The Conservation Alliance will hold its next Backyard Collective event on Wednesday, August 21, in Portland, Ore. The Conservation Alliance is teaming up with Forest Park Conservancy,Johnson Creek Watershed Council, SOLVE and Portland Parks & Recreation to organize a mix of trail maintenance and habitat restoration at multiple work sites. Portland marks the sixth Backyard Collective for the organization this year.

More than 200 volunteers are expected to be present with employee representatives from member companies and guests including: Columbia Sportswear, KEEN, Icebreaker,Merrell, Nau, Horny Toad, Undersolen Media, REI, JAM Media Collective, BrandLive and Yakima. Conservation Alliance grantees, including Oregon Wild, Save Our Wild Salmon, and WaterWatch, will participate in the volunteer fair along with Portland Parks Foundation and organizations partnering in the event.

The Backyard Collective will begin on Wednesday, August 21 at 8:45 a.m. at Wallace Park. Volunteers will work on trail restoration and removal of invasive species in Forest Park, Sellwood Park, as well as at Johnson & Mill Creek areas. Following the stewardship activities, volunteers will return to Wallace Park for a catered lunch and volunteer fair.

The Conservation Alliance is a group of outdoor industry companies that fund conservation organizations. The Alliance launched the Backyard Collective Program in 2008 to connect individuals in the outdoor industry with the work of organizations that receive financial support from the group. The Backyard Collective moves that action to the field, and gives people a venue to get their “hands dirty” for the sake of conservation.

In addition to Portland, The Conservation Alliance has organized Backyard Collectives this year in Seattle, Bend, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Ventura, Calif. Upcoming Backyard Collective events in 2013 will take place in Boston, Mass. (September 25) and Boulder, Colo. (October 4).

For more information about this event, please contact coordinator, Cassondra Schindler at cassondra@conservationalliance.com or 541.222.9380.

Logo courtesy The Conservation Alliance