When I received this email, I was in the process of typing an email to the Aquatic Program Manager of the SC chapter, offering to assist in any way I can (and sending a few hints about an area I think needs more protection). Hopefully I'll get a quick response.
Chip in SC
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-nanfa-l-in-nanfa.org [owner-nanfa-l-in-nanfa.org]On Behalf
Of dlmcneely-in-lunet.edu
Sent: Monday, May 09, 2005 2:19 PM
To: nanfa-l-in-nanfa.org
Subject: Re: NANFA-L-- The myth of restoration?
As Todd mentioned, one way to learn about how TNC does things first
hand is to volunteer to work with them. They are constantly soliciting
for volunteers, and they need everything from laborers to persons with
specific expertise -- in some cases even fish breeding expertise. And
despite what has been stated here, they actively restore lands they
manage, and they do cooperate in captive breeding programs. Further, they fund research by persons who contribute to
conservation science.
There are many Nature Conservancy properties that are open to the
public for visitation, despite claims here to the contrary. Others are
open on particular dates for public visitation. Some are open only for
guided visits-in-particular times. And yes, some are restricted
altogether from public visitation, for conservation reasons. I don't
have to walk on every piece of property. When a private, commercial
landowner such as a farmer restricts public access, or charges a fee
for hunting, we call that "property rights." When a private,
conservation owner such as TNC does the same thing, some of us get
upset that the conservation organization is keeping us out. BTW, a
good many of the properties that they turn over are transferred to
government organizations such as state wildlife agencies or university
research organizations, too. They are not all sold for profit, though
that is a part of their financial side that supports their work.
Oh, well. The bottom line for me regarding non-governmental
conservation organizations, is this: The work they do results in
better protected habitat than without them. I send a check to TNC
twice every year. I also volunteer for them, because I appreciate the
work they are doing. And I don't try to tell the decision makers for
the organization how to handle a particular project, unless I'm asked,
since they have a great deal of expertise in conservation biology.
Yes, they have a lot of money, and thus power to acquire land. Thank
goodness that someone besides the despoilers is in that circumstance.
And thank goodness that much of the public recognises the good that TNC
does. One of the proudest experiences I've ever had was when people
started asking about appropriate gifts for my daughter and her fiance
for their upcoming wedding. I was able to say that, when I asked her
what to tell people, she said, "Tell them to make a donation to The
Nature Conservancy." Yes, my wife and I raised a good'un.
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: Sunday, May 8, 2005 5:33 am
Subject: Re: NANFA-L-- The myth of restoration?
> I must have rewritten my response eight times trying to come up
> with
> something that didn't degrade into a wild rant. This is my last
> attempt.
> My big problem with them is the smug little air of superiority
> they
> have. They buy up land, much of which isn't critical habitat but
> only
> financial investment property, and they keep us from using it.
> They do
> it in the name of saving species, but then they don't do much to
> actually save anything. Then they use the plight of the troubled
> species
> as a tool to raise more cash so that they can buy up more land
> which as
> often as not isn't land they'll do anything with but sell again in
> the
> future. I know that they ultimately do some good, which is more
> than
> can be said for other groups of that ilk , but it still irks me.
>
> Now they are targeting "my" welaka pond. It's THE best source of
> welakas
> in the whole state, and the only welaka POND I know of outside of
> Florida. Once they have it, they won't do one thing to boost
> welaka
> populations in the area and we all know it. They'll either sell
> that
> milelong pond to some developer for the waterfront property value,
> or
> they'll knock the dam down, possibly dooming the fish more than
> saving
> them. In the meantime, I won't be able to continue my efforts to
> perfect
> the methods for spawning them, and I won't be able to send fish to
> others who likewise want to work with them. If these guys are
> going to
> keep me from mass-producing them, then they'd bloody well better
> mass-produce them themselves.
>
> They want to keep some hunter off a piece of land because it has a
> rare
> flower growing on it? That's fine, but they'd better justify their
> tax-exempt status by mass-cultivating that flower they claim to
> care
> about so much. Otherwise, methinks their motives are insincere, to
> put
> it mildly. They have the power to buy up pretty much anything they
> want,
> thanks to teeming throngs of suckers sending them money, and I for
> one
> would just like to see some accountability and results.
> /------------------------------------------------------------------
> -----
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>
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/ 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
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