The Bureau of "Nature Conservancy"

Trumpet America ^ | JOYCE MORRISON

[palmer]

The Bureau of "Nature Conservancy"

How this non-governmental entity governs...

Article, with links to related material, posted May 26, 2006 at Trumpet America

JOYCE MORRISON

* The Bureau of "Nature Conservancy"

It would almost appear The Nature Conservancy has been given bureau status with the United States government. They don't need appropriations to run their bureau as they are funded from grants given to them by their close partnerships, Memorandums of Understanding, agreements, and other connections to government agencies - as well as public donations.

One of TNC's most recent actions as a bureau has been the signing of an agreement with the Southwestern Region of the USDA Forest Service by their Arizona and New Mexico Chapters. TNC will also be working with the Bureau of Land Management.

It is reported TNC was hired through a "no bid" contract to do GIS mapping. The question was raised as to why the Forest Service and BLM did not contact the United States Geological Survey to do this work, but no one has given an answer.

TNC will compile a vegetation database for Region 3 National Forests. Opponents to TNC doing this work say this agreement will "determine the desired future conditions, develop its own new standards for data interpretation, interpret old and new data by these new self created standards, establish hypotheses and evaluate them under the adaptive management and monitoring system."

This will mean that TNC intends to make up their own rules as they go along and they will be training Forest Service employees.

Opponents are speaking out loud and clear that they believe, "the next 20 or more years of Forest policy will be founded on the work of an immensely wealthy private corporation (the world's largest private landowner) with its own selfish agendas, minimal, if any, financial transparency, a checkered reputation, and minimal, if any, public accountability."

Legislators tried to get the contract pulled by the appropriations committee but couldn't get the job done. There are concerns that access to this information could be readily available could be used against farmers and ranchers.

It is well known The Nature Conservancy has close ties with the U.S. Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and other government agencies - and they are well paid for their connections.

TNC has often been called the real estate agent for the United States. They have a history of purchasing land and then selling it to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife or some other government agency... at a profit. [See links at end.] The National Park Service and the Forest Service are also ready to grab more land held by private property owners.

"We do work closely with USFWS," said Wm. Weeks of The Nature Conservancy. "We buy these properties when they need to be bought so that at some point we can become the willing seller (to the government.) This helps the government get around the problem of local opposition."

TNC purchases farm land to be developed into wetlands. Somehow they seem to find enough donations from government and private sources to pay for the property and develop the wetlands. Later they will most likely sell the property back to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife or another government agency and double their investment.

Although The Nature Conservancy, a non-profit organization, is deeply entrenched in almost every government agency, no one seems to know why.

If there is any validity to the rumor floating around, it appears TNC's Chairman of the Board of Directors could be heading the United States Treasury Department. John Carlisle of the National Legal and Policy Center in his article, Goldman Chief is too Green for Treasury said, "Rumors are swirling that Treasury Secretary John Snow is on his way out and one of the names mentioned is Henry Paulson, chairman and CEO of the Goldman Sachs Group."

"In November 2005, Goldman adopted an 'Environmental Policy' that neatly reflected the controversial agenda of the Nature Conservancy, the nation's wealthiest environmental organization with $4 billion in assets. The Goldman/Nature Conservancy agenda includes reducing manmade greenhouse gas emissions," Carlisle reported.

Carlisle said, "The National Legal and Policy Center, an ethics watchdog group, filed a shareholder proposal that was considered at the Goldman annual meeting [recently]. NLPC wanted Paulson to explain Goldman's unusually tangled relationship with the Nature Conservancy."

This is the same Mr. Henry Paulson being considered for the job of United States Treasury Secretary. This appointment could be like putting the fox in the hen house.

TNC is an organization that is like a magnet to the wealthy. Their board of directors and high ranking members are mostly the elite...

http://www.nature.org/aboutus/leadership/art15462.html

One member who served on the Illinois TNC Board of Directors in the 1990s was billionaire Warren Buffett's son, Howard.

According to a Bloomberg report, Buffett, 75 said his son Howard, 51, would be appointed as the future chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. Warren Buffet said his son would be "a double protector of the culture."

Bloomberg said Howard Buffett has been an environmental activist and photographer while appearing to be a dirt farmer on his 840 acre farm in central Illinois.

"Buffett has also served on the boards of Archer Daniels Midland Co., the world's largest grain processor, and Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc., the largest soft-drink distributor. He is currently on the board of ConAgra Foods, Inc., the third largest U.S. food company," Bloomberg reported.

RANGE Magazine (http://www.rangemagazine.com/) did a special disclosing the unethical practices of The Nature Conservancy:

Unless we as a people are willing to accept the continued loss of not only private property and individual rights, but of large portions of our national culture and customs as well, the Nature Conservancy must be brought to heel. Right now, it is a well-fed and generally admired beast leading us in a wild run that is as destructive in its seemingly friendly character as it is in its seldom-seen attacks. This is no errant clumsy puppy we can finally calm. It is a runaway predator that will turn on us in defense of its territory. The Nature Conservancy is the wolf we raised ourselves, the grizzly we fed from the table. The monster we made with indifference. If it is left to go on growing, it will be the master and we the obedient slaves.

And the Washington Post did an investigative series reporting hundreds of shady dealings (staff writers Joe Stephens and David Ottaway):

The Nature Conservancy has suspended a range of practices, including the sale of ecologically sensitive land to its trustees as home sites, in the wake of press accounts describing the Arlington-based nonprofit's activities and concerns expressed by some of its 1 million members. The Conservancy, the world's richest environmental group, said it has halted all "conservation buyer" real estate transactions until the charity's board of governors reviews the practice in June. A Washington Post series [recently] reported that many buyers have been current and former Conservancy state trustees.

Although there was a Senate investigation which uncovered considerable documentation proving TNC stretched the boundaries of a non-profit organization, it is still business as usual and bureau of The Nature Conservancy and their government ties grow even stronger.

Contact Joyce Morrison at: dayspring365@yahoo.com

COPYRIGHT by author or current publisher. Trumpet America does not support or endorse any specific socio-political party or movement; the news and discourse found here are presented only as an informative service to the public. The original electronic version of this article may contain embedded links not included here; for the original, go to:

http://www.newswithviews.com/Morrison/joyce31.htm

TA Editor's note: See also...

http://www.trumpetamerica.org/060215ta2344.html

http://www.trumpetamerica.org/060222ta2038.html

http://www.trumpetamerica.org/060315ta1952.html

Permanent link to this item at Trumpet America:

[palmer]

Now that Paulson is being proposed for Treasury Secretery, it seems worthwhile to discuss if he is "too green".

[FreeInWV]

TNC is a threat to private landowners everywhere.

[metesky]

No NGO should receive one red cent of public treasure. Period.

[hedgetrimmer]

FYI

Somethings up with our public lands, I have no doubt. The globalists in our government are too tightly tied with Goldman Sachs for it to be otherwise. Putting Paulsen at the head of the Treasury department is further corporatizing the federal government.

[Renfield]

The TNC has no power of condemnation. They only buy from willing sellers.

My impression of TNC is favorable. I work for one of the aforementioned Federal agencies, and TNC has been very accommodating...they have always given me unrestricted access to their local holdings, and they allow deer hunting on them as well, which keeps the locals happy.

[hedgetrimmer]

They only buy from willing sellers.

Ha ha ha.

[DumpsterDiver]

Ping. (I'm thinking this may interest you.)

[FreeInWV]

Not so in my area. What I have seen is how they drive down the cost of land so they can buy it for pennies on the dollar. Then they carve out the pieces that they want and sell the rest to the govt at a huge profit.

Sure TNC may be really friendly to your agency. Nobody bites the hand that feeds it. You are spending millions of taxpayer dollars on them. They will also let the hunters in for ten years or so and likely give PILT money to the county for a few years too. Then it will be over. Its a cost of doing business for them.

My question is this: If TNC only buys from willing sellers, why do you even need them? If people "really" wanted to sell, why not sell to your agency?

[BillyBonebrake]

Thats hard to read ... or is it just me?

All I know about the Nature Conservancy is that when I was last in Boulder, CO the only lawn that was green was their's. Due to drought conditions everyone in town had to abide by water restrictions, but somehow their HQ looked idyllic. Whassup wif dAT?

[nicmarlo]

Somethings up with our public lands, I have no doubt. The globalists in our government are too tightly tied with Goldman Sachs for it to be otherwise. Putting Paulsen at the head of the Treasury department is further corporatizing the federal government.

Opponents are speaking out loud and clear that they believe, "the next 20 or more years of Forest policy will be founded on the work of an immensely wealthy private corporation (the world's largest private landowner) with its own selfish agendas, minimal, if any, financial transparency, a checkered reputation, and minimal, if any, public accountability."

Since its inception, the CFR has served as an intermediary between high finance, big oil, corporate elitists and the U.S. government. The executive branch changes hands between Republican and Democratic administrations, but cabinet seats are always held by CFR members. It has been said by political commentators on the left and on the right that if you want to know what U.S. foreign policy will be next year, you should read Foreign Affairs this year.

The CFR's claim that "The Council has no affiliation with the U.S. government" is laughable. The justification for that statement is that funding comes from member dues, subscriptions to its Corporate Program, foundation grants, and so forth. All this really means is that the U.S. government does not exert any control over the CFR via the purse strings.

In reality, CFR members are very tightly affiliated with the U.S. government.

* * *

"... the powers of financial capitalism had another far-reaching aim, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole. This system was to be controlled in a feudalist fashion by the central banks of the world acting in concert, by secret agreements arrived at in frequent private meetings and conferences." --Dr. Carroll Quigley, "Tragedy and Hope," 1966

[butternut_squash_bisque]

TNC is a lefty organization and was exposed a few years ago in a scheme to resell raw land at a loss to supporters as part of a program to limit intrusive development, but the sales generally allow buyers to construct sprawling homes with swimming pools on the environmentally sensitive sites.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/nation/specials/natureconservancy/

They're skunks.

[Renfield]

My agency (the NRCS) doesn't buy land. We're not the BLM.

[palmer]

All I know about the Nature Conservancy is that when I was last in Boulder, CO the only lawn that was green was their's

They are the elite, so you can't really expect them to tolerate brown lawns can you?

[Czar]

"In reality, CFR members are very tightly affiliated with the U.S. government."

I trust the CFR about as much as I trust the government these days. Which is to say, not at all.

[nicmarlo]

not at all

nor do I.

[Sam Cree]

"My question is this: If TNC only buys from willing sellers, why do you even need them? If people "really" wanted to sell, why not sell to your agency?"

That is actually the relevant question. I understand that selling to the Nature Conservancy creates a situation in which people can continue to use their land as they did before, while ensuring that it won't be developed. But why do we need the Nature Conservancey for that? What are they doing that landowners couldn not do for themselves without a middleman?

[SierraWasp]

Why you dare bring into question their moral superiority? They are a sanctified "Not For Profit" (but for huge salaries & expense accounts) 501(c)3 Corporation! Don't you understand that there are only two sanctified selfless organizations at work in our Democracy, today? Yes! It's true!! One is Multi-Level Government. The other is any Not-For-Profit do gooder organization!!!

[calcowgirl]

I think you've probably seen these links before. I forget who first posted them at FR.

There is some really informative information.
http://www.discerningtoday.org/


Linked from this site is TakingLiberty that has an interactive presentation that is well worth watching.
It helps make sense of many recent actions by our Government.

http://www.takingliberty.us/
TAKING LIBERTY
How Private Property is Being Abolished in America

[calcowgirl]

>> TNC... exposed a few years ago in a scheme
>> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/nation/specials/natureconservancy/

Bump! That was an excellent series of articles at the WaPo

[hedgetrimmer]

Here's some for you.

Nature's Landlord

May 30, 2003 SUMMARY: The Nature Conservancy is coming under fire after the Washington Post described how the $3 billion environmental charity may have played loose with IRS laws to benefit supporters, including corporations that have paid millions in environmental fees. This story provides a comprehensive overview of how your taxes and donations have been used by The Nature Conservancy, provides links to the Washington Posts "Big Green" series and to a library of supplementary stories.

Nature Conservancy under investigation, suspends operations after Post exposure

FULL TEXT: The Nature Conservancy is coming under fire after the Washington Post described how the $3 billion environmental charity may have played loose with IRS laws to benefit supporters, including corporations that have paid millions in environmental fees.

Questionable practices

In a three-part series, Washington Post Staff Writers Joe Stephens and David B. Ottaway detailed questionable practices at the worlds richest environmental group like the following:

Acquiring raw land, attaching development restrictions, then reselling the properties to supporters at greatly reduced prices.
Selling ecologically sensitive land at reduced prices to the organization's trustees for use as home sites.
Conducting land deals that coincide with charitable contributions to the Conservancy from the buyers, who then benefit from significant tax breaks.
Drilling for oil under the breeding ground of endangered species.
Buying land from corporations whose executives sat o­n the nonprofit's governing board.
Accepting cash payments for roughly the amount of a discount that is then written off the buyers' federal income taxes.
Conservancy takes steps to hold off external investigation

To shore up its image The Nature Conservancy hired a PR agency and has put outa call for its supporters to write letters to the editor to protest the Post series, the Post reported. In attempt to head off an outside investigation, like the o­ne that the Post reports is brewing in Congress, the Conservancy has hired a team of lawyers. Meanwhile, the Conservancy has suspended all "conservation buyer" transactions until its board of directors can investigate [itself], according to the Post.

"Big Green" Series

Following is the three part "Big Green" series by Washington Post Staff Writers Joe Stephens and David B. Ottaway:

• Corporate ties enrich, entangle Nature Conservancy - 1.6 million home loan among president's perks (Washington Post - 5/4/03)
• Inside the Nature Conservancy - Nonprofit Land Bank Amasses Billions - Charity Builds Assets o­n Corporate Partnerships (Washington Post - 5/5/03)
• A House in the Woods - Nonprofit Sells Scenic Acreage to Allies at a Loss - Buyers Gain Tax Breaks With Few Curbs o­n Land Use (Washington Post - 5/6/03)

"Big Green" supplementary stories

Following are supplementary stories to the "Big Green".

• Overview:
  
  • Washington Post TNC Series Hits a Nerve (Liberty Matters News Service - 5/22/03)

• History:
  
  • The Nature Conservancy: Expensive image campaign gears up for damage control (Washington Post - 5/5/03)
  • Conservancy ventures o­n Virginia seashore lose millions (Washington Post - 5/6/03)
  • Nature Conservancy gas drilling placed endangered birds at risk (Washington Post - 5/6/03)
  • Nature Conservancy deal opened the door for lavish homes (Washington Post - 5/6/03)
  • Nature Conservancy's property deals benefit friends (Washington Post - 5/7/03)
  • Nature Conservancy Suspends Land Sales: Board of Nonprofit to Review Practices (Washington Post - 5/13/2003)
  • Landmark Calls For Probe Into EPA Grants To Nature Conservancy (PR Newswire 5/15/2003)
  • Charity Hiring Lawyers To Try To Prevent Hill Probe (Washington Post - 5/16/2003)