Tread Lightly!, Noble Energy and U.S. Forest Service Project on Pawnee National Grassland

Public-Private Partnership Fosters Citizen Stewardship, Community Engagement and Sustainable Outdoor Recreation;

All Priorities of Public Importance at the National, State and Local Levels

Greeley, Colo. – June 30, 2015 – Tread Lightly!, a leading national non-profit empowering people to connect with nature and enjoy outdoor recreation, has partnered with Noble Energy, Inc. to support multiple-use access, sustainability, education and stewardship of America’s natural resources. The initial focus of this new and innovative partnership is on the Pawnee National Grassland, near the community of Greeley, Colorado, where the groups held a kickoff event last Friday at the Main Draw Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Area near Greeley, Colo.

The multifaceted “Nurturing with Nature” partnership is highlighted by the development of a unique educational program to connect Greeley students with the outdoors. By integrating outdoor ethics and skills education into local schools, Tread Lightly! and Noble Energy are providing Greeley’s youth with direct exposure to nature. This type of exposure has proven essential for healthy childhood development and nurturing a society of good citizens and environmental stewards.

Last Friday, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service’s Pawnee National Grassland office, Noble Energy employees alongside volunteers from a local Boy Scouts troop completed the first of three important projects installing new fencing and a new information kiosk that will serve local and visiting OHV enthusiasts. 

“Tread Lightly! needs important community partners like Noble Energy to help accomplish critical work supporting outdoor recreation on our public lands,” said Lori McCullough, executive director for Tread Lightly!. “Through programs like these – by leveraging financial and intellectual resources through a public-private partnership – we are educating, inspiring and nurturing future stewards, and helping to connect people of all ages and abilities to our natural environment through participation in outdoor recreation.”

The recent project – made possible by the “Nurturing with Nature” partnership among Tread Lightly!, Noble Energy and the U.S. Forest Service – is intended to protect long-term access to this popular OHV area, sustain opportunities to enjoy outdoor recreation, and protect valuable natural resources. 

“Noble Energy is proud to be working with Tread Lightly! and the U.S. Forest Service in making Colorado’s great outdoors more accessible, while at the same time promoting environmental stewardship to sustain our unique surroundings for future generations,” said Chip Rimer, Noble Energy Senior Vice President of U.S. Onshore. “Providing Tread Lightly! with resources and volunteers for these important projects is important to the people of Noble Energy, who believe strongly in our commitment to work in true partnership with our many communities.”

Noble’s Nurturing with Nature partnership with Tread Lightly! involves two other hands-on Restoration for Recreation projects scheduled for completion by the end of September 2015 at the popular recreational sites – the Baker Draw area (Monday, August 24) and Pawnee Buttes Trailhead (Friday, September 25).

“We are pleased this partnership could come together to accomplish some great work on the Pawnee National Grassland and help connect the public to their natural Grassland,” Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland Supervisor Glenn Casamassa said.

More information about Nurturing with Nature and Tread Lightly!’s Restoration for Recreation program can be found at http://treadlightly.org. 

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About Tread Lightly!

Tread Lightly! is celebrating its 25th anniversary as a national nonprofit organization in October 2015. Founded in 1990 through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, Tread Lightly! promotes responsible outdoor recreation through ethics education and stewardship programs. 

Tread Lightly! has more than 70 official partners from various industries and is likely the nation’s only non-profit holding MOUs with every federal and state agency in the U.S. Tread Lightly!’s diverse member base enjoys a wide range of outdoor activities including hunting, angling, camping, boating, biking, four-wheeling and much more. Become a Tread Lightly! partner or member today and start supporting access, education and stewardship at www.treadlightly.org.

About Noble Energy

Noble Energy is a leading independent energy company engaged in worldwide oil and natural gas exploration and production. The Company has core operations onshore in the U.S., primarily in the DJ Basin and Marcellus Shale, in the Gulf of Mexico, offshore Eastern Mediterranean, and offshore West Africa. Noble Energy is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is traded under the ticker symbol NBL. Further information is available at www.nobleenergyinc.com and www.noblecolorado.com

About U.S. Forest Service

The mission of the Forest Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. Public lands the Forest Service manages contribute more than $13 billion to the economy each year through visitor spending alone. Those same lands provide 20 percent of the Nation’s clean water supply, a value estimated at $7.2 billion per year. The agency has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 80 percent of the 850 million forested acres within the U.S., of which 100 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.