The Standard Announces Partnership with Forest Park Conservancy
PORTLAND, Ore.-(Business Wire)-September 18, 2009 - The Standard today announced a multi-year partnership with The Forest Park Conservancy. The partnership seeks to mobilize The Standard’s employees to address the ecological challenges facing the Park and strengthen the capacity of the Portland, Ore.-based environmental nonprofit.
Forest Park, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, was created as a result of strong leadership by a group of civic-minded individuals. Members of this group, including former President of The Standard Garnett “Ding” Cannon, forged a remarkable consensus for what was then called “Municipal Forest Park.” On September 25, 1948, Portland’s City Council responded with an affirmative vote to designate 4,200 acres of the wildwoods of Portland’s northwest hills, “Forest Park.”
Today, Forest Park — covering 5,000 acres — is surrounded on three sides by residential and industrial development and networked by more than 70 miles of recreational trails maintained by the Conservancy in partnership with Portland Parks and Recreation. Yet the Park faces pressures unimagined 60 years ago.
Over the next three years, The Standard is committing to a minimum of 1,500 employee volunteer hours benefiting Forest Park. The Conservancy has identified 60 degraded acres of parkland that employees of The Standard will focus on during the partnership, restoring trails and removing invasive weed and plant species.
In addition to employee volunteer efforts, The Standard is pledging $150,000 over three years for The Forest Park Conservancy to focus on three critical elements: increasing on-the-ground trail maintenance and restoration; building internal organizational capacity; and creating a communications and public awareness campaign.
“The Forest Park Conservancy and Portland Parks and Recreation face enormous challenges as stewards of the more than 5,000-acre urban forest,” said J. Greg Ness, president and CEO of The Standard. “Sixty years ago, The Standard and others were there to help create Forest Park and it is my honor to announce that The Standard and our employees are renewing our commitment to Forest Park,” Ness added.
“The Standard’s support will enable us to accelerate our conservation and awareness efforts, and we are thrilled to have this partnership re-emerge at this critical time,” said Michelle Bussard, Executive Director/CEO of The Forest Park Conservancy.
Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish said, “We cannot do this work alone. By advancing a public awareness campaign about the ecological issues facing Forest Park, Portland Parks and Recreation and the Conservancy will enlist new individual and corporate supporters to its cause. On behalf of the City of Portland, I want to thank The Standard for its renewed commitment to Forest Park.”
About The Standard
StanCorp Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:SFG), through its subsidiaries marketed as The Standard — Standard Insurance Company, The Standard Life Insurance Company of New York, Standard Retirement Services, StanCorp Mortgage Investors, StanCorp Investment Advisers, StanCorp Real Estate and StanCorp Equities — is a leading provider of financial products and services. StanCorp’s subsidiaries serve approximately 8.3 million customers nationwide as of June 30, 2009, with group and individual disability insurance, group life, AD&D, vision and dental insurance, retirement plans products and services, individual annuities and investment advice. For more information about The Standard, visit its website at www.standard.com.
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