NEWS RELEASES
REI Will "Rewild" Five Cities This Year
Editor's Note: This news item was retrieved and first published through SGB Media's website.
KENT, Wash. - REI continues its initiative to “rewild” urban and suburban areas into its third year, with a grant of more than $600,000 to provide better access to the outdoors. This year’s grants include projects in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C. Funds will go to complete the 550-mile Bay Area Ridge Trail in San Francisco, to provide more access to the San Gabriel Mountains 50 miles outside Los Angeles and the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River 20 miles from downtown Seattle, to extend the 500-mile, multi-use trail network in the Washington, D.C., region, and to develop the Big Marsh property in southeast Chicago. The Rei Co-Op has contributed over $1.6 million to rewilding efforts since 2015, partnering with local nonprofits to help city-dwellers reconnect with nature.
“With our rewilding grants, our goal is to reimagine how people connect with the outdoors while living in large metropolitan areas,” Kristen Ragain, REI philanthropy and community partnership manager, said in a press release announcing this year’s grants. “As more of the population moves to urban areas, and cities continue to develop, it’s important to ensure there are outdoor spaces for people to enjoy the rewards and benefits of a life outdoors.” For more on REI’s Rewilding Initiative, go here.
The full press release on SGB Media can be found here.