Final 2019 Public Lands Defense Fund Grants Awarded
Photo: Malkolm Boothroyd
Photo: Malkolm BoothroydWe just zeroed out our 2019 Public Lands Defense Fund (PLDF) budget by awarding three grants to groups working to defend the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments.
We awarded a $15,000 PLDF grant to the Gwich’in Steering Committee to stop development on the Arctic Refuge Coastal Plain so that the Porcupine Caribou Herd, and therefore the Gwich’in Nation in Alaska and Canada, can prosper in the decades to come. The Gwich’in Steering Committee’s mission is to ensure the long‐term health and viability of the Porcupine Caribou Herd that sustains the Gwich’in way of life.
A second grant from the PLDF was awarded to Trustees for Alaska. Trustees for Alaska’s mission is to use the law to protect and defend Alaska’s lands, waters, wildlife, and people. Trustees will use the $15,000 grant to keep oil and gas leasing, exploration and extraction activities out of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Grand Canyon Trust’s mission is to safeguard the wonders of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado Plateau, while supporting the rights of its Native peoples. Grand Canyon Trust will use a $25,000 PLDF grant to support the legal defense of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments.
The PLDF supports organizations working to preserve and defend the integrity of our public lands system. Generous contributions from Conservation Alliance member companies—including Patagonia, The North Face, Ruffwear, Arc’teryx and Gu Energy Labs—have enabled us to award $647,000 in defense funding during the first three years of the Trump Administration. We will begin 2020 with $100,000 in the defense fund, and award funding to groups working to defend our public lands system during the fourth, and hopefully final, year of the Trump Administration. Please contact us if you would like to make a donation to the Public Lands Defense Fund.Photo: Tim Peterson
