| Is The Nature Conservancy
our best choice? Nope
(Note: Leo Schwartz pens another excellent and succinct article!)
Opinion By Leo Schwartz vlrc@ntelos.net Highland County, Virginia Fredericksburg.com, Free-Lance Star 605 William Street Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401 540-374-5531 http://www.fredericksburg.com/flshome/ To submit a Letter to the Editor: pakers@freelancestar.com
The Rappahanock River is the epicenter of a political earthquake as pro- and anti-easement forces speak out. One dispute centers on whether the city needs a partner to help manage the land. http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2006/032006/03022006/170832/edschw02.jpg.jpg
Unfortunately, the public continues to be misinformed about The Nature Conservancy and "conservation easements" ["Nature Conservancy is a logical, good choice," February 21]. Politically and financially the most powerful "charitable land trust" in the world, TNC operates as a "private" land acquisition arm of government. In the process, it has enriched itself and its favored minions. TNC goes about its deviltry with ruthless precision. The exposures by The Washington Post are the tip of the iceberg. Yet, in corporate boardrooms and marbled halls of government, our leaders lick its boots as it transfers ever more private land to the public estate. The total federal, state and local government share approaches 50 percent of the U.S. land area. There should be reason for concern. Marx referred to the end result as communism. One of the primary tools of land trusts is the perpetual conservation easement, a Frankenstein of legal alchemy having nothing to do with conservation and little to do with easements. Akin to feudal servitudes, where the "dead hand" of the elite reaches from the grave to control use of land, conservation easements are pre-acquisition tools. In 2002, TNC's Steven J. McCormick acknowledged that conservation easements were part of TNC's strategy to "leverage" acquisitions. Fredericksburg's officials may not be astute enough to understand the consequences of getting in bed with TNC, but private landowners, especially those near or adjoining the river land, should not be fooled into believing TNC is anything other than a wolf with an insatiable appetite, or that the 4,232 acres would not end up in the hands of a federal agency like the National Park Service.
Leo Schwartz is chairman of the Virginia Land Rights Coalition.
Copyright 2006, The Free-Lance Star. http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2006/032006/03022006/170832
Related TNC reading:
The Nature Conservancy Applauds President's Support for Conservation of North Georgia's Forest Lands in FY 2007 Budget
February 27, 2006
Contact: Christine Griffiths cgriffiths@tnc.org or 912-437-2161
Atlanta, Georgia - The Nature Conservancy in Georgia applauded President Bush's request to fund the conservation of north Georgia's forests with $1.5 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund in Fiscal Year 2007. If approved, this funding will support the protection of approximately 540 acres of critical mountain forests, which will ultimately be added to the Chattahoochee National Forest for the enjoyment of all Georgians. "This funding will help ensure that the vital north Georgia mountain forests, essential for wildlife and the health of our rivers and streams, will continue to be safeguarded," Tavia McCuean *tmccuean@tnc.org, director of The Nature Conservancy in Georgia. "By working with private landowners and our federal and state partners, The Nature Conservancy is able to preserve north Georgia's natural heritage for generations to come." Along with applauding the Bush administration for including funding for north Georgia in his budget, McCuean also commended Sen. Johnny Isakson, Sen. Saxby Chambliss, Rep. Nathan Deal and Rep. Charlie Norwood for their longtime support of The Nature Conservancy's work in Georgia. "We tremendously appreciate the Administration's request to fund conservation projects in north Georgia," said McCuean. "We will continue to work with the community and our partners to ensure that this funding remains in the budget as Congress works through the appropriations process.
About the Land and Water Conservation Fund
The LWCF has been responsible for protecting some of America's greatest national treasures, including the Great Sands Dunes National Park, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the Everglades. The Bush Administration's LWCF budget request is part of the President's budget request for the Department of the Interior and US Forest Service. The total Fiscal Year 2007 LWCF budget request totals $85 million, the lowest level in many years. As recently as Fiscal Year 2002, Congress appropriated $446 million to acquire important additions to National Parks, National Forests, National Wildlife Refuges and Bureau of Land Management areas. In late 2004, a $1 million federal appropriation was allocated to the Chattahoochee National Forest to fund land acquisition. The appropriation allowed The Nature Conservancy to work with the U.S Forest Service to purchase critical tracts of land located within north Georgia's Conasauga River and Etowah River watersheds, two of The Nature Conservancy's priority areas. "We are hopeful that Congress will restore funds to LWCF, one of the federal government's most successful land protection programs," said Jimmie Powell, director of government relations for The Nature Conservancy. "Numerous key additions to our country's heritage of protected areas will only be protected if Congress increases funding for this program."
Copyright 2006, The Nature Conservancy. http://nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/georgia/press/press2288.html
*Georgia Environmental Council (GEC) Member List (very nicely detailed) http://www.gecweb.org/GEC_member_orgs.htm Georgia Land Conservation Program Contact List http://www.gadnr.org/glcp/Documents/Who_to_Contact.pdf (2 pages) Georgia Environmental Policy Institute - List of Georgia Land Trusts http://www.gepinstitute.com/landtrust.list.asp Forest Legacy Program Assessment of Needs for the State of Georgia http://www.gfc.state.ga.us/Services/RuralForestry/legacy/AssessmentofNeeds.pdf (Definitions are Pages 103-104 of 110) (Note: only the cached version may be viewed. Trying to directly access this pdf file results in this message: "The Public Website is Here: http://www.gatrees.org") |
