Wilderness Society Launches 50 Conservation Projects to Honor 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act at June 24 Event
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON (June 16, 2014) —Fifty conservation projects in 50 wild places throughout the U.S. will be completed this year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, and to celebrate the launch of the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC) The Wilderness Society and the Partnership for the 21CSC are coordinating this effort, which will be launched at a June 24 event.
HOST: The Wilderness Society and the Partnership for the 21st Century Conservation Corps
SPEAKERS: Tom Vilsack, Secretary, US Department of Agriculture (invited)
Jamie Williams, President, The Wilderness Society
Mary Ellen Ardouny, Co-Chair of the Partnership for the 21CSC
Key Leaders from Regional Conservation Corps
WHAT: Presentation and announcement of the 50 for the 50th Campaign.
WHEN: Tuesday, June 24, 2014, 9:00 to 10:00 am ET
WHERE: The Wilderness Society’s Ansel Adams Gallery, 1615 M Street, NW, Washington, DC
The 50 for the 50th Campaign, through the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps will employ young people and veterans on our public lands and waterways, such as those managed by the US Forest Service, US Department of Interior, and state, local and tribal lands. Projects involve work such as trail building, repairs and other improvements to preserve the areas’ natural qualities and ensure access by visitors. Locations of the projects include designated wilderness in remote areas and also prospective wilderness areas such as Whitefish Trail in Montana’s Flathead National Forest and the Turkey Pen Gap Trail in Big Laurel Branch area of Tennessee. Other projects are in more urban “backyard” places such as Bladensburg Waterfront Park, just outside Washington, DC and Candlestick Point State Park in San Francisco.
The June launch of the 50 for the 50th Campaign is part of Great Outdoors America Week, an annual event that draws hundreds of people and organizations to Washington to celebrate to our natural heritage and to advocate for preserving public lands and outdoor experiences for all Americans.
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The Wilderness Society is the leading wild public lands conservation organization working to protect wilderness and inspire Americans to care for our wild places. Founded in 1935, and now with more than 500,000 members and supporters, the organization has led the effort to permanently protect 110 million acres of wilderness and to ensure sound management of our shared national lands. The 21CSC is a national effort to put young Americans and veterans to work protecting, restoring and enhancing America’s great outdoors. The program is operated through a public-private partnership between government, industry, non-profit and community organizations, including The Wilderness Society.
Contacts: Michael Carroll, The Wilderness Society, 970-946-9043, michael_carroll@tws.org
Eugenie Bostrom, Conservation Legacy, Eugenie@conservationlegacy.org
About The Corps Network
The Corps Network provides critical leadership to the Corps movement and our nation’s Service and Conservation Corps as they harness the power of youth and young adults to tackle some of America’s greatest challenges and transform their own lives. Our 100+ members operate in all states and the District of Columbia. Each year they collectively enroll approximately 26,000 Corpsmembers from ages 16-25. Corps are comprehensive youth development programs that provide their participants with job training, academic programming, leadership skills, and additional support through a strategy of service that improves communities and the environment. Learn more at www.corpsnetwork.org
Media Contact:
Levi Novey
The Corps Network
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Phone: 202.737.6272
Fax: 202.737.6277
Email: lnovey@corpsnetwork.org