The Conservation Alliance

Alaska’s D-1 Lands are some of America’s wildest, most biologically valuable public lands—28 million acres of untouched landscapes that sustain iconic wildlife, fuel a $3.1 billion outdoor recreation economy, and support over 21,000 jobs. From Bristol Bay’s salmon runs to the Western Arctic’s caribou herds, these lands are vital to Alaska’s way of life. Opening them to industrial development would have irreversible impacts on wildlife, communities, and recreation. Secretary of the Interior Burgum has the power to ensure that doesn’t happen. We teamed up with Flickr to create a film that showcases the beauty of Alaska’s wildlands. Watch the film, then join us in calling on Secretary Burgum to safeguard Alaska’s wild places. Visit https://lnkd.in/gzAyGCjN to learn more. Collaboration: Flickr , SalmonState , Wild Salmon Center Film by: SmugMug, Alastair Morrison Jolly, Anton Lorimer Featuring: FISHHOUND EXPEDITIONS LLC, Susitna Adventure Lodge, Alaska Sportsman's Lodge

We’re proud to debut one of our priority campaigns: Protecting Alaska’s D-1 Lands. Spanning 28 million acres, these lands are some of the largest intact landscapes left in the United States, offering unparalleled opportunities for recreation like packrafting, hiking, hunting, and angling in one of the wildest places on Earth. For decades, these lands have been the backbone of Alaska’s recreation and tourism economy, supporting countless businesses, communities, and livelihoods. In 2024, The Conservation Alliance (TCA) supported efforts of local tribes and partnered with SalmonState members, and grantees, to help secure one of the largest conservation victories in U.S. history, protecting the D-1 Lands from industrial development. These lands are not just a haven for outdoor enthusiasts. They are a critical driver of economic activity, supporting industries and Indigenous communities that rely on intact landscapes and waterways. They also provide essential habitat for five species of Pacific salmon, three of North America’s largest caribou herds, brown bears, wolves, and millions of migratory birds, all of which contribute to Alaska’s unique appeal as a global destination for adventure and exploration. Together with our grantee SalmonState and other local partners, TCA is opposing pro-development legislation and to ensure these lands remain withdrawn from extractive activities. Protecting the D-1 Lands is about more than conservation. It’s about safeguarding a thriving economy and a legacy of wild places. Learn more about our efforts and how you can take action: https://lnkd.in/gnuhxb77

For over 35 years, The Conservation Alliance has been harnessing the power of business to protect the wild places and outdoor spaces that we love. What started with 4 founding members has grown into a coalition of 250+ businesses—a true force for nature. Now, more than ever, we need the business community to stand up for land and water conservation. Today, we’re sharing our 5-year strategic plan, which builds on our legacy of grantmaking and advocacy to drive even greater impact. Over the next 5 years, we’re setting out to achieve: + Drive an ambitious conservation strategy to achieve durable conservation wins. + Advance conservation campaigns at the local level with a robust grants program. + Empower and engage our members to be powerful advocates for conservation. + Grow and diversify our membership to increase our relevancy and power. + Enhance TCA’s brand awareness with a broad array of partners and decision makers. + Ensure that our organizational values and infrastructure empower staff. We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished together, but there’s still so much to do. Dive deeper into our 5-year strategic plan here: https://lnkd.in/gsHmGji2

We're one week past the deadline for the Department of the Interior to complete and release their action plans for key landscapes across the U.S. Here's a statement from our Executive Director, Paul Hendricks, on the matter: "It is discouraging to see that the action plans created by the Department of the Interior to 'encourage energy exploration and production on federal lands and waters' are still being conducted in secret. It is equally disappointing that there has been no public process in the development of such consequential plans. Businesses and individuals rely on access to and protection of these public lands and deserve an opportunity to weigh in on how they are managed. The Conservation Alliance is calling on Secretary Burgum to adhere to the long-established precedent of soliciting and considering public input before making any significant decisions about federal public lands. Responsibly managed federal public lands are the backbone of our nation’s outdoor economy and conserving nature is essential to American businesses, their employees, and their customers." 📷: Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Grand Canyon National Monument, Amy S. Martin

The Conservation Alliance is proud to highlight individuals at member companies who are doing exceptional work to advance TCA priority campaigns and grantmaking efforts. This time, we are excited to recognize Blair Kanis, President of 37.5® Technology. Under Blair's leadership. 37.5 Technology has been a key supporter of the campaign to protect one of Colorado's last wild places - The Dolores River Canyon Country. As a resident of southwest Colorado, Blair has stepped up to attend TCA's events to learn about the campaign and support local grantees. 37.5 Technology has amplified the story of this unique landscape on their channels to bring awareness to the need to protect such a special place. In addition to her advocacy work, Blair also served on TCA’s Confluence Committee in 2024 and helped review projects and ultimately select the grantees for this program. We are so appreciative of Blair's commitment to preserving outdoor spaces and her strong belief that businesses are a powerful voice on issues affecting public lands and water.

This week, Representatives Ryan Zinke (R-MT) and Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) reintroduced the Public Lands in Public Hands Act. This is a bipartisan bill to protect access to millions of acres of public lands. This legislation would require Congressional approval for significant federal land transfers, and would protect public access for millions of acres of public lands and waterways. . Public lands are irreplaceable. They’re where we hike, fish, hunt, and create lasting memories. They’re also the backbone of our outdoor economy, supporting countless communities across the nation. If these lands are sold or transferred, we risk losing them forever. Thank you Representatives Zinke and Vasquez for working to keep public lands in public hands. Read more about this bill here: https://lnkd.in/gh7x53fH

The Conservation Alliance is most impactful when we work in partnership with all of our business members–that's why we rely on you to help us learn about new conservation opportunities across North America. Through the Member Collective cycle, organizations can directly inquire about funding with TCA. Although nominations are no longer required, we need our members to inform us about strong organizations and projects that will help us all achieve our conservation goals. Recommendations for the 2025 Member Collective grant cycle will be accepted until February 19, 2025. Share them with us here: https://lnkd.in/gCv6EkN5.

The Conservation Alliance is thrilled to welcome Monica Nordgren as our new Marketing Manager! With over 10 years of experience in marketing and communications, she bring expertise in copywriting, social and brand strategy, and content creation, and speaks "internet" fluently. Although much of Monica's career has been in the brand strategy space, conservation has always stayed a priority for her. Over the last decade she's leaned into that passion through marine conservation efforts in Madagascar, on-the-ground hurricane recovery as a FEMA disaster inspector, and by serving as an Americorps Wilderness Coordinator. Originally from the Midwest, Monica holds a B.S. in Psychology and Neuroscience from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and currently resides in Los Angeles, California. Please help us congratulate and welcome her!

The new Chuckwalla National Monument, near Joshua Tree National Park, covers over 600,000 acres of land. Its recent designation will preserve a unique desert ecosystem and biodiversity and will ensure equitable and protected access to nature for local communities. This is a particularly special victory because of the level of involvement The Conservation Alliance, our grant partners, and our #MobilizingforMonuments coalition members had in campaigning for this outcome. We garnered support from over 60 businesses, hosted an Advocate Outdoors event on the landscape, and participated in numerous meetings with decision makers and elected officials. We also featured the then-proposed monument in the Mobilizing for Monuments Road Trip Film, which was used to spread awareness for our efforts and the importance of these protections. Please help us celebrate and extend huge congratulations to CalWild, a TCA grantee, on their success leading this campaign! 📷: Photos by Annie Nyborg

It’s official! Yesterday the Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands National Monuments were officially designated by President Joe Biden. These new monuments will protect over 800,000 acres in California. The Conservation Alliance was deeply involved in this campaign and we were proud to have representatives from our staff and board present for the ceremony as well as Secretary Deb Haaland's farewell speech. In addition to awarding grants to local organizations, TCA also organized over 60 businesses to sign a letter in support of Chuckwalla National Monument, hosted events on the landscape, and held several meetings with elected officials in D.C. As a fun piece of evidence of our team’s commitment to public lands, after visiting what was then the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument during our Advocate Outdoors event last year, Ben MacAskill—a TCA Board Member and the President and COO of Flickr and SmugMug—decided to get a tattoo of a chuckwalla lizard. In the last photo, you can see him proudly showing California Senator Alex Padilla the art on his arm which we are all excited represents such a victory now.