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Ford and Northwest Ford Dealers Sponsor Pacific Northwest Trail Ass.

22 April 1999

Ford Motor Company and Northwest Ford Dealers Sponsor Pacific Northwest Trail Association

    SEATTLE--April 21, 1999--Ford Motor Company and the Northwest Ford dealers have donated $250,000 and an alternative fuel F-250 pickup to the Pacific Northwest Trail Association (PNTA).
    The donations will aid the group in its mission of completing and maintaining the 1,100-mile linear park that stretches from Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada to the Pacific Ocean on the Olympic peninsula.
    "Ford Motor Company is pleased to join with its dealers to be a partner in this important work," William C. Ford Jr., chairman of the board, Ford Motor Company, said at a corporate and dealer sponsorship dedication presentation in Seattle on April 21. "We're happy to help the PNTA move to a whole new level of activity to complete the Pacific Northwest Trail, which is located in some of the most beautiful country in the world. The contribution will also aid in efforts to maintain and publicize the trail along its entire length."
    In recent years, Ford Motor Company has taken a leadership role in conservation and improving the environment throughout the world. A partnership between Ford and the Wildlife Habitat Council, for example, has created "Wildlife at Work" sites at Ford facilities in the United States, Canada, England, Brazil and Mexico. Wildlife at Work sites encourage community efforts to create wildlife sites and educational programs on the importance of preserving endangered species.
    "It's great to see Ford take the leadership role in environmental matters. The PNTA is deeply grateful to Ford for making it possible for us to realize some of our dreams," said PNTA Chairman Duane Melcher. The contribution will allow the PNTA to hire a director to coordinate the activities required to complete and maintain the trail that crosses through Canada, Montana, Idaho and Washington.
    "We have a lot of people all along the trail who have worked many hours on maintaining it, and we know there are many more who want to help our effort," Melcher said. "Now we have the resources to complete and maintain the trail so that people from all over the world can enjoy the beautiful Northwest."
    For more information on the Pacific Northwest Trail call 360/424-0407 or log on to their web site at www.PNT.org.