SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., May 9, 2013—The Environment Foundation, with primary funding provided by Aspen Snowmass employees, has made the largest grant in its 16-year history, donating $50,000 to protect 220,000 acres of Federal land from oil and gas development. The land is at Thompson Divide, outside of Carbondale, Colo. The grant is part of a total $118,000 in donations made this spring to 13 environmental projects.

SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., May 9, 2013—The Environment Foundation, with primary funding provided by Aspen Snowmass employees, has made the largest grant in its 16-year history, donating $50,000 to protect 220,000 acres of Federal land from oil and gas development. The land is at Thompson Divide, outside of Carbondale, Colo. The grant is part of a total $118,000 in donations made this spring to 13 environmental projects.

“Thompson Divide is a national, not a local issue,” said Matt Hamilton, executive director of the Foundation. “It's about whether we want to convert multiple-use land with huge economic benefit to single-use. It's about where we ought to drill and where we should weigh competing benefits.” As a multi-use area, the Divide is said to support 300 jobs and generate $30 million in economic activity yearly.

The Foundation's employee contributions are matched, in whole or part, by several other entities: Aspen Community Foundation, the Aspen Skiing Company Family Fund, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, and Swire Coca-Cola. Since its inception, more than $2.2 million in grants have supported 401 projects.

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