Similar to Germans infiltrating American lines during WWII, private property owners are being targeted with renewed tactics to manipulate and bribe them into accepting and practicing conservation goals outlined in the current administration's non-authorized 30x30 plan. In fact, behind the scenes groups have been working on this for some time. As a Republic, we have a form of government where elected officials are responsible and accountable to listen to the constituents who elected them. It is time to stop the government infiltration by these groups, bring elected officials back into line, and use our Republic to incapacitate these new tactics. For several years non-governmental organizations (NGO) have recognized their failings in trying to flaunt their elite intelligence onto the masses, instead alienating them. The new tactic is "listening" to landowners, to engage them to join hands. In this report one such failure is discussed by blaming the "crazy people" for protecting their community, then deciding new messaging was needed by using people the community "trusts" to deliver the message. The hidden agenda doesn't change however. With 30x30 the objective is to now "Honor Private Property Rights”, Support the Voluntary Stewardship Efforts of Private Landowners", and "Support Locally Led and Locally Designed Conservation Efforts". The Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) is a free market environmentalism think tank with the absurd notion that it will protect property rights while working with governments and NGOs on policy. Hmmm, isn't protection of property rights in the Constitution and by law? What it really means is that they are targeting private property owners to engage, that is manipulate, bribe and in some cases threaten, to buy into their ludicrous plan for those owners to conserve their own land. As always, there will be an economic cost to either the property owner or the taxpayer. This ruse is really a manipulated variation on conservation easements that stop land development in perpetuity while expanding the opportunity for the wealthy to make money. But, let's get down to the dirt. PERC and other NGOs developed a way in which to "listen" and empathize with private land owners, one such case was in Wyoming. The focus has shifted from safety issues to an "opportunity" issue for "conserving" beloved wildlife and land. In gaining that trust and acceptance, the perpetrators then have the opportunity to present their "free market" solutions. In reality, this is all a devised scam to engage land owners into the America the Beautiful 30x30 plan, expanding land protection to 30% by 2030. The addition of private property to this conservation total is the goal, while also stopping any development and landowners in migration corridors are a particular target. Right now Paradise Valley in Montana is the target but it is a framework that could certainly be used in Idaho. After citizens were carefully surveyed several recommendations were crafted for new messaging and buy in tactics. Landowner Coordination and Outreach
In this video, National Wildlife Federation President & CEO Collin O'Mara; Nature Conservancy Chief External Affairs Officer Lynn Scarlett; ConservAmerica Brent Fewell; and PERC CEO Brian Yablonski discuss using private land for conservation to meet the 30x30 goal of 30% of land in conservation by 2030. In the discussion it is noted that private land owners are typically the best stewards of land and 2/3 of species rely on that habitat but the focus should be on how land is managed on a large scale, that is no recognition of jurisdictional boundaries. In one haughty opinion, if this land isn't counted towards conservation it "will lead to working lands not working". Do these people even listen to themselves? At least there was some honesty, it was acknowledged that there is concern that without conservation on private land there will be "more development and fragmentation". This is the strongest clue that these proposed conservation "tools" include some restricted use in perpetuity, similar to a conservation easement. Property owners must be lead to believe this is an opportunity and connect the environment with economics. A broad portfolio of "tools" are needed to entice landowners to participate such as habitat leasing, state tax benefits, and using state SWAP plans for species of greatest conservation need on private land. Ms. Scarlett spoke to investments in the carbon market, conserving land for sequestration, and working with investors for improved water quality. This coming from a woman who works for an outfit that buys land to forever put into non-use or sell to the government. Mr. Yablonski noted they want to "make sure landowners keep doing what they are doing" and "prevent land being switched over to development". Ahh, there it is, the truth. So again another clue that landowners engaging in this conservation ruse would lose rights to development. And in his opinion, NGOs should be allowed to bid on oil & gas leasing, not currently allowed, to prevent extraction of any resources and "they have the money to do that". However, there were several compelling statements in this video. Mr. Yablonski pronounced that private land put into conservation "will be key to making 30x30 a success" and "how those land owners are approached will be a huge deal". Ms. Scarlett boldly stated "We can design the conservation future." Mr. O’Mara identified the need to "get the next generation on board...as the baby boomers are dying out", and this is a "regional canvas" of land for conservation, again ignoring jurisdictional boundaries. He then admitted that the NWF was "involved in the discussions" on 30x30. For Island Park, Henry's Fork Wildlife Alliance (HFWA) is a member of the Idaho Wildlife Association, which is in turn a member of the NWF. HFWA just might just be the one who will make the attempts to engage private property owners into these schemes, basically confirmed in this Y2Y article, and it was NWF that did the Montana survey. Over the last couple of years, Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y) has funded HFWA for building their volunteer base, and for Communications & Outreach to Local Community. Even though HFWA is actually an arm of Y2Y, it still audaciously claims that it is "the only citizens organization devoted solely to protecting healthy wildlife populations." Both NWF and Y2Y are members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature which also has the 30x30 plan. Maybe it is the IUCN playbook being used for this scam.
Currently there is no policy on these objectives as PERC is a think tank that sits back and creates these scams, however a policy wouldn't be needed for these groups to take action on some of the recommendations. Of concern is the realty investment groups owning property in Island Park, will they join in conserving land on properties they own? If so, it will be an incremental loss of land for development, potentially putting Island Park into a perpetual state of conservation, and locking out citizens from living there. Since these groups are unable to take land for migration corridors and other protections, it will be accomplished through private land ownership. The working group recommendation will be with private land owners only. But never believe that as partners, the government isn't actively working with NGOs and promoting their objectives. Being pulled into government plans is also another mechanism by which property rights will essentially be run by the government as in the case of SWAP. However, do form a working group of citizens, individuals who are residents of Fremont County. Create your own development plans for Island Park, what citizens want for these issues. Develop relationships with both county commissioners and council members, they are accountable to you, not NGOs or the state government. If these elected officials reject citizen input, start a campaign to remove them and find candidates who understand their responsibility to those who elected them. Do not engage with any surveys or enticements with economic goodies. Develop relationships with your state representatives and keep an eye on these issues possibly coming up for legislation. Let your representative know that all of these objectives are opposed. The bottom line is that Island Park citizens have always been the best stewards and experts over their land and wildlife, and will continue to do so because of their love of both. Yet these outsiders think they have to intervene in this expertise and change it into a money making scheme with strings attached. Property owners can share between themselves what they are doing for wildlife without any outside perks or requirements. Keep them out, let them know they will be opposed, and that their guidance and schemes are not wanted. Other videos by PERC can be found here.
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With the current administration promoting its America the Beautiful plan there will be a renewed effort by non-governmental organizations (NGO) to pursue as much land as possible for conservation in meeting the 30x30 objectives laid out in the plan. That goal is conserving 30% of land and oceans in the United States by 2030. NGOs are clamoring over each other to get on board.
NGOs in Idaho are notorious for presenting themselves as "collaborators" with Idaho citizens when in truth they favor NGO members from other groups, allow individuals outside of jurisdictional boundaries to participate in decisions that should be made only by citizens within a jurisdiction, dismiss citizen input, re-frame ideas to hide what is really being done, while all along playing a game of we are getting along and being inclusive of all opinions. Starting at the top with organizations that are umbrellas for smaller NGOs in order for those smaller NGOs to hide their comradery on objectives without coming out and actually saying they are supporting them, there are a few with massive power and money. The Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC) is global, run by Gary Tabor who has his fingers in most other NGOs, with bigger partners, even legislators, that help advance the cause. One such partner is the Salazar Center that recently held a symposium on the 30x30 plan that included government officials, Al Gore, global conservation groups, and other countries. Fiscally sponsored by CLLC, another front group for smaller NGOs is the Network for Landscape Conservation (NLC) which includes the federal government, foundations, and universities as partners. The Salazar Center Director is on the Coordinating Committee, along with Gary Tabor, and representatives from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife (USFW) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS). NLC was also recently part of a rally that included discussions on 30x30. Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y) is a large NGO that participates in and supports 30x30 as a partner to the above groups, along with more global entities, and covers transboundary objectives by mirroring Canada Target 1. It captures many of the smaller NGOs through partnerships such as the Idaho Conservation League (ICL), Idaho Wildlife Federation (IWF), Henry's Fork Wildlife Alliance (HFWA), High Divide Collaborative (HDC), Salmon Valley Stewardship (SVS), and the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) (as a side note Y2Y wanted to tear up a treasured mountain pass with wildlife overpasses even though the vehicle collision numbers did not justify it. Manipulating data is part of the Y2Y methodology). And yes, contrary to the statements made in the above report, along with CLLC and Gary Tabor, Y2Y is a member of the United Nations International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which supports 30x30. However, it is never enough for the UN and IUCN, even Y2Y, eventually this call for conservation will expand to 50%. All of these smaller Idaho NGOs support the 30x30 objectives that drain down to them from the upper echelon in the larger NGOs, without ever having to voice that support, giving the appearance of no involvement. These small NGOs are just as much of a threat to Idahoans as any larger group and money is poured not only into these groups directly but also into the larger groups that feed that money down to the smaller ones. There are many others not mentioned here all working to accomplish the lofty goal of 30x30 which will eventually explode to 50x50. Plus, there is always the extremely wealthy groups like the Wyss Foundation that has already increased its contribution to $1.5 billion to conserve 30% of the land and giving grants to NGOs such as Y2Y. State Senators Rabe and Wintrow, Representative Necochea, a few city council members and commissioners, and even Mayor McLean support 30x30. As Western Caucus members both Rep. Russ Fulcher and Rep. Mike Simpson are questioning the motives behind the 30x30 plan while Sen. Risch and Sen. Crapo have created an alternative plan based on "western conservation principles". That is almost as vague as the 30x30 plan and includes "non-federal partners", code word for NGOs. A lame study by the American Center for Progress (CAP), using the IUCN World Database on Protected Areas and PAD-US, determined only 12% of land was protected. The 12% includes land that is currently under protection so that means another 18%, or 437 million additional acres, will be pursued for protection, more than twice the size of Texas. HR1755, HR803, and SB192 are all sitting in Congress, ready to take more land for non-use in the 30x30 scam. So what can be done? How can these NGOs be thwarted in their strategic plans? First, always remember that our Republic was founded on the principles of local government and jurisdictional boundaries. Idaho has 44 counties with as many jurisdictional boundaries. Every activity that occurs within those boundaries are determined by county commissioners, elected by the citizens of those counties. They must answer to you, not the federal government, not the state, not to NGOs, or to citizens who live outside of the county. Commissioners are accountable to the constituents who elected them. This is the same with cities. If an NGO group moves into the area to start forming their prefabricated groups for "collaboration", create your own group made up only of county citizens. Whatever the issue is, citizen groups should be the ones who are making the decisions, not NGO members or individuals from other counties. Make sure your Commissioners understand they are accountable to you for the decisions they make. If they do not comply with your decision effectively initiate a campaign to remove them from office. Understand the law at both a state and federal level. One of the striking problems we have now is that governments at all jurisdictions tend to not follow the law. Violations in following the law have occurred at the state and federal level so there is no reason it doesn't also occur at the county or city level. It might be the responsibility of the group to divide those laws up for researching as it can be quite cumbersome, and dry. But the more citizens understand the law, the better it is in holding the elected officials accountable. In the process they may even learn something they didn't know. These groups are a threat to Idaho sovereignty. Do not let these NGO groups advance this agenda, hold your ground, do not engage with them. Use your knowledge of the land as experts to develop conservation measures. Those days of NGOs controlling the narrative are over, it is crunch time. With the help of this federal administration these NGOs have found new footing to come back with a vengeance and have new money to attack. Idahoans have already tolerated enough from the federal government on land issues, from poor forest management to expanded non-use. These renewed threats are significant. It is time to stop this forward movement now and it can be done within the boundaries of laws, but citizen authority must be exercised. |
Making Sense of It All
This blog will help you make sense out of all the information on the website, how it affects IP, our history, and how efforts continue to put IP into various forms of conservation status. Archives
May 2023
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