Copper Mountain Announces Annual Ski Conservation Fund Grant Recipients

Copper Mountain, CO… Jan 25, 2008… Copper Mountain announces the recipients of the 2008 Ski Conservation Fund grants. Copper Mountain and the National Forest Foundation (NFF) have jointly granted more than $75,000 over the past two years. Ski Conservation Fund grants are intended for nonprofit groups to implement on-the-ground conservation projects in direct benefit of the Dillon Ranger District of the White River National Forest. The grants awarded by Copper and the NFF are focused mainly on the areas of Recreation and Community-Based Forestry.

“Local forest conservation continues to be one of the tenets of Copper’s environmental efforts, said Copper Mountain Environmental Manager Jen Schenk. “In addition to local nonprofit partnerships and employee trail maintenance days, the Ski Conservation Fund continues to grow and raise funds that directly benefit our Summit County community.

The Friends of the Dillon Ranger District has been awarded a grant to further develop the 2008 Forest Stewards Program and annual on-the-ground projects. The program will improve the quality of our natural resources and multiple-use recreational experiences.

The John J. Hill Memorial Fund has been awarded a grant to hire a crew supervisor to lead three Hill Fund students on Dillon Ranger District projects including campground improvements and forest management projects.

The Continental Divide Trail Alliance has been awarded a grant to engage volunteer work crews in the construction of one mile of the Continental Divide Scenic Trail at Webster Pass within the Dillon Ranger District.

Funds have been raised though Copper’s voluntary lodging guest contribution program which encourages guests to make donations of $1 per room night. The NFF adds matching funds to the guest contributions, enabling $1.50 to go towards on-the-ground work for each $1.00 donated by Copper lodging guests. All funds raised are used to complete local forest conservation projects in the Dillon Ranger District of the White River National Forest. The NFF encourages organizations to position their proposed projects into at least one of the four areas of programmatic emphasis. These areas include Recreation, Wildlife Habitat Improvement, Community-Based Forestry, and Watershed Health and Restoration.

For more information on Copper Mountain’s Environmental Initiatives or to read Copper’s 2007 Environmental Report, please visit www.coppercolorado.com