FIELD & STREAM INVITES MISSOULA AREA RESIDENTS TO BECOME CONSERVATION HEROES
By angelamontana

Posted: May 1, 2013
(photo courtesy of dixonadventures.com)
 

Magazine Joins Five Valleys Land Trust to Improve Habitat and Access Near Missoula

Event is Open to the Public

NEW YORK – On Saturday, May 4, Field & Stream will join the Five Valleys Land Trust, and local volunteers in a one-day, hands-on outdoor conservation project to aid the group’s efforts to preserve land and improve access to the confluence of Rock Creek and the Clark Fork River, as part of the magazine’s Hero for a Day program.

Now in its third year, Field & Stream’s Hero for a Day program works in collaboration with Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., to connect volunteers with conservation workdays across the country and raise awareness of conservation group’s local efforts. The projects serve as a unique opportunity for residents to take action in sustaining and protecting fish, wildlife, and habitat in their area. Field & Stream will spotlight ten Hero for a Day projects throughout the spring and will report on the work efforts in the magazine and online.

Rock Creek Confluence Project_web

(photo courtesy of fvlt.org)

In December 2012, Five Valleys Land Trust—a Missoula-based nonprofit organization that has helped to protect more than 65,000 acres in western Montana since 1972—successfully acquired 205 acres of ranch land where Rock Creek, one of the state’s renowned blue-ribbon trout streams, flows into the Clark Fork River. This parcel, which was originally slated for a 36-home subdivision, will now be permanently protected, and open to public use for the very first time.

On this Hero for a Day workday, volunteers from the land trust’s Hands on the Land program, the Hellgate Hunters & Anglers club, local chapters of Trout Unlimited and the Clark Fork Coalition, and the community will create a 4- to 6-vehicle parking area near the new access point by installing a fence, a livestock gate, and signing. They will plant willow cuttings to stabilize the streambank and revive riparian habitat that has been historically overgrazed. Volunteers will also remove trash, debris, and old barbed wire fencing.

“We are thrilled to have been chosen to host this Hero for a Day event at the confluence of Rock Creek and the Clark Fork River. With the help of the volunteers we’ll be able to create a walk-in access point along a stretch of the river that previously had no legal, public access,” said Five Valleys Land Trust’s Director of Conservation, Maggie Pittman.

Hero for a Day is an extension of Field & Stream’s Heroes of Conservation initiative, now in its eighth year, which profiles three exceptional conservation volunteers each month and awards them a $500 grant from Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. Six Heroes finalists will be awarded $5,000 grants at the Heroes of Conservation Award Gala in October, and the 2013 Conservation Hero of the Year will win a new Toyota Tundra.

“We are excited to continue our involvement with the Hero for a Day program and lend our support to individuals making a difference in their communities through important environmental projects,” said Steve Appelbaum, National Manager, Engagement Marketing, Toyota Motor Sales.

“The Hero for a Day program lets Field & Stream readers invest in their passion for hunting and fishing by helping to restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat,” said Mike Toth, Executive Editor of Field & Stream. “It’s a great opportunity to meet some of the nation’s most passionate conservationists, reconnect with the outdoors, roll up your sleeves and make a big difference in your community─all with just a single day’s work.”

 

 

INFORMATION FOR VOLUNTEERS
DATE: Saturday, May 4, 2013 (rain or shine)
TIME: 9 a.m. ─4 p.m.
PLACE: Volunteers should arrive at the Five Valleys Land Trust office by 9 a.m. when groups will carpool to the worksite. No dogs, please.

Five Valleys Land Trust Office
120 Hickory Street, Suite B
Missoula, Mont. 59801

ATTIRE: Please dress in layers that can get dirty or muddy. Expect to work with shovels and tools, and to bend over, crouch or lift. Lunch will be provided.

A limited number of Field & Stream/Toyota gift bags will be available for volunteers at each event. Volunteers over the age of 18 are also eligible to enter a drawing for a trip to Washington, D.C. to attend the Heroes of Conservation gala.

For more information on Field & Stream’s Hero for a Day events, visit fieldandstream.com/heroforaday.

ABOUT FIELD & STREAM
Field & Stream®, The World’s Leading Outdoor Magazine, is the world’s largest and most recognized outdoor publication. Devoted to the complete outdoor experience and lifestyle, Field & Stream gives its readers the knowledge and inspiration to pursue the sports they love. It celebrates the outdoor experience with great stories, compelling photography, and sound advice, while honoring the traditions hunters and fishermen have passed down for generations. Established in 1895, Field & Stream is the country’s largest-circulation special-interest magazine and is published 11 times per year by Bonnier Corporation. Bonnier (bonniercorp.com) is one of the largest consumer publishing groups in the United States and the leading media company serving passionate, highly engaged audiences, with more than 40 special-interest magazines and related multimedia projects and events.

ABOUT TOYOTA
Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion. Established in 1957, TMS markets products and services through a network of nearly 1,500 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers which sold more than two million vehicles in 2012. Toyota directly employs nearly 30,000 people in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18 billion. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com or www.toyotanewsroom.com.

(Press Release by Amanda McNally, Public Relations – Field and Stream * Outdoor Life)
 
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