Does the public always know about the methods or effectiveness in a
particular case? No, but that doesn't mean the method doesn't work.
Other people's maney? Well, they certainly are good-in-getting
donations, and they are also good business people, with an effective
investment program, and a profitable program of buying and selling land
that may not itself directly serve conservation needs. In that case,
the profits support their overall program.
If, in a particular case, their wisdom results in an action that I
don't understand (and I may not know enough TO understand in a
particular case), my hat's still off to them for their work.
Dave
David L. McNeely, Ph.D., Professor of Biology
Langston University; P.O. Box 1500
Langston, OK 73050; email: dlmcneely-in-lunet.edu
telephone: (405) 466-6025; fax: 405) 466-3307
home page http://www.lunet.edu/mcneely/index.htm
"Where are we going?" "I don't know, are we there yet?"
----- Original Message -----
From: Mysteryman <bestfish-in-alaweb.com>
Date: Saturday, May 7, 2005 3:30 pm
Subject: Re: NANFA-L-- The myth of restoration?
> Bruce Stallsmith wrote:
>
> > One obvious example of what needs to be done more often comes
> from the
> > Ivory Billed woodpecker story. They delayed release of the news
> of
> > confirmed sightings so that the Nature Conservancy (and others?)
> could
> > buy land around that area of the White & Cache Rivers in
> Arkansas to
> > preserve habitat. This won't work in every township in Ohio,
> etc.,
> > but it's a key part of any solution.
> >
> That's probably a good thing, but I have some problems with the
> Nature
> Conservancy. It is my theory that this organization is not all it
> claims
> to be. Case in point, a bunch of land it bought in Bibb County,
> AL. Now,
> this area is chock full of threatened and endangered species, so
> it's
> nice that someone would go to the effort to ensure that it was
> protected. HOWEVER, that's all they do. They buy up lots of land,
> usuing
> other people's money, and then they do nothing else but use the
> leftover
> money to raise more money.
> Just what do I mean?
> On that Bibb County land grow the last two specimens of a rather
> spectacular flowering plant once thought extinct. This plant would
> be a
> highly prized specimen for any home garden, and it would sell
> exceptionally well. These two specimens are too far apart to allow
> for
> fetilization, so the species is doomed. Ah, well, no problem, you
> think;
> all the Nature Conservancy has to do is artificially cross-
> pollinate the
> flowers and VIOLA! Not only is the species saved, but the
> organization
> could raise a bundle of bucks by selling seeds once the threat was
> averted.Nope, sorry, that would be too easy and make too much
> sense. Instead,
> the NC has simply closed off the areas near the plants and put up
> a
> little plaque telling the story about how the NC needs more money
> to
> keep other species from becoming extinct like this one. The
> insincere
> scumbags! Instead of saving this perfectly savable species, they
> are
> instead exploiting it for money while also keeping anyone else
> from
> saving it.
> /------------------------------------------------------------------
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/-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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/ Association (NANFA). Comments made on this list do not necessarily
/ reflect the beliefs or goals of NANFA. For more information about NANFA,
/ visit http://www.nanfa.org Please make sure all posts to nanfa-l are
/ consistent with the guidelines as per
/ http://www.nanfa.org/guidelines.shtml To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get
/ help, visit the NANFA email list home page and archive at
/ http://www.nanfa.org/email.shtml