In a May 2, 2019 letter to the editor, the funding behind non-governmental organizations (NGO) was revealed. It gives concern to the issue of ethics behind special interest groups, whose only interest is implementing their objectives into local communities and influencing federal agencies that are funded by taxpayers.
With the death of the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives, NGOs, federal and state agencies, and land trusts had to reorganize. This reorganization has taken place under the Network for Landscape Conservation (NLC). With foundations, the NLC set up the Doris Duke funded "Catalyst Fund", part of which will be used to "build capacity". This is a fancy term that means they will bring in more people to advance their organization and objectives. New strategies have also been created for their agenda, one of which is creating collaboratives to "accelerate the pace and practice of collaborative conservation...". Two collaboratives in the Salmon area are for the purposes of accelerating this agenda, assisted by multiple NGOs. When the collaborative membership is scrutinized, one can see how these are really a fulfillment of the NGO collaborative strategy, and a fabricated front for citizen involvement. One collaborative, the Lemhi Forest Restoration Group (LFRG), was coordinated by Salmon Valley Stewardship (SVS) in 2006, and has "worked side by side with Salmon-Challis National Forest (SCNF)" on restoration proposals. But the group is comprised of multiple NGOs, federal and state agencies, and even Sustainable Northwest based in Portland, Oregon, whose members aren't even from Idaho, including Heart of the Rockies Initiative (HORI) board member Gary Burnett, who is also on the Network for Landscape Conservation Coordinating Committee. Sustainable Northwest created the Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition (RVCC) in which Gary Burnett and Toni Ruth from SVS are members. SVS acts as the LFRG coordinator, and the plan revision team collaboration specialist, Gina Knudson, was the former SVS executive director prior to taking the collaboration specialist job with the SCNF. The current SVS Executive Director, Toni Ruth, is an RVCC member, and High Divide Collaborative (HDC) coordinating committee member. Another SVS staff, Mindy Crowell, helped with the organization and facilitation of the Central Idaho’s Public Lands Planning group. How much influence does SVS, and their partner organizations, have in this process? At a 2018 High Divide workshop, Merrill Beyeler, Lemhi Regional Land Trust (LRLT) Chairman, Jim Berkey, and Gary Burnett – High Divide Coordinating Committee Representatives, gave introductory remarks which included a "framework of the collaborative: open, transparent, and building trust." There has been nothing transparent about how these NGOs or individuals operate. Advancing the collaborative was another goal, but that meant expanding to include more federal agencies, NGOs, land trusts, and universities. Toni Ruth, SVS and Breann Green from LRLT were also at this workshop. These NGOs all receive funding from the Wilburforce Foundation: SVS, HORI, Trout Unlimited (TU), Wilderness Society (WS), Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y), Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA), Nature Conservancy (TNC), Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP), even LRLT received $30,000 (pg 17) and has received funding from the Brainerd Foundation. Each of these NGOs have the same objectives for conserving land into non-use protection for connectivity goals. Looking at the Central Idaho Public Lands Collaborative (CIPLC) 2018 fall membership roster, it is driven by the same people who serve in other NGOs with the same agenda. CIPLC has several working groups, all of which include those individuals. Mindy Crowell, SVS Collaboration Specialist, is the contact person for CIPLC and facilitates the collaborative. CIPLC Grazing Management Working Group 9 members, 5 of which are part of or are supportive of NGOs. Tom Page - Represents the Central Idaho Rangelands Network (CIRN) which is coordinated "by The Nature Conservancy with support from the Lemhi Regional Land Trust and Pioneer Mountain Group" whose funding comes from "private foundations, private donors, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service." Louise Wagenknecht - "Frequent contributor to Writers on the Range, a new project of High Country News" which traditionally publishes articles that support environmentalism and is funded by foundations. Merrill Beyeler - Former Idaho Legislator; LRLT Chairman; founding member, CIRN; HDC Coordinating Committee member. Traveled to Washington D.C. with SVS and RVCC members in 2011. Rob Thornberry - Idaho Field Representative for TRCP, which is a TNC partner, and listed previously as a Y2Y partner. Ace Hess - LRLT member; BHA High Divide Coordinator, a Y2Y partner. CIPLC Community Interactions and Socio-Economic Effects Two members are from local economic development organizations, one attorney. One of the new collaborative strategies is economic development so that is the reason these individuals are included. CIPLC Lands and Minerals 7 members of which 5 are part of NGOs. Other NGO affiliated member Tom Page. Rob Mason - Legislator and Wilderness Society member, a Y2Y partner. Josh Johnson - Idaho Conservation League member, a Y2Y partner. Jim Roscoe - LRLT member. Michael Gibson - Idaho Field Coordinator for Trout Unlimited. CIPLC Forest and Watershed Health 10 members of which 6 are part of or supportive of NGOs. Other NGO affiliated members, Louise Wagenknecht and Josh Johnson. Kim Trotter - U.S. Program Director, Yellowstone to Yukon; HDC coordinating committee member. Mary Faurot - Supporter of Idaho Rivers United (IRU). Cassi Wood - TU fisheries consultant, a Y2Y partner. Ryan McAllister - 2L Trails member, SVS feasibility study. CIPLC Sustainable Recreation 11 members of which 6 are part of or supportive of NGOs. Other NGO affiliated member Rob Thornberry. Louise Bruce - Wilderness Society Idaho High Divide Community Organizer, a Y2Y partner. Chris Gaughan - 2L Trails member, SVS feasibility study. Max Lohmeyer - 2L Trails member, SVS feasibility study. Seth McFarland - SVS staff. Gary Gadwa - Idaho Rivers United staff. ICL's new Director, Justin Hayes, was previously an environmental advocate in Idaho and Washington, D.C. for Idaho Rivers United. IRU partners with American Rivers, a Y2Y partner, in which American Rivers invited anyone to comment on the SCNF plan revision even though they may not live in the area. Y2Y is partnering with TU and ICL as well on the revision plan. Along with the BLM, another IRU partner is Patagonia, a Y2Y partner. In 2016, the original CIPLC members included Craig Gehrke, WS; Gina Knudson, SVS; Toni Ruth, SVS, BHA; and Mindy Crowell, SVS. HDC participants include the LRLT, Idaho Nature Conservancy, BHA, ICL, SVS, TRCP, TU, Y2Y, and the SCNF, all of whom serve in some capacity in the CIPLP. Kristin Troy of LRLT is also a HDCC member. The CIPLC was clearly intended to be a catalyst for the NGO connectivity agenda from its foundation by current SCNF collaboration specialist Gina Knudson, who is the former SVS executive director. To Lemhi County residents, do you think these two SVS collaboratives are providing objective representation for your community? Or are the collaboratives being used as a front to advance NGO objectives for connectivity? One of the CIPLC ground rules is "No backroom deals, including with agencies, organizations and people who are not CIPL Collaborative members." Those organizations are all represented in the Collaborative! Another ground rule, "Participants commit to keeping their colleagues/constituents informed about the progress of these discussions." Does this not negate the first ground rule? Are NGO colleagues being informed of what happens in the Collaborative? The Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC), based in Bozeman, has even inserted their opinion for connectivity into your business. And why wouldn't they, their intent is to get their forest plan revision objectives into federal law, and SCNF is one of their targets. While their website has scrubbed who they collaborate with, CLLC has partnered with many of the involved NGOs in these collaboratives. It is the partnerships between the HORI and HD Collaborative, and the Salmon Valley Stewardship that are driving this narrative, along with Yellowstone to Yukon and their partners. These are the NGOs and individuals who are controlling the decisions and outcomes, not the local community, and are receiving the funding to do it. These collaboratives need restructuring for a more balanced representation of the community, residents who are not aligned with groups, instead of NGOs that have an intertwined relationship, and who control the narrative. Until that happens, there will be little progress for anything that will benefit, or reflect what citizens want for their community.
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Many non-governmental organizations (NGO) focus on taking land for protection. The Wilburforce Foundation has the same objectives, provides funding to Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y), and funds many Y2Y partners. In the Y2Y High Divide, which includes the Salmon-Challis area, this is no exception. The Heart of the Rockies Initiative (HORI), a land trust "partnership" and Y2Y partner, also works in the High Divide area but their map is more extensive into the Salmon-Selway. A list of those funded NGOs are on Wilburforce website, and while the funding years go back farther, 2018 and 2019 will be the focus here. All of these NGOs are in the Y2Y program areas.
2019 Funding Page 3 - Organization - Greater Yellowstone Coalition Organization - Heart of the Rockies Initiative Grant - Wildlife & Habitat Protection in the High Divide Grant - General Support Amount - $100,000 Amount - $100,000 Organization - Future West Grant - Protect Landscapes & Building Conservation Capacity in High Divide Amount - $45,000 2018 Funding Page 7 - Organization - American Rivers Grant - Protecting and Restoring Wild Rivers and Riverside lands in the Pacific Northwest Amount - $75,000 Page 9 - Organization - Future West Grant - Protect Landscapes & Building Conservation Capacity in High Divide Amount - $45,000 Organization - Greater Yellowstone Coalition Grant - Wildlife & Habitat Protection in the High Divide Amount - $50,000 Page 10 - Organization - Heart of the Rockies Initiative Organization - Heart of the Rockies Initiative Grant - Rural Collaborative Conservation Grant - General Support Amount - $50,000 Amount - $100,000 Organization - Lemhi Regional Land Trust Organization - Salmon Valley Stewardship Grant - General Support Grant - General Support Amount - $30,000 Amount - $40,000 HORI coordinates the High Divide Collaborative (HDC). Participants in this collaborative include other NGOS such as Y2Y, land trusts, federal agencies, Idaho and Montana state agencies, and Salmon Valley Stewardship (SVS). But the conflict of interest goes further. The HDC Coordinating Committee includes members from Y2Y, Central Idaho Public Lands Collaborative (CIPLC), SVS, and Lemhi Forest Restoration Group, which is coordinated by SVS. Interestingly, Merrill Beyeler is listed as a private landowner and rancher yet he is also listed as a principle officer on the 2017 Lemhi Regional Land Trust tax form. Who is he actually representing and why the misrepresentation? It is the Heart of the Rockies Initiative driving the narrative and decisions on the Salmon-Challis forest plan revision through its partnerships and strategically placed individuals into each group, and its relationship with the U.S. Forest Service. It is no wonder NGOs are advancing their objectives in the forest plan revision with their financial backing and influence over the forest service. These funding mechanisms and partnerships should be challenged for biased and pre-determined decisions in the revision. It leaves little room for the citizens to have a voice and it is nothing but a sham to purport community collaboration with citizen involvement when these NGOs, state and federal agencies, and land trusts have been working together for their own agenda. |