Louis Bacon’s Taos Ski Valley Foundation Supports The Nature Conservancy’s Rio Grande Water Fund with $125,000 Grant

Taos, NM | December 15, 2015 Louis Bacon’s Taos Ski Valley Foundation announced today that it has donated $125,000 to The Nature Conservancy to support healthier forests and clean water through the Rio Grande Water Fund. The Water Fund leverages public and private donations to increase the scale and scope of thinning overgrown trees from Taos to Albuquerque, securing water for 1 million people in New Mexico. Forested mountains serve as nature’s water storage and filtering facilities. Frequent, high-severity wildfires and subsequent post-fire flooding increasingly threaten water that serves nearly half of the state’s population. “Thinning our forests makes them safer and healthier, and creates economic benefit through sustainable rural livelihoods. Before we launched the Water Fund, the annual average rate of thinning throughout the watershed was 3,000 acres. That’s not enough to make a difference,” says Ernie Atencio, the Conservancy in New Mexico’s Rio Grande Water Fund Program Associate. “In the first year of the Water Fund, we tripled the number of acres restored, and we hope to keep up that pace by thinning 600,000 acres in the next... read more +

Louis Bacon’s Moore Bahamas Foundation announces major donation to BREEF for re-supplying schools in the southern Bahamas

Bahamas Islands Info 12.15.2015 NASSAU, Bahamas — Louis Bacon’s Moore Bahamas Foundation announced Monday that a substantial share of its $250,000 commitment to the islands of the southern Bahamas devastated by Hurricane Joaquin would go to helping children and teachers return to the classroom and begin to regain a sense of normalcy by supporting the replacement of destroyed school supplies. “In the weeks following the hurricane, it became apparent that to regain any sense of normalcy it was critical to get children back into classrooms,” said Bacon. “While the Government of The Bahamas was and is doing all it can, one of our long-time partners in the conservation movement, Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF), proposed assisting officials by providing chests of supplies and we are very proud to support them in this effort.” The Foundation will award $50,000 to BREEF to re-equip students with individual supplies and re-stock classrooms in Acklins, Crooked Island, San Salvador, Long Island and Rum Cay with collateral including marine-related posters, books and information intrinsically linked with lives on islands where fishing and... read more +

Moore Bahamas Foundation Rotary Club Bahamas donation

THE BAHAMAS (DECEMBER 2, 2015): Louis Bacon’s Moore Bahamas Foundation today announced its donation of $120,000 to the Rotary Clubs of The Bahamas for the rebuilding of the southern islands devastated by Hurricane Joaquin. “My family and I think of The Bahamas as a second home, and so we wanted to do whatever we could to reassure those affected by the devastation caused by the hurricane that they have remained in our hearts, and we are happy to support Rotary’s efforts to rebuild homes, lives and communities,” said Louis Bacon. “Today, we are very pleased to announce our donation to the Rotary Clubs of The Bahamas. We fully support their focus on economic recovery, specifically of the fishing, agriculture and livestock industries damaged by the storm,” said Bacon, whose philanthropic efforts have been rewarded by highly respected international honours. Teaming with the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Clubs have outlined plans for permanent solutions for potable water, the resupplying of schools and re-opening of businesses. This includes replacing fishing vessels that were destroyed in the storm and... read more +

Orton Foundation supports Oceana fight against Offshore Drilling and Seismic Airgun Blasting

Brunswick County, N.C. – Louis Bacon’s Orton Foundation announced today that it has awarded Oceana a second $50,000 grant dedicated to their campaign to prevent offshore drilling and seismic airgun blasting along the Atlantic coast, including the sensitive coastal regions of North Carolina. The Orton Foundation, the North Carolina affiliate of Louis Bacon’s Moore Charitable Foundation, supports conservation nonprofits that focus on protecting threatened landscapes, habitats and water bodies. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is considering opening a large swath of the Atlantic Ocean – from Virginia to Georgia – to oil and gas companies hoping to drill in the Atlantic Ocean. Nine of these companies have applied to use seismic airgun blasting to search for oil and gas deposits, which is an extremely dangerous process that can harm the ability of marine mammals to survive. The area includes critical habitat for endangered North Atlantic right whales (http://www.noaa.gov/). A groundswell of opposition to offshore drilling in the Atlantic is growing. As of today, 87 East Coast municipalities, including 27 in North Carolina, have formally opposed seismic airgun blasting and/or offshore drilling. In addition, roughly 600 local,... read more +

Trinchera Blanca Ranch San Luis Valley Sawmill

BLANCA, CO — Colorado’s largest contiguous ranch, the Trinchera Blanca Ranch in the San Luis Valley, is developing plans for a sustainable timbering operation to improve forest health on the Ranch and address issues that forests across the region, state and entire West are facing. The Ranch currently removes approximately 2.5 million board feet of timber per year, but needs to increase its efforts to sustainably manage and address the health of the forest and keep up with growth. The addition of a sawmill will provide the necessary capacity to further develop a sustainable timbering operation on the ranch and beyond. “Large portions of Colorado’s forests are hurting due to prolonged drought, bug infestations and poor historic forest management practices – the same issues we are facing on the Ranch,” said Ty Ryland, Trinchera Blanca Ranch Manager. “The forest-health issues on the Ranch, along with those of the region, are pushing us to act and the best solution is to sustainably manage our forests and build this sawmill to handle the volume.” The proposed facility would be located... read more +

Tercio Ranch Foundation donates funds for local scholarships

The Chronicle-News By Steve Block Wednesday, October 14, 2015 The Tercio Ranch Foundation donated $4,000 Thursday to the Culebra Range Community Coalition’s (CRCC) Environmental Scholarship Fund, for scholarships to qualifying area students. Tracy and Kelly Rael from the Tercio Ranch, left, hand over the check to the CRCC’s Tom and Linda Perry at the Trinidad Municipal Golf Course. Many college degree programs can lead to careers in various fields that can benefit our natural environment. The Tercio Ranch Foundation has stepped up to the plate with a $4,000 donation to the Culebra Range Community Coalition’s (CRCC) Environmental Scholarship Fund that can help a college-bound student looking to focus on a career in an environmentally related field of study. The Tercio Foundation is the local affiliate of Louis Bacon’s Moore Charitable Foundation, and said in a press release that it’s proud to support CRCC’s Environmental Scholarship Fund. Ranch employees Tracey and Kelly Rael were on hand at the Trinidad Municipal Golf Course last Thursday to give the donation to Tom and Linda Perry, representatives of the CRCC. Tom Perry provided some... read more +

The Trinchera Blanca Foundation Provides Challenge Grant to Community Foundation Serving Southwest

Grant supports local businesses affected by Animas River Spill  Durango, Colo., October 19 – Today, The Trinchera Blanca Foundation, the Colorado affiliate of Louis Bacon’s Moore Charitable Foundation, announces a $5,000 challenge grant to the Community Foundation Serving Southwest Colorado. The matching grant will primarily support the Community Foundation’s Community Emergency Relief Fund (CERF), which provides one-time assistance to area workers whose income has been affected by the Animas River Spill. “The Trinchera Blanca Foundation believes that community support makes all the difference in challenging times,” said Ann Colley, executive director and vice president of The Moore Charitable Foundation. “There has been tremendous local support so far, and we are proud to participate in the effort to assist people impacted by the Animas River Spill and to help prepare the relief fund for the next challenge. We hope that this matching grant inspires more people to contribute.” The relief fund is housed within the Community Foundation Serving Southwest Colorado, a 501c3 non-profit organization designed to serve the local community through various endowment funds and grants. The Community Foundation preserves the integrity of... read more +