🚀 go-pugleaf

In ca.environment you write:

>> I am also interested in any advice concerning the possiblities
>> of getting the Nature Conservancy to consider purchasing Cobb
>> Mountain to preserve [its] beauty and resources now and
>> forever.

>=x= Sounds like a worthy project, and one that will test the
>sincerity of the The Nature Conservancy (TNC).

I disagree. 

 TNC's major thrust is preservation of habitat
for threatened species.  If you carefully read their propagande,
you can see tat they are regularly refusing *donations* of
land that do no fit their criteria.  Natural beauty is
NOT a goal TNC works towards.  Notice, one of the achievements
they crow loudest about is their computerized data base
of specie distribution that allows  them to analyze
(1) species in greatest danger of vanishing and (2)
parcels of land that pack the greatest biodiveristy.

To whit, one of their largest purchase of late was the
enormous "gray's ranch" in New Mexico.  A beautiful
stretch of God's earth; I personally prefer it over the
Sierras.  However, it turned out that the current species
diversity there is not particularly outstanding
(although there is talk of trying to return to a native
grassland, complete with buffalo), and there has been a fair bit of internal
dissension over what many see as a TNC blunder.

By all means, make your pitch to TNC. But doing it from
a species diversity/habitat preservation standpoint,
not a natural beauty standpoint.

>=x= You see, the most recent addition to their board of
>directors is the president of Maxxam.

As an organization that continually bills itself as a coalition
builder, that tries to save the environment from consensu
rather than a confrontation approach, I am not sure what the
relevance of this point is.  I not saying you should trust/love
"big business", but if all you ever do is call them names and
sue them,  it becomes hard to build a lasting peace.  
-- 
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Tyler Holcomb   *   "Remember, one treats others with courtesy and repsect *
tylerh@juliet   *   not because they are gentlemen or gentlewomen, but     *
  caltech.edu   *   because you are."  - paraphrased from Garth Henrichs   *