Officially introduced at the USTOA 1999 Annual Conference and Marketplace, the Travelers Conservation Foundation has made major strides in its first year of operation.
The foundation started off with a $250,000 donation to the Mesa Verde National Park Restoration Projects by Tauck World Discovery, in commemoration of its 75th year. Those funds -- exclusively earmarked for Spruce Tree House, the most visited site in the park -- were doubled by the White House under the aegis of Save America's Treasures, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Last summer, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton recognized TCF for a $240,000 donation in partnership with "Save America's Treasures," to help restore the interior of the original ferry building on Ellis Island. The building's exterior, currently under restoration with the assistance of state and federal grants, is scheduled for completion by June 2001. A total of $855,000 is needed to complete the interior restoration.
"Through these and other exemplary projects, TCF looks forward to help fund sites of significance to travelers in various parts of the globe," says TCF Chairman Sven Olof Lindblad, president, Lindblad Expeditions, who spearheaded the drive to establish the foundation. "We believe that the time is ripe for the travel industry to be a major force in global preservation of nature, culture and history on which we so depend," he adds
"This is our way of giving back to a world that has given us so much, and of helping to safeguard areas of historic and cultural significance for the future," says USTOA President Bob Whitley. By contributing to the TCF, our member companies are demonstrating their leadership as corporate citizens. It's all about preserving the past for the future. As business people our members also recognize that it makes good sense to protect our fragile resources."
Under the leadership of Bruce Beckham, the USTOA-sponsored foundation seeks to identify cultural, historical and environmental sites in need of conservation, preservation or restoration throughout the world; provide funding through USTOA-member contributions; and develop philanthropic partnerships and/or matching grants in order to maximize results.
TCF projects cover the globe, and reflect destinations served by USTOA members. USTOA member companies can elect to identify their own projects with the assistance of TCF; or they can donate funds earmarked for any of several selected projects. In addition to Ellis Island in the U.S.; and the RARE Center for Tropical Conservation on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, projects include Peru's Cusco Historic Center; Cinque Terre in Italy; Petra, Jordan; the Champaner Archaeological site in India; and the Amboseli Research for Elephant Conservation in Kenya. Other potential projects in Hawaii and Australia are currently under consideration, reports Beckham.
The TCF founding board is made up of Sven-Olof Lindblad, President, Lindblad Special Expeditions, and TCF Chairman; Charlie Ball, Vice President, Princess Tours; John Stachnik, President, Mayflower Tours; Arthur Tauck, Chairman of the Board, Tauck World Discovery, Inc., and Robert E. Whitley, President, USTOA.
For more information on TCF contact Bruce Beckham, Executive Director, Travelers Conservation Foundation, (781) 821-5990, toll free (888) 821-5990; fax (781) 828-4319; e-mail beckham@aol.com, or www.tcfonline.org. Information on USTOA is available through the association at 342 Madison Ave., New York, Suite 1522, NY 10173; (212) 599-6599; fax (212) 599-6744; or e-mail USTOA@aol.com. For additional information and a listing of USTOA Active Members, visit www.ustoa.com.
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