Remington Outdoor Foundation Grants Help Restore National Forest Habitat
Madison, NC – -(AmmoLand.com)- Remington Outdoor Foundation’s first-year donation of $100,000 to the National Forest Foundation will be leveraged by more than $1 million in matching funds to help restore habitat at Colorado’s Pike National Forest and the Deschutes National Forest in Oregon.
“Our support of the National Forest Foundation’sTreasured Landscapes, Unforgettable Experiences campaign enables us to help restore forest ecosystems, which is an important part of Remington Outdoor Foundation’s conservation mission,” said Jim Moore, president of the Remington Outdoor Foundation.
“This investment in our National Forest System of $100,000 a year for three years will provide countless recreation and environmental benefits.”
This country’s 193-million-acre National Forest System provides clean air and water, diverse wildlife habitat and abundant outdoor recreation opportunities. However, today’s challenges to our national forests and grasslands, ranging from wildfire to invasive species to climate change, threaten these natural resources and wild places.
One effort supported by Remington Outdoor Foundation is revitalizing the Pike National Forest, the site of the 2002 Hayman Fire, Colorado’s largest wildfire. The National Forest Foundation is working with community-based partners and the Forest Service to restore the Upper South Platte watershed (Denver’s main water supply). Restoration work includes reducing sediment loads, enhancing and relocating trails, eradicating noxious weeds, planting trees and restoring wildlife habitat on approximately 45,000 acres burned in the Hayman Fire.
The National Forest Foundation expects to complete this project by 2012, the 10th anniversary of the Hayman wildfire. With its $50,000 grant, Remington Outdoor Foundation is helping leverage and match $350,000 from the U.S. Forest Service, $250,000 from Vail Resorts, $50,000 from the Gates Family Foundation, $50,000 from National Forest Foundation Chairman John Hendricks, and $250,000 from the National Forest Foundation for year one of the three-year restoration effort. Funds from this collaboration will be used to improve habitat for a variety of wildlife species including elk, deer, cutthroat trout and more.
Remington Outdoor Foundation is supporting a second project at Oregon’s Deschutes National Forest with another $50,000 donation to restore the Metolius River and Whychus Creek. Over time, dam development and over-uses for irrigation and recreation have damaged the Metolius and Whychus and their historical fish habitat. Thanks to new fish passage systems, these streams will soon see the reintroduction of native salmon and steelhead migrating from the sea to freshwater to reproduce.
The National Forest Foundation has begun community-based efforts to restore these Deschutes National Forest watersheds and surrounding recreation sites thanks to Remington Outdoor Foundation’s initial gift and another $168,000 generated from matching funds. These matches include $36,500 in private funds, $86,500 from the U.S. Forest Service, and a $45,000 grant from the county Resource Advisory Council.
“America’s National Forests host millions of visitors each year, many of them enjoying the incredible hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation opportunities provided by our public lands,” said Bill Possiel, National Forest Foundation president. “The Remington Outdoor Foundation is a natural partner for our efforts to perpetuate healthy national forests and grasslands, and we are extremely grateful for their partnership and support.”
To learn more about Remington Outdoor Foundation’s work with partners, visit their website, OutdoorRoadmap.com, which is poised to become the preeminent online source for information and services for hunters, target shooters and conservationists.
About National Forest Foundation
Founded by Congress in 1991, the National Forest Foundation works to conserve, restore and enhance America’s 193-million-acre National Forest System. Through community-based strategies and public-private partnerships, the NFF enhances wildlife habitat, revitalizes wildfire-damaged landscapes, restores watersheds, and improves recreational resources for the benefit of all Americans. The NFF’s Treasured Landscapes, Unforgettable Experiences national conservation campaign is uniting public and private partners to conduct large-scale forest and watershed restoration and revitalize ecosystem resiliency in iconic National Forest System sites around the nation. To learn more, visit us at www.nationalforests.org.
About Remington Outdoor Foundation
Remington Outdoor Foundation, which was founded in January 2009 as a nonprofit 501 (C) (3), supports the efforts of its partners to share hunting, target shooting and other outdoor traditions with youth, women and other participants while emphasizing safety, training and ethics. Remington Outdoor Foundation also upholds conservation principles through assisting partnership work on habitat enhancement, wildlife research and management projects. For more information, visit www.OutdoorRoadmap.com.
About OutdoorRoadmap.com
Remington Outdoor Foundation’s website, OutdoorRoadmap.com, is expected to become the single online source of information and services related to hunting, target shooting and conservation. Outdoor Roadmap will host a vibrant community where visitors can trade tips, stories, photos and videos. By teaming with partners and a growing community of outdoor enthusiasts, OutdoorRoadmap.com will offer interactive maps and tools, product reviews, discounts on gear, event listings, training and licensing resources, and a wealth of outdoor information. OutdoorRoadmap.com will launch in September 2010. For more information about this state-of-the-art platform, visit www.OutdoorRoadmap.com.