Save the Planet, Win a Vacation

SEATTLE, April 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Airlines and The Nature Conservancy are celebrating Earth Month by inviting adventure lovers to help choose their favorite conservation project in the West, while entering for a chance to win a seven-night trip for two to Montana's Pine Butte Guest Ranch.

Participants will be automatically entered into the Nature's Adventure Sweepstakes when they visit www.facebook.com/AlaskaAirlines and vote for one of six conservation projects. The Nature Conservancy and the winning project will receive a $60,000 donation from Alaska Airlines. The sweepstakes ends May 31, and a winner will be selected at random and notified within three business days. The project that receives the most votes will be announced at noon June 2, 2014, on Alaska Airlines' Facebook page.

"The Nature Conservancy has demonstrated strong leadership in many of the communities we serve," says Joe Sprague, Alaska Airlines' vice president of marketing. "We're pleased to partner with the world's largest conservation organization."

"Nature provides so much for us: clean air and water, food, a place to play, and a safe home for wildlife, yet many people don't realize what it takes to protect it," says Cassie Decker, director of marketing for The Nature Conservancy's Western Division. "This partnership is an engaging way to raise awareness about the work we're doing every day — through science and collaboration — to ensure nature can sustain people and wildlife for generations to come."

Learn about the six conservation projects:

Alaska: The Nature Conservancy is protecting places in Alaska where nature and everything else runs on wild salmon. When these fish journey home, they bring an incredible pulse of life to places where dozens of animals — bears, orca whales and bald eagles — rely on them. The Nature Conservancy is protecting the full range of wild salmon habitat across Alaska with science and hands-on projects.

California: The Nature Conservancy is using the power of big data and market forces to create temporary "Pop-up Habitats" for millions of migrating birds running out of places to stopover on their epic annual journey. In California's Central Valley, where 90 percent of land has been converted to farm land and wetlands are scarce, The Nature Conservancy has developed a market-driven, science-based solution that enables nature to thrive and people to prosper.

Hawaii: Using innovative underwater vacuums called "Super Suckers," The Nature Conservancy is removing the scourge of invasive algae from O'ahu's largest and most beautiful bay: Kanaohe Bay. Using the "Super Suckers," scientists are clearing the coral reefs of invasive algae, and then seeding the reefs with native sea urchins that feed on the algae and keep it from growing back.

Montana: Along the Rocky Mountain Range, The Nature Conservancy is ensuring the future for two of the West's most enduring icons: grizzly bears and cowboys. The Crown of the Continent is a place where grizzly bears, lynx, wolves, elk and moose still roam free and wild, and is home to generations of ranching families who have nurtured and protected the land and water. In fact, no plant or animal is known to have gone extinct here in recorded history.

Utah: One of The Nature Conservancy in Utah's most significant conservation targets, the Great Salt Lake, is home to more than 250 species of migratory birds — one of the world's largest gatherings of wildlife. The lake is also home to the Conservancy's Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve, an educational visitor center and one-mile wetland boardwalk.

Washington: Puget Sound's glacier-carved peaks, lush river valleys and rich marine waters are home to orcas, salmon, eagles, crabs, oysters and more than 7,000 species of wildlife. The Nature Conservancy is working to restore the health of Puget Sound for fish, wildlife and people through high-impact projects while supporting recreation, agriculture and local communities.

Nestled between mountains and prairie lands, Pine Butte Guest Ranch, owned and operated by The Nature Conservancy, offers visitors all the tradition and charm of a classic ranch experience, including horseback rides, cookouts and experienced wranglers, but with a twist: guests also have a chance to learn about the nature around them.

Alaska Airlines has been a strong supporter of The Nature Conservancy for 24 years, with in-kind donations totaling more than $1 million. The airline has also made significant strides in reducing its impact on the environment in recent years, and today released its most recent sustainability report, pledging to begin using sustainable aviation biofuel on some flights by 2020. To learn more, visit www.alaskaair.com/sustainability.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have helped protect 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at http://www.nature.org.

Alaska Airlines, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), together with its partner regional airlines, serves nearly 100 cities through an expansive network in Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. For reservations, visit www.alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines Newsroom at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom.

Sweepstakes terms and conditions: Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. Pacific time on May 31, 2014, at www.facebook.com/AlaskaAirlines . Entries are limited to one per person, with the exception of those who enter through Alaska Airlines' Facebook page and share the contest, who will receive an additional bonus entry. Winners must be 18 years of age or older, a legal resident of the United States and reside within a 120-mile radius of an airport serviced by Alaska Airlines. For complete contest rules, visit www.facebook.com/AlaskaAirlines.

SOURCE Alaska Airlines