| General Motors and The Nature
Conservancy: General Motors Issues Challenge Grant With The
Nature Conservancy To Save Threatened Brazilian Forests
(Note: The language deception below is enough to make you lose your appetite -- or your lunch! The Editor-in-Chief, whose email address is furnished, needs to hear from a LOT of folks that know the REAL 'Nature Conservancy,' and from those that know how far back the partnership between TNC and GM really goes. This is strictly business, and the business has nothing whatsoever to do with 'protecting' flora and fauna, but rather, everything to do with controlling all land and water that can possibly be controlled. If this means eliminating those honest and hardworking folks that used to buy the 'like a rock' pickup trucks for their ranches and farms, apparently GM could care less. Be sure to mention these two websites when you email the Editor-in-Chief: http://www.PropertyRightsResearch.org/tncframes.htm and Judy Keeler's website: http://www.cowboysandcattlecountry.0catch.com and this site, which has Judy Keeler's archive of articles, plus lots more great articles: http://www.matsuvalleynews.com/ ) February 19, 2003 The Auto Channel 332 West Broadway, Suite 1604 Louisville, KY 40202 USA 502-992-0200 Fax: 502-992-0201 Send your questions, comments, and suggestions to: Mark E. Fulmer Editor-in-Chief@theautochannel.com Arlington, Virginia - General Motors and The Nature Conservancy today pledged to raise $400,000 in a continuing effort to protect one of the most threatened rainforest areas in the world through the Conservancy's Adopt an AcreŽ program. As part of its ongoing partnership with The Nature Conservancy, GM issued a challenge grant, pledging to match up to $200,000 of every dollar raised by the Conservancy's Adopt an AcreŽ program for the Atlantic Forest project in Brazil. The Adopt an AcreŽ program raises funds to protect threatened rainforest areas around the world. "General Motors was drawn to The Nature Conservancy because of its dedication to preserving a variety of ecosystems," said Elizabeth A. Lowery, GM vice president of environment and energy. "The Adopt an AcreŽ program makes it possible for us to aid in the protection of a vital area." Funds raised through the Challenge Grant will be used to purchase an estimated 6,000 acres of mountain terrain in the Atlantic Forest along the eastern coast of Brazil. The region is home to hundreds of endangered animal and plant species that can be found nowhere else on Earth. "This matching grant from General Motors will allow donors to protect Brazil's threatened forests twice as fast," said Steve McCormick, president of The Nature Conservancy. "These national and international partnerships are critical in preserving the vast biodiversity of the Atlantic Forest and protecting the global environment." The Brazilian Atlantic Forest is one of the highest conservation priorities on the planet. Once spanning more than 500,000 square miles across Brazil and into neighboring Paraguay and Argentina, the Atlantic Forest has been reduced to less than 7 percent of its original size. The region is home to 55 mammal species -- including 17 primates -- and 188 bird species that can be found nowhere else in the world. Of Brazil's 202 endangered species, 171 of them depend on the Atlantic Forest to survive. The mountain terrain to be purchased under the Adopt an AcreŽ and GM matching grant program will be part of the Atlantic Forest Restoration Project in the state of Parana, in southern Brazil. That 30,000-acre reserve -- more than twice the size of Manhattan -- was originally created in 2000 with a landmark $10 million investment from GM. A local Brazilian conservation partner owns and manages the reserve with the technical assistance of The Nature Conservancy. The project will not only ensure the protection of endangered species in the area but also benefit the global atmosphere by capturing carbon dioxide through photosynthesis during forest growth. The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 14.5 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 83.5 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. To learn more about The Nature Conservancy, visit http://www.nature.org General Motors, the world's largest vehicle manufacturer, designs, builds and markets cars and trucks worldwide, and has been the global automotive sales leader since 1931. GM employs about 355,000 people around the world. To learn more about GM's commitment to the environment, go to http://www.gmability.com . http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2003/02/19/155457.html?NEWS A nice, educational quote from the Nature Conservancy: "We do work closely with USFWS (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). We buy these properties when they need to be bought, so that at some point we can become the willing seller (to government). This helps the government get around the problem of local opposition." - The Nature Conservancy's William Weeks quoted by syndicated columnist Warren T. Brookes, January 23, 1991 |