When The Conservation Alliance supports an organization, the organization does so with confidence that they will succeed given adequate resources. Despite a challenging political climate, last year, 2010, brought many exciting successes from The Conservation Alliance grantees. Over the last 12 months, CA grantees delivered eight important conservation victories, protecting 1,564,000 acres of land and 700 river miles, removing two dams, and acquiring one popular climbing area.
Northern Green Mountains
The Conservation Alliance funded Trust for Pulbic Land’s Campaign for the Northern Green Mountains to permanently protect 6,700 acres of Vermont’s Northern Green Mountains including several miles of the Long Trail and other hiking and skiing paths. 5,727 acres of that goal, the Eden Forest, received protection in November. The remaining acreage, the 1022-acre Canada View parcel, will be secured in conservation ownership by Summer 2011.
Adirondack Lands
The Conservation Alliance supported the Adirondack Council’s Upper Hudson Woodlands Campaign to ensure the State of New York purchases a conservation easement covering 92,000 acres of land in the Adirondacks and develops a recreation plan that focuses on humanpowered activities and public access. The state completed the purchase in November.
Alleghany State Park
The Conservation Alliance funding supported Adirondack Mountain Club’s Save Alleghany State Park Campaign to protect Alleghany State Park from proposed hydro-fracking natural gas extraction. The New York Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has designated 85 percent of the 65,000-acre park as Park Preservation Area, meaning it will be maintained in a near-wilderness state. This protection was made final in July and will prevent any oil & gas drilling and development in the park.
Piscataquis Preserve
Thanks in part to The Conservation Alliance funding, Northeast Wilderness Trust’s Piscataquis Preserve Project to conserve 1,200 acres of habitat in Atkinson, Maine has been successful. As a result of this land acquisition, 1,200 acres of protected land will be added to an existing matrix of 20,000 acres already in conservation ownership.
Removal of Gold Ray Dam
The Conservation Alliance funding supported WaterWatch’s Free the Rogue Campaign to complete the removal of three major dams on the Rogue River, freeing the lower 153 miles from recreational and fish passage barriers, boosting salmon and steelhead runs by an estimated 114,000 fish and finalizing the largest instream transfer of water in Oregon’s history. The removal of the third and final dam, the Gold Ray Dam, was completed in September.
Removal of Dillsboro Dam
The Conservation Alliance support of American Whitewater’s Dillsboro Dam Removal Project led to a comprehensive settlement agreement with Duke Energy calling for the removal of the Dillsboro Dam and subsequent watershed enhancements including enhanced flow releases, public river access areas, parks, trails and land conservation. After nearly a decade of negotiations, the Dillsboro Dam on the Tuckasegee River in North Carolina has finally come down, allowing this river to flow freely for the first time in more than 100 years.
Index Town Wall
The Conservation Alliance was one of the lead funders of Washington Climbers Coalition’s Index Lower Town Wall Acquisition Campaign to purchase the Index Lower Town Wall a popular climbing crag in Washington State. WCC completed the acquisition in August and transferred the property to Washington State Parks.
Wild Forests, Wild Waters Campaign
The Conservation Alliance support of the Wild Earth Guardians’ Wild Forest, Wild Waters Campaign has lead to the designation of “Outstanding Waters” for more than 700 miles of waterways, including 199 perennial rivers and streams, and 29 lakes, and approximately 6,000 acres of wetlands throughout New Mexico under the Clean Water Act. The “Outstanding Waters” designation prohibits activities that would contaminate these 1.4 million acres of wetlands and waterways, including grazing, logging, off-highway vehicles, mining and energy development.
