Identify Your Enemies - How are Enviro/Eco Groups Funded?

[NMC_EXP]

The radical environmentalist movement represents a small fraction of outdoor recreationists, yet it makes steady gains in its agenda. This is a result of massive funding. Not the funding from annual dues paid to Sierra Club, but six and seven figure anonymous donations from a handful of foundations and individuals. This money finds its way to various "astroturf" front groups operating under the guise of popular support. These astroturf organizations are little more than a webpage.

Democracy at its finest.....a million dollars is worth a million votes.

The article linked below contains information on this practice. I focuses on the Hewlett Foundation, Redstone Strategy Institute and Western Conservation Foundation.

SOURCE: Range Magazine

AUTHOR: Dave Skinner

ARTICLE LINK: http://www.rangemagazine.com/features/winter-15/range-wi15-identify-your-enemies.pdf

 

[100acrehuphalump]

I'm on your side but when stupid people go out and disrespect the natural environment, like leaving or burning their trash or tearing up nature or freaking out the wildlife. It just gives the Libtards more ammunition to use against us. They lump us all in the same category. If we as persons whom enjoy our hobby can police areas of trash etc when we come upon such scenes in the outdoors, little by little it's just one way to keep them from gaining a foothold in the politics against us. We can lobby and attempt to raise funds, but with the mainstream media controlled by the corporations and shows like Alaska off road bumblers it can be difficult to change the views that the brainwashed Honey Boo Boo consumers think of our lifestyles. If some of us group together to go out to police areas on purpose to clean up areas affected by the less than worthy of backcountry campers who leave their beer cans and hotdog wrappers everywhere they go, maybe we can slowly build confidence in the minds of the masses that we as explorers are actually preserving nature by being its guardians. It takes people stepping outside of our comfort zones. No one wants to see trash out there let alone spend our free time picking up other peoples crap. But if that's what it takes I certainly would do whatever I need to, to preserve our way of life. By creating groups whom actively go out and help to restore nature instead of leaving plasticrap. Maybe we can create our own movement and gain support from both corporate America and the news media. We can show America that we too care for the areas that we love to see beyond the pavement. Just a thought...

 

[NMC_EXP]

Wish it was that simple. The big money is not coming from people who actually get out and recreate in the countryside. The folks who see and are rightfully offended by the way the mouth breathers trash the wild.

The funding comes from foundations and corporations. I'd bet the feet of the decision makers rarely leave the pavement.

 

[100acrehuphalump]

I actually used to work for the Sierra Club back in my more youthful hippyish days. They are all about lobbying and are mostly run by old folks who do it for " something to do" and idealist youths. There was so much red tape involved to get the smallest of things done. I attempted to put together a benefit concert to raise funds for them but gave up due to all the BS I had to deal with. Now I pretty much just hate them. I used to buy my dad their calendars for Xmas, now I just boycott them.

 

[cdthiker]

Yep....
It works just like Big oil
and other massive companies in this country.

I don't think it really matters what side of the fence you are one you can find an agenda that is getting massive amounts of funding, thus has a lobby, and most likely a tax break/loophole or the attentions of of some important ears.

lobbiest groups and money have power.

Want to change it? vote.

last numbers I read said roughly 38 percent of the people that could, did vote in the last election.

Just my two cents

 

[kpredator]

good thread.
from what I have experienced and seen most of the enviro-eco groups are businesses.
sure some of it is about the environment ,but its more about the cash!!!!!

jm2c

kp

 

[rayra]

Most of it is through the Tides Foundation. Ford family foundation has also been taken over by leftists. 'clean' money goes in the front and these foundations parcel it out to some of the worst eco-marxist groups in the country, including groups like ELF-ALF.
Bunch via Soros, too.
A good site for digging into the relationships between groups is David Horowitz's http://discoverthenetworks.org/

Biggest problem with these groups is their team lawyers, who are working hand in glove with their cohorts within the EPA and other govt bureaucracies. When you look at the 'about us' of these groups you find that most of them are in San Fran, DC, NYC and New Mexico. They're the people that are killing agriculture in over a non-native bait fish, trying to curtail energy production, using falsified propaganda campaigns to ban things like DDT, blocking pipelines on specious grounds and above all promulgating the massive fraud that is Anthropogenic Global Warming.

 

[rayra]

Same folks that have totally thwarted nuclear power generation, blocked recycling of fuel rods that are only 3% depleted (like they do in Europe), then demand they can't be stored at the plants, then block their transportation, then demand secure storage and on the eve of the Yucca Mountain storage facility going live, Obama blocked it. No new nuclear power plants licensed in over 30yrs, all in the name of destroying western capitalism and curtailign human prosperity and growth. That's what they are really up to. They'r ecalled 'Watermelons' for a reason, because they are 'Green' on the outside and 'Red' on the inside.

 

[libarata]

Well, when you marginalize them, instead of creating dialogue, they will always win. When was the last time you spoke with your local enviro club?

 

[R.G.]

The problem is trying to have a conversation with most of them is impossible unless you agree with them. Its just like a cult.

 

[libarata]

Just keep putting yourself out there. Invite them along with a responsible group, let them drive a little. Use the same logic for folks who are terrified of something, while never having experienced it. Explain it along the lines of skateboarders being given a skate park. Knee jerk, combative attitudes will only ruin things. Create a local trail club(not offroad, but trail), and continuously extend invitations, and film yourselves being responsible on youtube.

Now, if they start showing up to slash tires are stuff.. Well then, that is a new story.

Edit:

Bring a message of stewardship. Show them how creating trails, and policing them will improve access. Hell, create a fee use trail, and split the money with them, and split the maintenance time with them. Bring in the local government, and market it! There are more ways to this, than making a battle plan, and proving to them that the attitude ought to be 'all or nothing'.

 

[Jonathan Hanson]

And have you ever checked to see who funds the Blue Ribbon Coalition? Do you honestly think those companies care about your access to public lands?

Eyes wide open means looking both ways in my opinion.

 

[jeepndel]

And have you ever checked to see who funds the Blue Ribbon Coalition? Do you honestly think those companies care about your access to public lands?

Eyes wide open means looking both ways in my opinion.

Jonathan, I will gladly, anytime, provide information on BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC). Just say the word as you know how to get a hold of me. Oh, and Yea, I am BRC right now -- I run it. Who funds BRC? I'll tell you. Individual memberships; the average outdoors person/recreationists is who funds BRC. I WISH we had some "big businesses" funding us. We don't. You can see our IRS 990's anytime online. We don't have big oil; we don't have big car companies on our side funding us; we have individuals who care about responsible recreation enough to drop the value of a tank of gas on membership once a year.

A business joins brc for $100 a year. Some donate with advertising in our new, about to be re-launched print magazine; but it's small change; a thousand here; a thousand there. Our biggest donation last year was the one I brought home from Jeep Beach -- $30,000. Again, from individuals buying raffle prizes.

So to pose the question "do you honestly think thos companies care about your access" I ASSURE you, MetalCloak, Spidertrax, Trail-Gear, PowerTank, Poison Spyder Customs, Warn, ARB, Toy-Tec Lifts, Master-Pull, Raceline and dozens of others about the same size and venue, CARE about your access and THESE are the type guys (businesses) supporting BRC.

Let me know if this doesn't clear things up.
JOIN BRC and me if you want to make a difference in conservation and education, as well as access, nationwide.

Del

 

[mdmead]

THANKS DEL!!!

 

[Jonathan Hanson]

Thanks for the response, Del. I'm sure the BRC gets plenty of individual donations, just as do the Sierra Club, Audubon, Wilderness Society, etc. However, according to my information the funding sources below have been listed in the BRC's own magazine:

At least 18 timber companies, including Boise Cascade and the Pacific Corp., the world's leading waferboard manufacturer.

At least 15 mining companies and associations, including Battle Mountain Gold Co., Echo Bay Minerals Co.; and Crown Butte Mines Inc. (now part of Canada's Noranda Inc.).

At least eight oil or gas companies and four oil and gas trade associations, among them ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, and the American Petroleum Institute.


Lest you think Im getting propaganda from some 'whacko environmentalist' source, I'm on the mailing list of Republicans for Environmental Responsibility, which has taken the BRC to task more than once. If their information is wrong I'm sure they'd appreciate knowing it, and I certainly would too. As I said, I just think it's important to look at both sides before one throws stones.