Northern Forest Canoe Trail Announces Timberland Donation

    Business Editors

    WAITSFIELD, Vt.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 28, 2005--The Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT), a nonprofit organization devoted to creating a 740-mile paddling trail stretching from Old Forge, New York to Fort Kent, Maine, is excited to announce its receipt of a grant of $10,000 from the Timberland Company's competitive community investment program.
    "Timberland believes strongly that by partnering with effective non-profit organizations, we can assist in strengthening communities around the world," says Timberland's Community Investment Manager, Celina Adams. This support is realized in the form of community investment grants, which support organizations whose innovative leadership results in lasting, positive change. Timberland's grant to the Northern Forest Canoe Trail is linked to sales of its newly released Native Waters Sandal, which features information about the Trail on its hang-tag.
    Following historic Native American routes, the Northern Forest Canoe Trail links waterways through the Adirondacks, Vermont, Quebec, New Hampshire, and Maine. The Trail is the first recreational multi-watershed project of its kind and the longest inland water trail in the Northeastern United States. NFCT is also recognized as a national model for community-based water-trail design and management, working with an active network of over 100 volunteers to map and steward the Trail.
    "We are thrilled to receive this level of support from Timberland," says NFCT's executive director, Kate Williams. "We see this as an outstanding partnership model, and we are excited to put these funds to work on behalf of the communities through which our Trail passes."
    NFCT serves travelers and benefits neighboring communities by: encouraging canoe / kayak travel and recreation; promoting economic development by attracting a wide range of visitors to the region's communities; improving local access to and providing stewardship of regional waterways - rivers, streams, and lakes; enabling travelers to experience the Northern Forest's full range of diverse landscapes, from working cities and towns to farms, forests, and mountains; supporting community-based services and local arts, education and environmental programs that educate and inspire residents and visitors alike; and enhancing quality of life by creating opportunities for people to reconnect with place
    The Northern Forest Canoe Trail is a nonprofit organization devoted to creating a 740-mile paddling trail along a historic waterway through the Northern Forest. Our mission is to celebrate the rich human heritage and diverse natural environment of the Northern Forest by establishing and stewarding a water trail tracing historic Native American travel routes across New York, Vermont, Quebec, New Hampshire and Maine.

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CONTACT: The Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT) Kate Williams, 802-496-2285

KEYWORD: VERMONT INDUSTRY KEYWORD: ENVIRONMENT APPAREL/TEXTILES RETAIL SOURCE: Timberland

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