The Daily - August 10, 2021 - 22

Ideas
B I G N E W S
The Conservation Alliance's
annual breakfast
with the theme " Saving
The Boundary Waters "
Shoren, and Alie on conservationalliance.com,
and they'll also be
here at the Show.
The focus of the Conservation
Alliance has been as an efficient
pass-through for money from
brands to nonprofits. We continue
to maintain that-all member
dues go straight to grants, they
don't underwrite the organization.
That has forced us-slash-heavily
incentivized us to be efficient. But
when you don't have staff, there is
only so much you can do.
What I was hired to do, and
what we're back on track to do,
is to increase grant giving. We're
not trying to squeeze more juice
from the outdoor industry, though
there are still opportunities to
expand outdoor industry company
membership. We think the
Conservation Alliance model can
also appeal outside of the outdoor
industry, and we're starting to
work in other industries aligned
with Conservation Alliance values.
We already have representatives
from Deschutes Brewing and
New Belgium on our board. We're
continuing the conversation with
other craft-brewing companies.
We think there are opportunities
to engage renewable energy companies,
some segments of hunting
and fishing, and even tech. We
aim to be a bold, unwavering, and
courageous voice, but a nonpartisan
voice. If a company shares our
values and wants to put dollars
toward conservation efforts and
to have their voice to forward the
mission of conservation, they're
welcome.
For many, 2020 was a time
to pause and reflect. As you
head to the Summer '21 Outdoor
Retailer Show, has the
Conservation Alliance gained
new insights?
One of our key insights is that the
22
Conservation Alliance is a connector.
We see the advocacy work we
do as a service to member companies
and grantees. The power of
the Conservation Alliance comes
from connecting grantees and
membership. We're a B2B organization,
but also a B2E (employees)
and B2C (consumers) organization.
Did the change in administration
bring any unexpected
opportunities or present any
unanticipated hurdles?
Obviously, during the last administration
the bedrock fundamentals
of public lands and conservation
were unapologetically under
attack. That's why the Conservation
Alliance launched its Public
Lands Defense Fund, which we
sunsetted when the Biden administration
took office. We're not
a partisan group, but when the
funding mechanisms that we in
the United States use to engage in
the participatory public lands decision-making
processes were under
attack, we took action. Nonprofits
are good at starting things, but
we're not always good at stopping
them. I'm proud we shut down that
initiative and moved on.
It wasn't all dark days during the
Trump administration. There were
some bright spots, including when
the Land and Water Conservation
Fund (LWCF), America's most
important program to conserve
irreplaceable lands and improve
outdoor recreation opportunities,
was fully funded.
The conservation of public lands
is something people can agree with
on both sides of the political aisle,
even in an unprecedented partisan
environment, with razor thin margins.
That's a hopeful thing.
Now it's time for the conservation
world to shift from a defensive
position to thinking about
what's possible.
/ OUTDOOR RETAILER SUMMER 2021
What can showgoers look
forward to at the Conservation
Alliance Breakfast?
You can plan to arrive tired and
leave inspired, as always, but
this year you'll also be able to
participate virtually. The Breakfast
is focused on the Boundary
Waters, and I'll be streaming live
from there. Connor McElyea, our
membership and development
program manager, will be hosting
in Denver.
We have three speakers. Alex
Falconer and Clare Gallagher
did an unprecedented ultrarun
through the Boundary Waters.
We'll be showing a clip of a movie
made about their adventure.
Alex is a professional advocate
for Save the Boundary Waters
Coalition, and he'll be talking
about the proposed mine and
the impact it would have on the
Boundary Waters. We'll also have
Joseph Goldstein, who started
Kids for the Boundary Waters
when he was a child, talking
about what inspired him to start
a nonprofit as a kid. As always,
there will be food and drinks. But
this Show we're doing a hybrid
event, so people not at the Show
will also be able to participate.
will take place on Day 2,
Wednesday, Aug. 11 at 7
a.m in MR400s.
NATE PTACEK
http://www.alliance.com
The Daily - August 10, 2021

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