N E L D A C. & H. J. L U T C H E R S T A R K F O U N D A T I O N
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Walter G. Riedel, III
President, CEO
Nelda C. & H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation
(409) 883-3513
stark@starkadmin.org
Andy Jones, Director
Texas Office
The Conservation Fund
(512) 477-1712
TCFTexas@aol.com
The Stark Foundation Teams with The Conservation Fund to Save East Texas Land
ORANGE, Texas, September 7, 2007 — In an effort to conserve the precious forests and wetlands throughout the region, the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation has granted $375,000 to The Conservation Fund, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of natural, cultural and historical resources throughout America.
Together, The Conservation Fund and Fermeta, Inc., the nation’s leading conservation organization, have launched The Pineywoods Experience, Texas’ most ambitious land conservation and economic development initiative. The project aims to combine land conservation and tourism to protect 30,000 acres of lush forestland and promote economic growth in the area.
The urgent need for conservation came in recent years when nearly three million acres of private forestland were sold in East Texas, and subsequent development poses a threat to the wildlife habitat, water quality, and economic stability of the region.
“There’s this area so worth exploring and having an adventure,” stated Kathryn Brown, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for The Conservation Fund. “If we can help ecotourism to grow and prosper in East Texas, we are not only saving the natural environment but East Texas as well.”
The preservation and development of the Pineywoods for ecotourism will also promote the creation of new jobs, as the forest product industry employs nearly 80,000 workers and contributes more than $22 billion to the state’s economy.
The Conservation Fund plans use the Stark Foundation’s grant to purchase strategic conservation lands in the Orange, Jasper, and Tyler county vicinity, particularly areas critical for migratory birds and endangered or threatened wildlife.
“It’s critical to preserve the habitat for migrating animals. It’s becoming evident to everyone that if you don’t preserve our wetlands they’ll disappear,” said Tad McKee, Vice President, CFO of the Stark Foundation.
To date, The Conservation Fund has successfully protected more then 60,000 acres of forestland in the region. The newly acquired land will be donated to Big Thicket National Preserve, which is owned, managed, and operated by the National Park Service.
“The support from the Stark Foundation is so pivotal and significant both at a symbolic level and a real level in showing how foundations and organizations can support and help the region and hold on to growing resources,” said Brown. “The Stark Foundation, with The Conservation Fund, is leading the way with a model to preserve East Texas for generations to come.”
The Conservation Fund is the nation's foremost environmental nonprofit dedicated to protecting America's land and water legacy for current and future generations. Seeking innovative conservation solutions for the 21st century, the Fund works to integrate economic and environmental goals. Since its founding in 1985, the Fund has helped its partners safeguard wildlife habitat, working landscapes, community "greenspace," and historic sites totaling nearly 6 million acres.
The Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation is a private foundation established in 1961 to improve the quality of life in Southeast Texas by encouraging, promoting, and assisting education, the arts, and health and human services. The foundation seeks to continue the legacy of its founders through the programs of the
Stark Museum of Art, the W.H. Stark House, the Frances Ann Lutcher Theater for Performing Arts, and Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center. It also continues their legacy through grants to education and qualified scholarship programs, organizations seeking to improve local health care, and organizations with a focus on local and community and social needs.
For more information or to get involved with The Conservation Fund, please visit www.conservationfund.org or contact Andy Jones, Director for The Conservation Fund Texas Office at (512) 477-1712. For more information on the Stark Foundation please visit www.starkadmin.org or contact Walter G. Riedel, III, President, CEO of the Stark Foundation at (409) 883-3513.
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