Forecastle Foundation’s Total Donations Top $400,000 in 2017
Record fundraising effort includes contribution to protecting Louisville’s Floyd’s Fork watershed
Louisville, Ky. (February 19, 2018) — The Forecastle Foundation, the nonprofit environmental activism arm of the Forecastle Festival, completed a record-breaking year of giving in 2017. Its contributions to philanthropic partners totaled $131,750 in 2017, helping the Foundation break $400,000 in overall giving since its inception in 2010. This year’s donations included the first ever local contribution to the Future Fund Land Trust, which helps protect the Floyd's Fork watershed in Louisville.
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“The continued growth and record-breaking numbers raised by The Forecastle Foundation is testament to our commitment to making our planet a better place to live, and inspire future generations to lead,” said JK McKnight, founder of The Forecastle Foundation.
The Forecastle Foundation’s mission is to protect and connect the world’s natural awesome – the most crucial, highly-threatened biodiversity hotspots. The Foundation achieves this goal by partnering with like-minded organizations at home and abroad, to raise awareness, funds and volunteers. The Foundation has current, active projects on three continents and five countries, with a goal to reach every region and continent in the years to come.
2017 partners included:
Kentucky Natural Lands Trust (Kentucky)
Kentucky Natural Lands Trust (KNLT) works to connect existing protected areas along the Pine Mountain Wildlands Corridor, a 180,000-acre ridgeline that stretches 125-miles from Tennessee through eastern Kentucky and into Virginia. This area is an important refuge for nearly 100 rare plant and animal species, and a migratory route through a region heavily impacted by coal mining, oil and gas development, and logging. Creating more contiguous protected habitat is essential to safeguarding and sustaining functioning ecosystems and ensuring the health and resilience of local, regional and global communities. The Forecastle Foundation’s contributions have helped KNLT purchase and preserve more than 2,000 acres.
Guayaki Foundation (Argentina, Brazil)
The Guayaki Foundation helps to empower local, indigenous communities to regenerate and protect the Atlantic Forest through research, educational programs and promotion of the agro-ecological systems in the Atlantic Forest. Contributions from The Forecastle Foundation have helped to fund their environmental education programs, a 150-acre land preserve, and the building of a research center. The environmental education program invites indigenous school children to plant native hardwood trees and learn the principles of agro-ecology, where humans can produce crops that restore and protect endemic ecosystems. Each year, every student plants five native trees and harvests crops such as manioc, bananas and beans. With the support of The Forecastle Foundation, more than 750 students have participated in the environmental education program, planting more than 3,750 trees in the 150-acre land preserve.
The Nature Conservancy (Indonesia, Kentucky)
With more coral and reef fish species than anywhere else on Earth, the six island nations of the Coral Triangle form the world’s epicenter of marine diversity. The Coral Triangle provides key migration routes for whales and dolphins and nesting beaches for six of the world’s seven sea turtle species.
The Green River is the crown jewel of Kentucky’s river system. A globally significant watershed for biodiversity, it supports more than 70 species of freshwater mussels and more than 150 species of fish – including 43 species found nowhere else in the world. Contributions from The Forecastle Foundation have helped protect more than three miles of river frontage along the Green River located in Kentucky, and have supported plans to restore nearly 200 miles of the Green River to its natural state by eliminating locks and dams.
Friends for Conservation and Development (Belize)
Belize’s 437,375-acre Chiquibul Forest is part of a tri-national bioregion forming the largest remaining contiguous tropical forest north of the Amazon. This area is a wild hotspot for biodiversity. The forest faces several challenges, including poaching, pet trade, fires, agricultural farming and gold panning. The Chiquibul Forest is comprised of 17 different ecosystems, providing water to more than 45 percent of Belize’s population, and harboring the only known breeding habitat for scarlet macaws and many other rare and endangered species in Belize. Composed of park rangers, karst technicians, educators and researchers, the Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD) team in Belize monitors, explores and manages these jungles. The Forecastle Foundation’s contributions have helped FCD repair their field technicians’ vehicles for transportation to and from the Forest.
Future Fund Land Trust (Kentucky)
The Future Fund Land Trust was established in 1993, with the goal of providing a 10,000-acre conservation overlay to protect the Floyds Fork watershed in Louisville, Ky. from encroachment. Floyds Fork is one of the last remaining natural streams in Jefferson County. The Future Fund Land Trust owns more than 4000 acres of land along the Floyds Fork. In partnership with Metro Louisville, The Parklands of Floyds Fork and 21st Century Parks assist in providing land for recreational space. The Forecastle Foundation is proud to add the Future Fund Land Trust to its list of partners, and offer a $10,000 donation for its continued work in protecting the Floyds Fork watershed.
In addition to these partner donations, The Forecastle Foundation also donated $1,750 to the Louisville Orchestra for its participation in Cocktails & Conservation in 2017.
The Forecastle Foundation raises funds year-round through business partnerships, events and the generosity of individual donors. The Foundation also receives $1 from every ticket sold at the annual Forecastle Festival. This year’s event will be held July 13-15, 2018 at Louisville’s Waterfront Park.
All donations are made possible by The Forecastle Foundation’s supporters, including the Forecastle Festival, Give for Good Louisville, Sierra Nevada, Gibson, Heine Brothers, Whole Foods, Kentucky Bourbon Trail, Quest Outdoors, Four Roses, and numerous artists who have donated memorabilia or time to the Foundation, including My Morning Jacket, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Ray LaMontagne, Danny Clinch, Neko Case and more.