Nathan Performance Gear, a leader in hydration, reflective and multisport gear and accessories, has joined Grassroots Outdoor Alliance as a Vendor Partner.
Nathan’s Run Safe Inititiative is a good example of why the company fits well with our vendor profile. Through this effort, Nathan encourages all runners to carry ID, a phone, wear reflective while running outside.
Nathan works with its retailers to hold informative and athlete-led hydration and reflective clinics, provide in-store POP and education literature to communicate inportant safety information to consumers.
Nathan understands the important roles that independent retailers play in their running communities – as a resource for consumers looking to lead better and healthier lives: as a social network, connectine runners with other runners: as an important facet to the local economy and commits to helping those stores communicate the importance of safety and healthy living.
Grassroots Outdoor Alliance proudly announces that Arc’teryx has joined our Alliance as a vendor partner.
Long recognized as one of the premier brands in the outdoor industry, Arc’teryx is a natural fit as a vendor partner. It’s collection of quality equipment and apparel are well represented in many of the existing G.O.A. retail doors across North America.
George Curleigh, Director of Sales for Arc’teryx in North America, recently attended G.O.A.’s Early Show at Snowbird and commented:
“During a recent trip to Snowbird to see the GOA show I was able to obtain a great understanding of the special dynamics that make Grassroots such a strong group. It is a team of specialty retailers that helped launch the Arc’teryx brand and have maintained their position as cornerstone of the outdoor industry. I have decided, on behalf of Arc’teryx, to join GOA to support this select group of retailers who continue to drive innovative and technical product through superior selection and great sales staff. I look forward to seeing everybody at the first GOA fall show this November!”
With such a great understanding of what Grassroots Outdoor Alliance is all about, we’d like to welcome George, his team and the Arc’teryx brand to our organization.
On June 26, 2010 Appalachian Outfitters located in Peninsula Ohio, sponsored “Aeros Scout Campout”. The Akron Aeros are a Cleveland Indians’ AA Eastern League affiliate that play at Canal Park stadium in Akron, Ohio. Over 400 cub scouts, girl scouts, and boy scouts participated in the event. This is the third consecutive year that Appalachian Outfitters has sponsored Scout Night. A second scout night with camping is scheduled for July 17, 2010.
This year, Appalachian Outfitters is providing 90 scouts, parents, and leaders with camping passes for the two scout night games. Each of the passes entitles the scouts to march around the field prior to the game, game tickets, snacks, and an opportunity to camp in the outfield after the game.
Campers are able to participate in home run hitting contests, play on inflatable slides, watch movies on the big screen scoreboard, and participate in numerous other activities. Appalachian Outfitters owner Mike Leffler commented: “This is a great chance to bring together three iconic parts of Americana; baseball, scouting, and camping. We are privileged to work with the Akron Aeros to help expose today’s youth to these three great pastimes.” Appalachian Outfitters is also able select one youth to throw out the first pitch before each of the games.
Below, read the progression of the Tennessee Wilderness Act of 2010 through the support of Tennesseans and local specialty outdoor retailer, Rock/Creek. Also, preview the YouTube video clip of Sen. Alexander as he introduces the Tennessee Wilderness Act of 2010 on the floor of the U.S. Senate.There is hidden treasure in the green hills of eastern Tennessee...
Like all treasures, this one is so valuable because it is very rare. Better than a vein of diamonds or a pot of gold, this treasure is compounded of some of the things that are most threatened in our modern world -- the sparkle as a shaft of sunlight lights up the mist rising from a rushing mountain stream, the flash of a deer bounding away through the forest, the hush of a wooded glade far enough from the whine of motors and machinery to reward a hiker with only the sounds of nature.
Best of all, these treasured places are not fenced-off in some estate or private reserve, but property you and I and all Tennesseans own in common: the still-wild and roadless areas of the Cherokee National Forest.
Now, thanks to the leadership of Sen. Lamar Alexander, we have the chance to assure that these treasures are protected not simply for our own enjoyment today, but as a living gift we can pass on to future generations.
Think of the world in which future generations of Tennesseans will live. It is not likely to be less stressful than the world of today, and certainly will be more crowded. Given the pace of development, it may well not be as green a world as ours. So it seems to me that it is only right that we take steps today to help preserve what is special about the Volunteer State for those who will come after us, and that includes those remaining wild and roadless parts of the Cherokee National Forest.
So I applaud Sen. Alexander for sponsoring legislation to protect some key parts of this wild forest, and to safeguard them in the strongest possible way.
Under Sen. Alexander's bill, which is co-sponsored by Sen. Bob Corker, these special places will be given the "gold standard" of protection -- as wilderness. This is a standard many of us in Tennessee already understand, since some areas of our national forest lands have long enjoyed this status and have become favorite hiking, hunting, and fishing areas. Our existing wilderness areas include favorite spots like the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock, Bald River Gorge and the Big Frog Wilderness.
The first words of the 1964 Wilderness Act explain why Congress decided to preserve some of our public lands as wilderness: "In order to assure that an increasing population, accompanied by expanding settlement and growing mechanization, does not occupy and modify all areas in the United States ... leaving no lands designated for preservation and protection in their natural condition, it is hereby declared to be the policy of Congress to secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness."
Thanks to the vision of earlier generations of members of Congress from Tennessee, today we have this protection for about 66,000 acres. Yet that amounts to less than 1 percent of the land area of our state (compare that to the 15 percent of California that has this strong legal protection; or the 4 percent of Florida).
Sen. Alexander's legislation will add some 19,556 acres, primarily in ecologically-important additions around the edges of our already-established wilderness areas. No road will be closed. Hunting and fishing will continue to be welcome uses of these areas, as will hiking, picnicking and camping. More and more Tennesseans are enjoying these wild places, eager to walk a quiet trail into a natural setting, eager to find the hidden treasures of Tennessee's wilderness areas.
This legislation writes one more chapter in the already lengthy story of Lamar Alexander's leadership for conservation. I hope every member of Congress from our state will give their support to the proposed Tennessee Wilderness Act of 2010 and help push it to success this year.
Dawson Wheeler is co-founder and co-owner of Rock/Creek, a Chattanooga specialty outdoor retailer. He has served on the boards of the National Geographic Explorer magazine, Wild Trails, Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, and the Outdoor Retailer- Retailer Advisory Panel Member. Readers may write to him at info@rockcreek.com.
Pack Rat Outdoor Center, a member of Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, announced that one of their employees, Heath Holcomb, has been selected by The North Face to be at the Outdoor Summit in NYC the weekend of June 18th, 2010.
More than 500 of America’s top young leaders from across the country will be traveling to New York City this weekend to participate in the Outdoor Nation Youth Summit and Festival.
The Festival is the largest and most diverse outdoor youth summit in our country’s history, where they will develop a national agenda, set priorities and outline strategies to champion the outdoors as athletes, artists, advocates and ambassadors.
Heath is an outstanding employee at Pack Rat Outdoor Center and those who work with him are extremely proud that he is receiving this opportunity. Owner Carolyn Crook states: “ We are so happy for Heath as this is part of what he is wanting to do once he finishes college”.
Heath is a student majoring in Outdoor Recreation with a focus as Trek Leader. He has already earned several certifications including:
* Leave No Trace Trainer
* American Canoe Association Level 3
* Wilderness First Responder
Congratulations Heath on being chosen for this great opportunity!
Nathan Performance Gear, a leader in hydration, reflective and multisport gear and accessories, has joined Grassroots Outdoor Alliance as a Vendor Partner.
