Endangered Wildlife - Please Help

[mousie]

Hi! I just sent a fax to Congress to save our vanishing wildlife at http://www.saveesa.org.

The House recently passed legislation which would tear apart protections for our endangered wildlife. If this bill passes the Senate, our wolves, bald eagles, sea otters, and other endangered animals will be at risk of extinction.

Please help me protect the Endangered Species Act today by sending a fax to your Senator, too. Act now at http://www.saveesa.org.

[Qanisqineq]

1. Done

I get calendars and return address labels from Defenders of Wildlife all the time. I always feel guilty for not donating money but I already donate to National Wildlife Federation, World Wildlife Fund, Wildlife Conservation, the Nature Conservancy, um... seems like there's another one but can't remember. Gets to be too much.

[Kali]

3. Beware TNC

From http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2005/6/9/201452/0473
Land trusts
Posted by David Roberts at 8:14 PM on 09 Jun 2005
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One of the most successful environmental movements of the last fifty years is about to change the way it does business. And if it doesn't do it on its own, the government will step in and force it to change.

That's the headline on the recent investigation of the nation's land trusts by the Senate Finance Committee.

Wednesday, the Finance Committee held hearings ostensibly aimed at tightening the tax code on the use of conservation easements, which have become a prime tool in conserving land from development. It's also become a prime tool for evading taxes. The Finance Committee began its investigation three years ago after a series of embarrassing articles in the Washington Post about the practices of the country's biggest trust, The Nature Conservancy.

The staff released the results of its investigation Tuesday, outlining a series of abuses by TNC, including:


-A pattern of dealings with insiders that gave preferential treatment on land deals;
-a pattern of dealings with the companies of board members (PDF);
-selling emissions credits, including a $10 million deal with General Motors while GM's chairman John Smith served on TNC's board;
-selling emissions credits that it may or may not have even owned, essentially furthering its own environmental goals (buying land) at the expense of another environmental goal (reducing greenhouse gases); and
-allowing oil and gas drilling on one of three known habitats of the Attwater Prairie chicken, bumbling its way through the deal so that it ended up in court, accused of cheating one of its partners, all while pocketing over $8 million in royalties.


The report paints a picture of an organization that's gotten so big, and so successful, it lost sight of why it was formed in the first place. To its credit, TNC leaders know they need to make some big changes, and appear to have done so, although there are still questions about whether the new safeguards are as effective as they can be. Also the report breaks out just how wealthy TNC has become. At the end of fiscal year 2004, it had gross receipts of $2.5 billion with revenues of $732 million.

more at link above.

[babylonsister]

2. Here's a link to send a msg. via Defenders of Wildlife's website:

https://secure2.convio.net/dow/site/Advocacy?JServSessionIdr001=y8qrhq6w62.app7b&cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=188