CHILDREN AND PETS THE FOCUS OF COMMUNITY FUND GRANTS IN APRIL

Courtesy:  Heart of the Valley

The Northern Lights Community Fund is proud to announce the awarding of its April grants to Big Sky Youth Empowerment, Thrive and Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter. $1,000 will be split among the three organizations to help fund their missions.

“We understand that healthy communities start with healthy kids,” Mike Garcia, owner of Northern Lights, said recently. “Whether it's after-school programs, healthy activities on the weekend or supporting parents with the sometimes difficult task of parenting, Northern Lights is committed to fostering an environment where children thrive.” 

The Community Fund grants will go toward specific projects within each organization. Heart of the Valley Executive Director, Phil Rogers stated “the shelter is in desperate need of support for supplies for our campers at Pets Pal Summer Camp to use during their week-long day camps. Our summer day camp is popular with children aged six to twelve, but it’s costly for us to run. When Northern Lights stepped up to fill that need we were thrilled!”

Northern Lights Trading Company established their Community Fund with the goal of clearly demonstrating the direct and positive effects of a consumer's local spending on the Bozeman community. They have committed to donating $1,000 per month to a selection of conservation and human interest organizations that help make Montana a great place to live and recreate.

Learn more about this month's Northern Lights Community Fund recipients here.

Northern Lights Donates $1,000 to American Prairie Foundation

Northern Lights is pleased to announce a grant in the amount of $1,000 to American Prairie Foundation for the month of February, 2012. Since 2001, American Prairie Foundation has been assembling habitat to build American Prairie Reserve in Montana, which currently spans more than 123,000 acres of public and private land. The Reserve will eventually be the largest wildlife reserve in the lower forty-eight states, consisting of about 500,000 private acres that glue together roughly three million acres of existing public land. American Prairie Foundation will continue to own and manage its private lands while working collaboratively with the various entities that oversee public land management and natural resources in the region: the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Montana Department of State Lands, and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

Conservation biologists have determined that a mixed-grass prairie would need to be approximately 5,000 square miles (roughly 3.2 million acres) in order to be a fully functioning ecosystem. A landscape of this size would be able to support the full complement of native prairie biodiversity, including seasonal migrations, and provide room to endure episodic localized natural phenomena like fire, disease and winter ice events. The Reserve is already a living laboratory for numerous long-term science studies that will help shape its management and habitat restoration efforts, including plains bison reintroduction. In 2012, there will be more than 200 bison roaming American Prairie Reserve.

Courtesy: American Prairie Foundation

In addition to acquiring habitat for the Reserve and wildlife restoration, American Prairie Foundation is dedicated to public access and educational outreach. Open to the public for a variety of outdoor activities, including hiking, camping, horseback riding and hunting, APF is actively working to make the prairie a place that inspires and welcomes all types of visitors. This is a huge undertaking. But with support from individuals and organizations like Northern Lights, the dream of a protected American Prairie can become a reality, one piece at a time. With this donation, Northern Lights is helping to construct a trail system that will allow people to explore the Reserve by foot or by bike. For more information or to make a donation, please click here.

Big Sky Weekly Press

Northern Lights Community Fund featured in Big Sky Weekly

Check out this great article on how Northern Lights is donating $1,000 to non-profits every month!