It seems the Henrys Fork Wildlife Alliance (HFWA) has "hired" themselves a program coordinator, Sarah Cubells, the money coming from Island Park "locals" and Fremont County. Taxpayers from Fremont County are footing this cost, who authorized that? Perhaps an inquiry should be made to the county as to how much money is contributing to this position. This gal isn't even from Idaho originally having just moved here, and doesn't even live in Island Park, but rather lives in an area that is closely associated with large non-governmental associations. Her background is exotic animals in another country, not wildlife native to Island Park. Lots of money to advertise this around, who else is footing this bill? Interestingly, this announcement isn't on the HFWA website as of today,
However, Ms. Cubells assignment is described as HFWA administrative support for communications and outreach, and working with the Idaho Wildlife Federation (IWF) to bring local members to Boise to meet with legislators. Sounds like lobbying, is HFWA allowed to do that as a non-profit? Or is this a way around the rules? It is also known that IWF is notorious for alerting their members to legislative hearings, wearing the same colored shirts to identify themselves, giving a false impression that their majority rules. One IRS definition on non-profit lobbying includes, "An organization will be regarded as attempting to influence legislation if it contacts, or urges the public to contact, members or employees of a legislative body for the purpose of proposing, supporting, or opposing legislation, or if the organization advocates the adoption or rejection of legislation." Does carting local people off to Boise to meet with legislators meet that definition? While HFWA continues to espouse they are a grassroots organization, many of whom are residents in other states only coming to Island Park as a summer vacation spot, and are the only ones who care about wildlife, the truth is prior to their arrival in Island Park it was the residents of Island Park that ensured the protection of wildlife and the area that prompted them to fall in love with it. That was all done without agendas, overpasses, fencing, lobbyists, or other nefarious activity such as questionable relationships with larger non-governmental organizations or state employees. It is befuddling as to why these groups don't understand that individuals and groups from outside the area, who don't live or have any history with it, believe it is within their right to come into the area and start dictating how the area is managed. Perhaps a campaign should start with Island Park residents traveling to these other hometowns and start interfering with how their towns are run.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
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
Categories |