In the previous post, Who Is Y2Y? The Truth, Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y) tax forms 01', 02', and 05' were reviewed. Revealed was how the individuals responsible for creating Y2Y set up their structure separately in Alberta, Canada and in Bozeman, Montana. In spite of this split between two countries, Y2Y-MT and Y2Y-Alberta shares board directors, operate "seamlessly", while Alberta staff manages the finances. U.S. dollars that go to Y2Y-Alberta from Y2Y MT includes federal grant money and donations from U.S. citizens. It is an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requirement that all 501(c)3 organizations "...must make available for public inspection and copying its annual return." The public has a right to know Y2Y's financial and administrative structure. Not mentioned in the previous article were the Directors of this new organization, listed on the 01' tax form. Directors from the U.S. included Katherine Deuel, at the time a recent graduate from Montana State University, Caitlin Fox, and Marguerite Mahr, a Switzer Fellow. One Canadian Director was listed, Jim Pissot, Executive Director for WildCanada Conservation Alliance, and previous Executive Director with Defenders of Wildlife Canada. Deuel and Mahr were listed again on the first 02' tax form. However, another important aspect on page 27 of the 01' tax form, filed in the U.S., was Pissot signing that the new initiative would be allowed exemption for lobbying activities, a 501(h). Called the Election/Revocation of Election by an Eligible Section 501(c)(3) Organization to make Expenditures to Influence Legislation, Pissot signed electing Y2Y -MT to influence legislation, which carries some financial restrictions for eligibility. This is used to skirt a 501(c)3 general lobbying prohibition. Fascinating, a Canadian signing a U.S. tax form allowing an exemption to influence U.S. legislation. As Y2Y progressed through the years, what other surprises are there? Looking at the 03' tax form below, new Officers, Directors, and Trustees are listed on page 5. From Canada are Robert Buffler, an environmental consultant, Executive Director; Jane Bewick, Business Director; Brian Churchill, Secretary; Wendy Francis, Chairperson and conservationist,; and Jeremy Guth, Director. On the U.S. side are Rob Ament, Director; Barb Cestero, Director; Bob Ekey, Director; and David Hadden, Director. Page 16 lists new replacements from Canada, Beth Russell-Towe who is involved with tourism promotion, Jeremy Guth, a Woodcock Foundation Trustee while still working with Y2Y, and Peter Wesley. Peart, a carry over from 02', has worked for Parks Canada, Sierra Club BC, the Canadian Wildlife Service, the BC Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs, the BC Outdoor Recreation Council, the Royal BC Museum, and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society-BC Chapter (CPAWS). As for the players in the U.S., Ament would be a U.S. equivalent to Harvey Locke in Canada, having been involved not only with Y2Y, but with the Center For Large Landscape Conservation, IUCN, Wildlands Network, and Western Transportation Institute. Cestero works for the Wilderness Society and previously worked for the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Ekey has also been involved in the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Wilburforce, and Wilderness Society, while Hadden has been involved in the Montana Wilderness Association and is currently the Director of Headwaters Montana. Johns is co-founder of the Wildlands Network. One new replacement in the U.S., from Idaho, is Levi Holt, Nez Perce Tribal member and National Wildlife Federation board member. These are some of the technocrats who are deciding how you can use the land, devising plans to design it into something they think it should be, while using wildlife and climate change as justification. But there are so many others who are involved. There is also a new address listed on the first page, changing from a physical address in Missoula to a post office box. Page 2 lists an increase in revenue to $1,046,906. Contract services expenditures on page 3 lists $305,315, with $280,315 for management and general, and $25,000 for fundraising. This is the payment to Y2Y-Alberta. On page 9, Part III, (e), the box is checked NO, that there was no transfer of any part of its income or assets. Was money not transferred to Canada? Perhaps that is not the correct interpretation for this item. In fact, the tax form, even though it is a U.S. tax form, is signed by Canadian Jane Bewick on page 7. These are just some basics of the 03' tax return. There are some interesting tidbits in the 04' tax forms. Starting with the mundane, instead of a post office box listed, there is now a physical address for Y2Y-MT in Bozeman rather than Missoula. The total revenue dropped from the previous year to $836,924 on page 2. Previously, a question lingered as to why a second tax form was filed in 02'. "Revised" is written with an 04' date on the board member list and on the last page of the second 02' tax form in the previous article. An interesting shift occurred with the money being funneled to Y2Y-Alberta on page 3, still noted as contract services. On this return it jumped to $614,400. Now there is also a list of how the money was split between program services for $493,400, management and general for $86,000, and fundraising $35,000. It appears Y2Y-MT is funding the Canadian agenda more. Perhaps from the money flowing to Y2Y-MT from the government, donations, and foundations it was decided Y2Y-Alberta deserved their share of money. Either that or perhaps the decision was made that conservation should be more targeted in the Alberta area. Still checked marked Yes is the section on being related to the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative Society, or Y2Y-Alberta on page 6, and the books are still managed by Alberta. Page 10 shows a total revenue from grants and contributions for the years 00' to 03', a massive $2,364,990. Over two million dollars to create schemes which remove our right to use our land. There was a minor shift in Directors. Canada continued with Buffler, Bewick, Francis, Guth, Peart, Russell-Towe, Sawchuck, and Zummerman with a new Canadian addition of Christine Torgrimson, pages 5 and 16. Torgrimson is Executive Director of the Salt Spring Conservancy, an uncanny way for Americans to get a tax deduction and not be subject to Canadian capital gains tax. That's pretty interesting. Is there no end to this conniving? As for the U.S., Ament, Ekey, Hadden, Holt, Johns, LaBelle, and Skeele remain. Gary Tabor returned, and another new director is Richard Baldes, a Tribal Water Board official, former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee, board member of the National Wildlife Federation, Y2Y, and Greater Yellowstone Coalition. These are changes noted in the two tax forms, but each year up to 16' there are other changes as this group expands. Understanding who the players are is an important aspect of Y2Y in addition to the financial issue. The IRS "...reviews the board composition of charities to determine whether the board represents a broad public interest..." which clearly is not the case in the Y2Y board. So, from 03' to 04' Y2Y continued to grow, financially, and through influence in their Board of Directors. They further enmeshed themselves with other conservation groups, a foundation, former federal employees, Tribes, and a land trust organization. Blatantly absent is any representation from regular citizens in communities. No citizen, who holds representation from their local government, is included in this amassed group of people, they are deliberately left out. That is purposeful on the part of Y2Y, they exclude all those who don't hold the same ideology, or perceived status, and share no concern about citizen rights or jurisdictional boundaries. This is what Y2Y is about. More to come with the 06' and 07' tax forms, and quick refresher on 05'.
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Most Idahoans are not aware that Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y) was actually the brainchild of Harvey Locke, a Canadian and IUCN member, and whose official name is the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative. In 1997 a group of environmentalists got together with Harvey in Canada and concocted the Y2Y vision, taking land from Yellowstone to the Yukon and locking it up for protection and non-use. From that point on Y2Y has grown exponentially, running over local authorities, buddying up with government agencies for implementing their objectives in spite of lobbying activities being prohibited, and in the process has made a mockery of U.S. citizen rights. The Y2Y website states it is a registered charity in Canada, and is registered as a 501(c)3 through its "Montana Society" in the U.S.. Y2Y officially registered their organization as a Canadian charity and as a 501(c)3 in the U.S. in 2005. But the hatched plot for Y2Y goes a little deeper. From 1997 to 2000, the players worked on organizing their vision. By 2000, Y2Y, in Montana, then requested a non-profit status. Because there had been no actual activity up to this point, Y2Y was issued a "Ruling Letter" on 9/1/2000. Ruling dates involve a letter written in advance of operations if the "...organization can describe its proposed operations in enough detail to permit a conclusion that it will clearly meet the particular requirements of the section under which it is claiming exemption." This gave Y2Y in the U.S. the ability to accept donations and build their environmental empire. At the same time, Y2Y was kept as two separate entities, one in Canada and one in the U.S., even though they co-existed as one organization. The 2001 Y2Y-MT tax form below provides some interesting information about the beginning of Y2Y. The address is listed as Bozeman, Montana with a revenue of $674,777.00 for the year. On page 3, there is a notation of expenditures for contract services in the amount of $127,760.00. Page 5 indicates the Executive Director is located in Alberta, Canada with remaining associates in Montana. Already this "U.S." non-profit was setting themselves up as an organization that was started in a foreign country but split between two countries, but arranged to operate as one group. Page 6, 80(a)(b) states, "Is the organization related through common membership, officers, trustees...to any other exempt or nonexempt organization?" This box is checked Yes and lists "Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative Society." This is the Canadian version of Y2Y located in Alberta. In fact, at the bottom of page 6, a Canadian is responsible for managing the finances. On page 13 there are specific questions about transfers of cash "from the reporting organization to a noncharitable exempt organization". All boxes are checked No. Beginning on page 21, the explanation for this "joint" Canada-U.S. endeavor as Y2Y calls it, is explained. Quote: "On February 25, 2001 Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y-Montana) entered into an Agency Agreement with Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative Society (Y2Y-Alberta), a non-profit Society incorporated in Alberta, Canada Y2Y-Montana receives funds given in the United States to be used in Y2Y programs. Y2Y-Montana maintains full and complete direction, control and supervision over the application of the funds it receives Y2Y-Montana contracts with Y2Y-Alberta for services rendered for the purpose of carrying out its charitable activities" So this organization was set up specifically in the U.S., presumably by Montana individuals who were involved from the beginning, in order to funnel money to their organization in Canada via contract. They aren't giving to a charity, they are giving to themselves. The actual agreement begins on page 22. Over the years Y2Y-MT has funneled millions of dollars to Canada for purposes of implementing Y2Y objectives. There is no separate charity. In 2002, Y2Y-MT listed their address in Missoula, MT with a total revenue of $671,747.00 for 2002. On page 3, $263,279.00 was an expenditure for contract services, the money given to Y2Y-Alberta, broken down by management and fundraising. Page 5 indicates two U.S. citizens were compensated for their work, and the interim Executive Director and Finance & Operations coordinator were Canadians. Again, 80(a)(b) are checked Yes, listing Y2Y Society as the related agency. Canada is listed as being "in care of the books" on the bottom of page 6. For unknown reasons a second tax form was filed in 2002, however this tax form lists the new Board of Directors on page 11. The Canadians include Mac Hislop, Stephen Legault, Harvey Locke, Bob Peart, Wayne Sawchuk, and Ellen Zimmerman. On the U.S. side are Ernie LaBell (Jackson), Troy Merrill (ID), Ray Rasker (MT), Tom Skeele (MT), and Gary Tabor (MT). So we have allegedly two separate entities, in two separate countries sharing directorship through a contract. What other organization gets this cozy with a contract agency? The truth is they don't. All US Y2Y-MT tax forms were studied from 2001-2016. Interestingly, although Y2Y claims to be transparent, the tax forms listed on their website are incomplete, omitting the years from 2001-2011. There is far more information listed on the tax forms from other websites, and the most glaring omission is how the money sent to Canada is hidden by "contract services" in the previous years. Here is a quick run down of the amount of money sent to Y2Y-Alberta: 2003 - $305,315 (corrected) 2004 - $614,400 2005 - $911,000 2006 - $1,063,200 2007 - $2,222,397 2008 - $1,042,634 2009 - $827,135 2010 - $1,044,522 2011 - $1,331,500 2012 - $2,100,500 The remaining tax forms 2012-2016 can bee seen on the Y2Y website listed above, and the further amount of money that was funneled to Canada is under the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative Society. The name and address of the principle officer is also listed in Canada on the first page. Y2Y-MT was able to register as a 501(c)3 in 2005, having completed its objectives to qualify. Y2Y-Alberta obtained their charity status in the same year. In the below 2005 tax form, beginning on page 32. this transition is explained. Quote: "The programs were started in 1995 by a network of U.S. and Canadian organizations, scientists and individuals. In 2000, the program became two separate entities, Yellowstone to Yukon conservation Initiative (a non-profit corporation incorporated pursuant to the laws of Montana, Y2Y Montana) and Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initative Society (a non-profit Society incorporated pursuant to the laws of Alberta, Canada, Y2Y Alberta.) It is the intention of Y2Y Montana and Y2Y Alberta that the two entities operate seamlessly, with one set of programs and activities addressing the region as a whole. Y2Y Alberta and Y2Y Montana have identical membership on their respective Board of Directors." On page 33, Y2Y-MT explains its relationship with Y2Y-Alberta. Quote: "Y2Y Montana contracts with Y2Y Alberta for services rendered for the purpose of carrying out its charitable activities. Both of these organizations have the same Board of Directors and the same Executive Director, but Y2Y Montana is an American nonprofit corporation and Y2Y Alberta is a Canadian entity. Because generally accepted accounting principles differ between these two countries, the corporations have not been consolidated." "For the year ended December 31, 2005, Y2Y Montana paid Y2Y Alberta contract services in the amount of $911,000." Y2Y- Alberta tax forms have also been studied but all information from both groups is too exhaustive for this post. The focus of this post was explaining the true origins of Y2Y, how they operate with Canada, and expose the vast amount of U.S. money being sent to another country. Indeed, Canadians have significant issues with this funding mechanism, and are suffering the same type of attacks with losing access to land because of the agendas Y2Y pursues, which are the same in Idaho. Because they are "seamless", they are really the same group, with the same individuals, and with the same agendas.
Over the years the Board of Directors has changed but it is always a combination of Canadians and Americans. In the 2005 tax form, on page 20, it states, "Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative Society is a nonprofit corporation formed under the laws of Alberta, Canada. It has not applied for federal tax exemption in the U.S." Is this legal given the amount of money being funneled across the border? There are other nuances with these tax forms that will continue to be posted. For now, Idahoans must understand that no Y2Y agenda can be implemented, it is all a scam. A well funded scam. Every time you give $1 to this organization you are giving free rein for them to ship it to another country, especially under a questionable financial structure. As it applies to Island Park, do not support wildlife overpasses, that is just one of their stepping stones for further implementation of their agenda. It is known conservation initiatives and environmental non-governmental organizations (NGO) reap in large sums of money as non-profits for their agendas. Much of this money comes from John Q taxpayer through grants from the federal government, wealthy foundations, and private donations. Tax filings explain what happens with this money. The Greater Yellowstone Coalition (GYC) seems to be one of the more well funded organizations and is registered as a 501(c)3 in Montana. Interestingly, GYC is registered as a "foreign" non-profit corporation in Idaho (type Greater Yellowstone Coalition in the search box), most likely because it is registered in Montana, initially filing in 1985. 501(c)3 organizations are often called charities, or non-profits, can receive tax deductible contributions, and are tax exempt. There are certain requirements a 501(c)3 must follow including restrictions on lobbying, political activities, and political campaign intervention. Lobbying is defined as "influencing" legislation. However, a 501(c)3 can engage in public advocacy not related to legislation or a election of candidates. Front groups that are created by these large organizations do the lobbying for them. In the PDF below there is information on GYC lobbying expenditures from 2016. On page 8, Forbes-Tate Partners in Washington, DC was paid $116,300 to do the lobbying for GYC. It is unclear from this document what lobbying activities were pursued by GYC via this organization. On page 25, GYC reports spending $18,778 for lobbying to influence public opinion (grass roots lobbying). Another $118,957 was spent to "influence a legislative body (direct lobbying)". There is also a chart of a 4 year averaging period, over 1 million was spent on lobbying. GYC justifies some of their activities as a charity organization beginning on page 48-49. Their listed objectives include protecting core habitat...facilitating connectivity between Yellowstone Bears...new programs for voluntary grazing allotment retirements, construction of highway wildlife crossing structures...and expanding our work on protecting wildlife migratory corridors across greater Yellowstone. It goes on to state GYC's lands program is focused on securing new protections...for this landscape...permanently protecting...building solid momentum behind a partnership that is seeking to protect critical wildlife habitat on private lands in the Henry's Fork watershed, and advocating for new administrative protections on the BLM lands. Lofty goals, but with their lobbying efforts in D.C. perhaps they will succeed. They are also using their money to buy "voluntary grazing allotment retirements", one reason ranchers are having such a difficult time feeding their herds, GYC buys up this land and locks it up forever.
Another GYC tax form that contains interesting information is from 2014, in the PDF below. Page 44 explains their "Program Service Accomplishments" and includes working "...closely with our national partners to ensure important conservation measures are not undermined, protecting public lands..in the High Divide in Wyoming, "...celebrate a significant win as we finalize the Shoshone National Forests new forest plan, which will put almost one million acres off limits to oil & gas development", and at least acknowledges their intent to "ensure key forest lands are protected from expanded motorized use as the Shoshone launches a travel planning process in Eastern Idaho". They finalized the Shoshone plan? Why not, on page 33 it shows GYC gave the US Forest Service $125,000 for bear bins. Guess the forest service owes them a favor.
In 2015, GYC gave another $137,000 to the US Forest Service for bear proof containers, page 34. On page 36, GYC gave Wyoming Wild Sheep $100,000 for a grazing allotment buyout, another conservation group. This is what GYC is doing with your tax dollar from the federal government.
Read through these documents, look at the numbers. It is no wonder local citizens have to scream so loudly to have their voice heard when these type of groups are buying favors from the government and taking land away from you.
Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y), having been exposed for their connectivity agenda, has changed their tactics of late. One is changing their messaging on promoting overpasses by now saying they are for "safe wildlife passages" in an effort to convince Fremont County citizens to vote Yes on the upcoming Advisory Vote. A Yes vote essentially gives the green light to supporting wildlife overpasses and miles of fencing (See Fremont County Citizens article under IP Focus tab). Now they are hitting old statistics as a means to justify "safe wildlife passages", which is really their same agenda for overpasses, tugging more on the fear factor of safety rather than the poor Elk being roadkill. Justification for wildlife overpasses by Y2Y has always been about Elk, now they are shifting their focus to Deer? Why? Do Elk collision numbers not justify their cause? Of course they don't, and never have. Below is a screenshot of a 2016 map used on the Island Park Safe Wildlife Passage (IPSWP) facebook page from 2017. Once again, this map is misleading and the reason Y2Y is using it, because it is misleading. This map, and Y2Y, report the likelihood of drivers hitting a "Deer" in Idaho is 1 in 147. That is in 2016. However, the truth is, in 2018 State Farm reported fewer Deer collisions. and the factual number is 1 in 164 for Idaho. Idaho is not in the top ranking for collisions and never has been, even in 2016, or 2015, or by the CarInsurance website. Montana continues to rank at the top, perhaps Y2Y should leave Idaho and focus on Montana for their overpass agenda. Here is the accurate, factual, State Farm map. It is unlikely this will be posted by Y2Y as an update to the previous map. Perhaps the rush was getting the old map up as the new State Farm numbers were soon to be published, numbers that don't contribute to the Y2Y agenda, but rather lessen the support for it. Y2Y, stop using inaccurate and misleading data. One has to assume that Y2Y U.S. Program Director, Kim Trotter, creator of IPSWP, is the one who is trying to manipulate a false picture regarding the overpass agenda by using outdated Deer data. This just continues adding to Y2Y's lack of credibility along with their other manipulated data on roadkill. The shift from Elk to Deer is incredulous and might suggest there is some desperation in the Y2Y campaign for manipulating their propaganda. Won't work. Island Park, Fremont County, and Idaho citizens are smarter than you understand.
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