August 31, 2010
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge through photography! Enter and get your image(s) published in a 2011 calendar that will celebrate 50 years of Arctic Refuge Wilderness as it looks forward to the next 50 – 500 years of protection as pristine special place as part of our national heritage.
The deadline to enter has been extended to September 15th. Get more information now!
August 25, 2010
ACF grantee REAP is bringing back free monthly forums at the Anchorage Museum! And they’re kicking off on September 8th from 6-8 p.m. by delving into the land of biodiesel, specifically taking a look at the new, large-scale biodiesel plant that opened off Dowling Road in Anchorage in June. The plant, run by Alaska Waste, is collecting used cooking oil from more than 200 restaurants and businesses like the Peanut Farm, Lucky Wishbone and McDonald’s and turning it into biodiesel to run its trucks. (So that means your fry grease is now powering the garbage trucks around town!)
Come find out more about the plant and how biodiesel is made with our presenter, Jeff Jessen of Alaska Green Waste Solutions. Jeff will discuss the plant’s operation, plans for using an estimated 200,000 plus gallons a year of biodiesel, and the benefits of biodiesel economically and environmentally. He’ll also discuss Alaska Waste’s ongoing composting program, which is turning more than 36,000 pounds a week of horse manure, wood chips and produce into compost. September 8, 2010 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Anchorage Museum. For more information or to sign up for the live podcast, contact Renewable Energy Alaska Project (REAP) at 929-7770 or email: s.nowers@REalaska.org.
August 17, 2010
Alaska Conservation Foundation awarded a record-breaking $4.1 million worth of grants in the year ending June 30, easily putting it among the state’s top 10 philanthropic institutions. The only public foundation in Alaska dedicated to protecting Alaska’s environment, ACF made a total of 159 grants to 62 groups across the state, from Anchorage to the village of Kwigillingok in the Bering Sea region.
“We’re proud of the vital conservation work performed by groups across the state, and that we were able to bring them record amounts of support,” says Nick Hardigg, executive director. “By taking care of our lands and waters, we can ensure that Alaskans can maintain the quality of life that we have enjoyed for generations.”
ACF grants helped win a preliminary key legal victory in the struggle to protect Bristol Bay, the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery, from the proposed Pebble Mine. In a case pursued by grantee Trustees for Alaska, a court rejected the state’s claim that it can issue mine exploration permits without giving public notice or evaluating potential harm to the public interest.
Another area where ACF’s support played a key role is Alaska’s dramatic new commitment to expand renewable energy. By 2025, the state officially plans to get 50 percent of its electricity from renewable sources. Alaska’s comprehensive new energy policy also includes huge investments in energy efficiency programs. The state aims for 15 percent energy efficiency gains per capita by 2020.
“Bipartisan bills passed in the legislature this year make Alaska a leader in the nation’s transition to a clean energy economy,” says Hardigg. “That success was due to the hard work of many people including ACF grantees, and we’re proud to have played a key role in advancing solutions to long-standing problems.”
ACF also provides training for conservation groups and their leaders, to help them be more effective.
“Conservationists have great passion and expertise on issues, and they work incredibly hard,” says Vice-Chair Nancy Lord, “but many of them can use additional support to run a successful organization.”
To that end, this year ACF co-sponsored a week-long Environmental Leadership Institute. Thirty conservation leaders at the helm of critical conservation issues attended the rigorous training on strategic planning and campaign building.
ACF’s internship program, now in its 11th year, continues to attract emerging leaders. This summer, 26 enthusiastic and energetic interns, from Alaska and elsewhere, are gaining hands-on career experience in environmental protection while the extra staff power helps conservation groups stretch their limited budgets.
“ACF is a great partner—their support helps us to be a more effective organization and voice for Alaska conservation,” says Karen Max Kelly of the Northern Alaska Environmental Center. “They funded our national search for a new executive director, and enabled us to send our colleagues to a national conference on mining pollution. ACF is an important source of financial support.”
Individual philanthropists look to ACF to ensure their money is used effectively in Alaska. “I know that our contributions provide leverage to the conservation community where and when they are needed the most,” says Richard Monkman, a long-time supporter from Juneau, Alaska. “ACF is an effective catalyst for change across Alaska.”
“For 30 years ACF has played an important role supporting the Alaskans and the Alaska groups that are working at the front lines,” says ACF executive director Hardigg. “It’s their voice that is most important, and we work to empower it.”
Founded in 1980 by legendary Alaska conservationists Celia Hunter and Denny Wilcher, ACF is a public foundation dedicated to connecting philanthropists and foundations worldwide to Alaska’s grassroots conservation organizations. Over the past 30 years, ACF has made more than $33 million of grants to conservation causes in Alaska and has an endowment of $5 million.
Make a difference. Every dollar invested with the Alaska Conservation Foundation works to protect Alaska's wildlife and wildlands.
