WildStock Campaign to Benefit Wildlife

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RALEIGH, N.C. (March 9, 2007) – WildStock, a statewide conservation campaign for wildlife fundraising and awareness, will soon be underway.

WildStock offers a unique partnership opportunity for North Carolina merchants and their customers to help nongame and endangered species. A WildStock label on merchandise means each sale benefits the Wildlife Diversity Program of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

“Through the licensing of distinctive labeling to manufacturers, distributors and retailers of selected consumer goods, WildStock creates an opportunity to contribute to vital conservation efforts,” said Mark Dubowski, marketing director for the Wildlife Resources Commission. “Two percent of each purchase goes to help the state’s wildlife diversity, which includes endangered, threatened and nongame species.”

WildStock will be administered by the North Carolina Cardinal Foundation. The range of wildlife that will benefit from WildStock varies from bald eagles to green salamanders, northern flying squirrels to eastern box turtles. The money raised will assist resource management, species monitoring and research, as well as restoration, rehabilitation and improvement of wildlife habitat at a time when crucial federal funding has been cut.

The WildStock campaign will be launched at an afternoon festival and concert on April 14 at Bass Pro Shops at Concord Mills Mall, located off Interstate 85 in Concord about a mile from Lowe's Motor Speedway. Gates open at 2 p.m. and music starts at 4 p.m. For information on performers and advance ticket sales, go online to www.wildstocker.org.

Exhibitors on festival grounds will include members of Teaming With Wildlife, a national coalition of more than 5,000 organizations that works to increase state and federal funding for wildlife conservation. For more information, go online to http://statewildlife.nwf.org/nc/.