Nature Valley® Launches Save the Trails™ Grant Program, Supports

More than 150 trail enthusiasts celebrated the 16th annual National Trails Day, June 7, at Scotts Run Nature Preserve, Fairfax County, Va., with the launch of the Nature Valley® Save the Trails™ grant program. The grant program is contributing $50,000 to double the size of the American Hiking Society's National Trails Fund, which provides annual monies for organizations across the United States to preserve trails. With support from Nature Valley, the 2009 National Trails Fund will award 10 non-profit organizations $5,000 to restore designated trails in their local communities. Interested parties can apply for a grant by visiting www.wheresyours.com or www.americanhiking.org. Applications are due Aug. 15, 2008; selected entries will be posted online for general public voting.

For four consecutive years, Nature Valley's Save the Trails program has also provided funding for Student Conservation Association trail preservation efforts. Nature Valley committed an additional $350,000 this year for a total of $400,000 dedicated towards trail restoration. The contribution will enable more than 60 students to make the environment a priority by committing their summer vacations to repair trails in Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks. In total, Nature Valley has committed $450,000 to trail restoration this year.

"We're grateful Nature Valley is contributing to the American Hiking Society's National Trails Fund," said Gregory A. Miller, President for the American Hiking Society. "Nature Valley's support is not only doubling the size of the grant program, it's a testament to the company's commitment to trail conservation and community activism. Together, we are spreading the message of preserving both trails and the access they provide to our nation's pristine park lands."

Since its inception in 1998, the National Trails Fund has granted nearly $340,000 to 89 different trail projects across the United States. Community preservation efforts include land acquisition, constituency building campaigns and a variety of trail work projects. With more than 200,000 miles of trails in the United States, the National Trails Fund is the only national private grants program that helps U.S. trail-maintaining organizations build and improve hiking trails and galvanize volunteers to ensure long-term trail sustainability.

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