The Forecastle Foundation, the non-profit environmental activism arm of the Forecastle Festival, contributed more than $75,000 in 2015 to help conservation projects in Kentucky, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region. The non-profit provided funding for three partner organizations: The Kentucky Natural Lands Trust, The Nature Conservancy and the Guayaki Foundation.
Preservation Boundary Marker on Pine Mountain
Kentucky Natural Lands Trust (KNLT), an organization that works to preserve and restore the state’s remaining wildlands, received a total donation of $25,000, including funds raised from a Whole Foods 5% Day. The Forecastle Foundation supports their Pine Mountain Wildlands Corridor project – the largest landscape level project ever undertaken in the state, in an area that serves as a critical migratory path and refuge for hundreds of species, some of which are found nowhere else on earth. To date, Forecastle Foundation contributions have aided in the purchase and stewardship of more than 1,000 acres of Pine Mountain in the far reaches of southeastern Kentucky.
“The Forecastle Foundation has become a key partner providing essential funding for our acquisition activities and offering us opportunities to engage a large, diverse audience about our efforts to protect, connect and restore wildlands. The Foundation’s board members pour a phenomenal amount of time and energy into their work. Their efforts offer a collective benefit locally, regionally and globally, and we thank them for this,” said Greg Abernathy, KNLT Assistant Director.
The Nature Conservancy – one of the largest conservation organizations in the world – received $25,000 to support their Kentucky Chapter with projects on Kentucky’s Green River, the Coral Triangle, and Central Appalachian Mountain Chain.
Green River in Kentucky
“The missions of Forecastle Foundation and The Nature Conservancy are closely aligned. We are both focused on protecting, conserving and improving the globe’s biological diversity-preserving the world’s natural awesome,” said Cathy Galante, director of philanthropy, TNC. “The Conservancy offers the opportunities for the foundation to be involved on both the local and global fronts, while the Forecastle Foundation helps us connect with a broader, more diverse audience. Our chances for accomplishing our missions increase when we collaborate on the challenges facing our larger conservation efforts.”
The Forecastle Foundation continues to support the Guayaki Foundation, an organization that has pioneered a sustainable development model that empowers local indigenous communities in Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay to regenerate and protect the Atlantic Rainforest. Ninety-five percent of the Atlantic Rainforest has already been destroyed, largely due to clear cut logging for agricultural purposes.
As part of an ongoing project, this year’s $25,000 contribution will aid in the planting, 2,500 native trees by 500 students from 16 schools in the region and will also support the creation of the Guayaki Lodging and Research Center, offering workshops and hands-on educational opportunities for scientists, teachers and students from around the world.
Kentucky Dream Coffee Products
In 2015, The Forecastle Foundation launched a partnership with Heine Brothers' Coffee featuring a fair-trade, 100 percent organic Nicaraguan coffee blend and merchandise line. The product line, titled Kentucky Dream, is available at all 13 area Heine Brothers' Coffee locations, as well as Whole Foods Market in Louisville. From each bag of Kentucky Dream, $5 goes directly to the Forecastle Foundation to support Kentucky environmental projects. Heine Brothers’ goal is to raise $10,000 for the Forecastle Foundation in the first year of this partnership and to grow in the years to come.
“Since 2011, we’ve contributed more than $151,500 to these vital organizations and we’ve already seen an indelible impact on these very threatened ecosystems,” said Holly Weyler McKnight, chairman, Forecastle Foundation. “Through the generosity of our donors and partners, we’re able to make serious strides. Every bag of Heine Bros. Kentucky Dream, every ticket purchased for the Forecastle Festival ensures we’re able to continue protecting the world’s natural awesome.”
About The Forecastle Foundation
The Forecastle Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization working to protect the world’s natural awesome by partnering with organizations that are taking great strides to safeguard biologically-rich hotspots across the globe. These hot spots represent the richest and most threatened reservoirs of plant and animal life on Earth. They cover just 2.3 percent of the Earth’s land surface, yet account for 77 percent of all vertebrae species and 50 percent of the world’s plant life. Hot spots play a vital role in regulating world temperatures and provide a number of necessities most Americans use on a regular basis, including food, medicine, paper, detergents, cosmetics, and countless other household products. These fragile areas are endangered due a variety of factors, including pollution, development, deforestation, illegal hunting and other harmful practices.
For more information about The Forecastle Foundation, please visit
www.forecastlefoundation.org