GU Energy Labs Contributes Additional $20,000 to Public Lands Defense

By
Martin Vilaboy
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Following a $25,000 donation in lieu of attending the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, GU Energy Labs has contributed an additional $20,000 to The Conservation Alliance, funded in part by ongoing proceeds from the sale of GU’s Campfire S’mores Energy Gel. The Conservation Alliance will direct the funds into its new Public Lands Defense Fund, created by the organization to preserve and defend the integrity of our public lands system.

“Protected public lands are an invaluable asset to our community of athletes. These lands serve as our testing grounds and motivate us to push our bodies further and explore more,” said Brian Vaughan, CEO of GU Energy Labs. “We believe we are responsible for helping protect the places we play and preserving sites of cultural significance on behalf of future generations.”

The Conservation Alliance established the Public Lands Defense Fund (PLDF) in January 2017 to safeguard the integrity of our public lands in the face of dramatic proposals at the federal and state levels that would undermine those lands. The PLDF supports efforts to:

1. Defend existing National Monument designations;

2. Defend our bedrock conservation laws (E.g., Wilderness Act, Antiquities Act, National Environmental Policy Act); and

3. Oppose the proposed transfer of federal lands to the states or to private hands.

 “We are grateful to GU Energy Labs for demonstrating leadership in our shared effort to protect and defend public lands,” said John Sterling, executive director of The Conservation Alliance. “These lands are the backbone of outdoor recreation in America, and GU has gone above and beyond to preserve them.”

The Conservation Alliance makes grants from the PLDF to support conservation organizations working to defend public lands. President Trump recently ordered Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to review 26 national monuments designated since 1996 to determine whether they should be reduced in size, or rescinded entirely. The PLDF has already funded nine organizations to defend national monuments in Oregon, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona. The fund has also supported efforts to prevent the transfer of public lands to private ownership in Oregon, and to oppose legislation that would undermine bedrock environmental laws.

The Conservation Alliance will contribute at least $250,000 from the PLDF in 2017. All companies and individuals are welcome to contribute to the fund. The PLDF supplements the organization’s regular funding program, which, since 1989, has supported efforts to secure new protections for wild places throughout North America. In 2017, The Conservation Alliance will make grants totaling $1.6 million from that regular grant program.