefit 19 Oregon Counties

MISSOULA, MT -- Nineteen counties in Oregon are slated for wildlife habitat conservation and public education projects using $207,030 in new grants from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

The 2009 RMEF grants will affect Baker, Benton, Coos, Crook, Curry, Douglas, Grant, Harney, Jefferson, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Malheur, Morrow, Tillamook, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa and Yamhill counties.

“Our volunteers across Oregon helped drive the 2008 fundraisers that made these grants possible. This is where Elk Foundation banquets, auctions and other events transform into on-the-ground conservation work, and it’s part of the payday for supporters who are passionate about giving something back to the outdoors,” said David Allen, Elk Foundation president and CEO.

Elk Foundation grants will help fund the following Oregon projects, listed by county:

Baker County—Treat invasive weeds and restore forage on 1,500 acres of elk range in Wallowa-Whitman National Forest and BLM Baker Resource Area (also affects Wallowa County); prescribe burn 4,200 acres to rejuvenate meadows in Wallowa-Whitman National Forest and BLM Vale District.

Benton County—Co-sponsored E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area 2009 Youth Outdoor Day for over 700 students who learned about wildlife conservation, fishing, archery, shotgun sports, wildlife art and search and rescue; provide scholarships for Corvallis, Ore., 6th graders attending natural resource education program.

Coos County—For elk and other wildlife, thin overgrown forest, seed native grasses and, in conjunction with local students, mark project boundaries in Rogue River National Forest.

Crook County—Thin juniper and aspen on 576 acres, treat noxious weeds on 385 acres and prescribe burn 1,434 acres to improve elk habitat in Ochoco National Forest; prescribe burn 500 acres, mechanically thin 600 acres, seed 100 acres and construct a 9-acre pond in Dow Ranch area; prescribe burn 450 acres, remove juniper on 180 acres, thin 98 acres, treat weeds on 45 acres and seed 85 acres in Pine Creek Ranch area.

Curry County—Treat 35 acres of weeds and prescribe burn 196 acres to improve meadows for elk and other wildlife in Siskiyou National Forest.

Douglas County—Enhance Watchable Wildlife location featuring Roosevelt’s elk in BLM Coos Bay District; clear, fertilize and seed four new forage openings in Umpqua National Forest.

Grant County—Enhance elk habitat by rejuvenating forage on 725 acres in Murderer’s Creek Wildlife Management Unit; treat forest overgrowth and noxious weeds on 431 acres in Malheur National Forest; restore 150 acres of meadows by tilling, treating weeds and re-seeding native grasses in China Peak area.

Harney County—Rebuilt 10 guzzlers destroyed in 2007 wildfires, and treat 40 acres of noxious weeds, for elk and other wildlife in Malheur National Forest.

Jefferson County—Thin 1,000 acres of encroaching juniper to improve ponderosa pine and sagebrush/steppe habitats favored by elk in Crooked River National Grassland.

Klamath County—Enhance wetlands for elk and other wildlife by removing encroaching conifers and repairing stream course in Fremont-Winema National Forest; thin overgrown lodgepole pine and prescribe burn 300 acres, plant 10 acres of hardwoods and construct fencing to protect new plantings in Deschutes National Forest.

Lane County—Remove invasive plants by mowing, treating weeds and seeding native grasses on 320 acres of elk habitat in Siuslaw National Forest (also affects Lincoln, Douglas and Benton counties); prescribe burn 52 acres and thin overgrown forest on 15 acres to improve elk forage in Willamette National Forest.

Malheur County—Host Malheur County Kids Fair to educate youth about wildlife.

Morrow County—Prescribe burn 980 acres to improve elk forage in Umatilla National Forest.

Tillamook County—Mow and slash 200 acres of invasive weeds and encroaching brush to maintain forage for elk and other wildlife in Siuslaw National Forest (also affects Yamhill and Lincoln counties).

Umatilla County—Prescribe burn 1,291 acres and treat noxious weeds on 3,340 acres to enhance forage for elk in Umatilla National Forest (also affects Grant and Morrow counties).

Union County—Fertilize 200 acres, treat for noxious weeds and seed 100 acres, and develop spring for elk and other wildlife in Owsley Canyon area; sponsored international workshop on scientific management of deer, elk and habitat.

Wallowa County—Treat 50 acres of noxious weeds and re-seed 20 acres to improve abandoned homesteads and fields for elk in Wallowa National Forest; treat 1,492 acres of weeds and restore native plant communities in Lower Grande Ronde, Imnaha and Snake river drainages (also affects Union County).

Partners for 2009 projects in Oregon include Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service, other agencies, corporations, landowners and organizations.

Since 1984, the Elk Foundation and its partners have completed more than 594 conservation projects in Oregon with a value of more than $34.3 million.

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About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

Snowy peaks, dark timber basins and grassy meadows. RMEF is leading an elk country initiative that has conserved or enhanced habitat on over 5.5 million acres—a land area equivalent to a swath three miles wide and stretching along the entire Continental Divide from Canada to Mexico. RMEF also works to open, secure and improve public access for hunting, fishing and other recreation. Get involved at www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.

POST President Audrey Rust Receives First Annual Environmental Leadership Award  from Sen. Barbara Boxer

PALO ALTO, CA -- Audrey Rust, president of Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), has received the First Annual Environmental Leadership Award presented by Sen. Barbara Boxer and the California Democratic Party. The awards were established to recognize individuals who are working to make significant positive change to conserve the environment. Rust was honored for her 22 years of land conservation work at the helm of POST, a local nonprofit land trust dedicated to preserving the beauty, character and diversity of the San Francisco Peninsula and Santa Cruz Mountain range for people here now and for future generations.

“Audrey has a remarkable record of accomplishment at POST,” said Sen. Boxer. “More than 63,000 acres of open space have been protected under her leadership. I’m pleased to honor Audrey with my Environmental Leadership Award in recognition of her exceptional achievement.”

Rust and six other honorees—including actor, director and longtime environmentalist Robert Redford—were presented with awards at a ceremony held last Friday at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. Special guest honoree Redford is a Board Trustee for the National Resources Defense Council and has a connection to POST as a past speaker in its annual Wallace Stegner Lecture Series, a major fund-raising event for the donor-supported land trust.

Audrey Rust has served as CEO of POST since 1987. Under her leadership, POST has worked successfully in partnership with public agencies and private landowners to bring permanent protection to tens of thousands of acres of open space in San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties.

Rust championed the protection of threatened coastal lands through POST’s 2001-2005 Saving the Endangered Coast campaign, which raised more than $200 million to protect 20,000 acres of land along the San Mateo Coast. She also oversaw POST’s 1996-1999 Completing the Vision campaign to save essential open space on the San Francisco Peninsula.

Major properties saved by POST under Rust’s watch include the 1,252-acre Phelger Estate, in Woodside; 1,623 acres at Bair Island, in Redwood City; 4,262-acre Rancho Corral de Tierra, near Montara; and three acres of prime coastal land at Whaler’s Cove at Pigeon Point, near Pescadero. More recent projects include 1,047-acre Mindego Hill, along Skyline Ridge in La Honda; 952-acre Toto Ranch, in San Gregorio; 206-acre Wavecrest, in Half Moon Bay; and more than 1,400 acres protected in just the past year and a half in south Santa Clara County.

Before coming to POST, Rust worked with the Sierra Club, Yale University and Stanford University. She has served on the boards of numerous local, state and national organizations, primarily in the conservation and housing arena. She has received the Times Mirror-Chevron National Conservationist of the Year Award; the League of California Voters Environmental Leadership Award; the Cynthia Pratt Laughlin Medal, the Garden Club of America's top environmental honor; and the Jacqueline Kennedy Award from JFK University for her achievements in land conservation.

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POST is a leading private, nonprofit land trust dedicated to preserving the beauty, character and diversity of the San Francisco Peninsula and Santa Cruz Mountain range. Since its founding in 1977, POST has been responsible for saving 63,000 acres as permanent open space and parkland in San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties.

April 28, 2009 

Contact: Chris Soto
csoto@lta.org

Association Recognized for Innovation in Media and Publishing

Presented with two 2009 EXCEL Awards

Washington, DC—The Land Trust Alliance is being honored by the Society of National Association Publications (SNAP) at its 29th Annual EXCEL Awards, which recognize the best and the brightest in association media and publishing.

As one of 181 winners selected from nearly 1,000 entries, the Alliance is being presented a Gold Award in the Magazines: Most Improved category and a Gold Award in the Magazines: Redesign category (submitted by Bates Creative Group) for taking bold chances and delivering excellence in the association industry.

“Congratulations to the Land Trust Alliance, one of the recipients of our EXCEL Awards,” said Amy Lestition, CAE, SNAP’s executive director, “These publications demonstrate the importance of conveying content in a variety of formats to our constituents. Bravo to the publication and media association professionals for their mastery of the field.”

“We went through a rigorous redesign process and this is a wonderful affirmation of our success,” said Chris Soto, editor of Saving Land, the winning magazine of the Alliance.

The Land Trust Alliance will be honored and celebrated at the 29th EXCEL Awards Gala on June 4, 2009. Award-winning entries are displayed at the EXCEL Awards Gala and are featured in the July/ August issue of Association Publishing. The Alliance may also be a winner of the distinguished EXTRA! Awards—presented to associations pushing the edge of the envelope further to innovate in an ever-changing publishing environment—which will be announced at the EXCEL Awards Gala in June. For more information on the Association Media and Publishing Conference and the EXCEL Awards Gala, visit www.snaponline.org.

For more information about the Land Trust Alliance, please visit www.landtrustalliance.org.

About the Land Trust Alliance: The Land Trust Alliance is a national conservation group that works on behalf of America’s 1,700 land trusts to save the places people love by strengthening conservation throughout America. The Alliance works to increase the pace and quality of conservation by advocating favorable tax policies, training land trusts in best practices and working to ensure the permanence of conservation in the face of continuing threats.

About SNAP: SNAP is the one non-profit, professional society serving the needs of association publishers and communications professionals. Areas of expertise include: fostering effective relationships among publishers, communications professionals, and industry providers; developing and maintaining high editorial and advertising standards through our Excel Awards and Publications Review Program; providing members with the latest industry movements through bi-annual meetings, Lunch & Learn Seminars, the SNAP listserve, and Association Publishing, our bimonthly magazine; and, connecting professionals with career opportunities in association publishing through our Career Center.