The Nature Conservancy (TNC)

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The Environmental Movement

The Nature Conservancy in the Klamath Basin--Fact Sheet of Land Acquisitions

Articles:

25 Years ago: Converting 3000 acres Tulana Farms to wetland to improve UK water quality, H&N May 1, 2021 This week in Klamath Basin History. "...Mark Stern, project coordinator for the Nature Conservancy, said a general agreement has been reached for the purchase of Tulana Farms, a 4700-acre tract at the mouth of the Williamson River. Most of the land would be flooded..."  KBC NOTE: 97,160 acres of agricultural land has been converted into wetlands from ag as primary water usage through 2006 above Klamath Lake. Wetlands use nearly 2ce as much water as ag lands. 

The Nature Conservancy supports 2013 Farm Bill, posted to KBC 5/14/13: "Improve the conservation of wetlands, grasslands and private forests by maintaining funding for easements, with a special emphasis placed on permanent easements and the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), Grasslands Reserve Program (GRP) and Farm and Ranchland Protection Program (FRPP)..."

(Klamath) Tribal group conducts restoration projects, gets on-the-job training, H&N 1/26/12. "The project at the Sycan Marsh is a partnership between the Forest Warriors; the Nature Conservancy, which manages a 30,000-acre preserve there; and Lomakatsi Restoration Project, an Ashland nonprofit that develops and oversees restoration projects...was founded with a nearly $1.5 million federal stimulus grant"

Bigger story to tell about Klamath levees, by Karl Scronce for Capital Press 11/9/07

A blow for fish, Group breaches Klamath levees, turns farmland back into wetlands, Mateusz Perkowski, posted to KBC 11/4/07 Capital Press. "more water will be needed to fill the lake, so the extra storage capacity won't do much good without strong snow packs and stream flow...Filling the lake to meet the minimum requirement established by the 2002 U.S. Fish and Wildlife biological opinion would also be more difficult..."

Comments regarding creating more Nature Conservancy wetlands on USA Today website, posted 11/1/07

Dikes blasted to restore Oregon marshland for endangered fish, Oregonian 10/30/07, FOLLOWED BY: Levees breached to restore Klamath wetlands (KBC NOTE: this is the first we, the farm community at large, has heard that this is another project with TNC that will take 20,000 acres out of farmland. Multiply that by double the evaporation of ag land and worse water quality. The Oregonian says Cheney gave farmers water killing fish..go here for the facts clearing Cheney. One farmer on TNC board has before stated that every time land is taken out of ag land in the Upper Basin with the promise of storage, that has never panned out. In the Oregonian article his support of this project does not speak for all of his community, nor does the support of the other farmer who is mentioned speak for us.

Explosions Destroy Levee Near Klamath Lake, ktvl.com 10/30/07.

Major Explosions to Restore Wetlands in Oregon’s Klamath Basin, The Nature Conservancy 10/30/07. HERE for TNC Page.

Blasting levees part of effort to revive Oregon lake, USA Today, posted 10/29/07

Sucker fish are getting back their old home, Oregonian 10/29/07.

(KBC NOTE: this will add 7400 acres to more than 100,000 acres already taken out of private ag and flooded by the gov't and The Nature Conservancy, evaporating 2ce the water used for agriculture irrigation. The Upper Basin tax base and cattle industry are decimated. Dr. William Lewis of the National Academy of Science testified that breaching dikes and taking more land out of agriculture will not help suckers or water quality) It will add more shallow warm water to evaporate and warm the Klamath Lake and River.

Once-beautiful part of river now spoiled, May 26, 2008 Herald and News letter to the editor by Mark Jahn, Chiloquin. "..we are not allowed to mess with the riparian area on our own property, yet this project (?) was budgeted and allowed without a vote or even prior notice."

California Fish and Game, and The Nature Conservancy to grab Siskiyou agricultural water; Section 5937 of Fish and Game code - "good condition". Column by Marcia Armstrong, Siskiyou County Supervisor District 5, posted to KBC 9/18/07. Here for more of Armstrong's columns.

Grant funding goes to wetland restoration in Basin, H&N, posted to KBC 9/16/07. (KBC NOTE: EPA administrator Ron Kreizenbeck presents $800,000 to several groups to convert  Wayne Ranch on Sprague River to wetlands. The Klamath Basin Rangeland Trust is the lead partner on the project, along with, Klamath Basin Ecosystem Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited.)

Grant to restore Basin watershed, H&N, posted 8/31/07. "Ducks Unlimited received a $789,563 federal grant to help restore the Upper Klamath Basin watershed. "Groups involved in the project include The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Klamath Watershed Council, KBEF/Klamath Basin Ecosystem Foundation, and Klamath Basin Rangeland Trust." For KBEF board of directors go HERE. KBEF and Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center are both members of Orion Network.  

Conservation group (The Nature Conservancy) buying out Calif. fishermen, posted to KBC 7/20/06

The Bureau of "Nature Conservancy,"  Joyce Morrison, posted to KBC 5/25/06. TNC owns much of the Upper Klamath Basin. HERE for details.

Nature Conservancy partners with feds for Klamath wetlands, Capital Press 2/24/06
Lands taken out of irrigated agricultural uses and converted to wetlands as the primary usage above Upper Klamath Lake, "Wetlands use over 2ce as much water as ag lands."

TNC 2005 financial report, pdf file HERE. Net assets: $4,424,726,000. TNC acquired $153 million and $794 million dollars in property through Federal Grants for the years ended June 30, 2005 and 2004 respectively. Net assets $4,424,726,000.00. TNC had contracts for the purchase of land and purchase commitments in the amount of $60,539,000,00, which hadn't closed yet.

TNC and 'kelo' eminent domain other places: Eminent domain battle shaping up at Padre Island , FOLLOWED BY South Texas county may sue to take wildlife preserve, Nature Conservancy vows to fight forced sale of South Padre land, posted to KBC 1/19/06

(The Nature) Conservancy Criticized by Senate Committee, Environmental News 8/3/05. (Tax-exempt TNC is a huge landowner in Upper Klamath Basin and presently is planning to buy Barnes Property.

Senators Question Conservancy's Practices, Washington Post 6/14/05

Nonprofit Watch: The Nature Conservancy, Legend Games  6/9/05

Whatever Nature Conservancy Hands Have Touched, Communities Have Perished, posted to KBC 5/28/05, Magic City News.

Whatever Nature Conservancy Hands Have Touched, Communities Have Perished, posted to KBC 5/28/05, Magic City News.

Never Relinquish Property to Environmental Organizations! by Nancy Levant posted to KBC 4/23/05.

Stop Nature Conservancy's Midnight Sweetheart Deal! 3/20/05 alra.

$26-Million Deal Will Save 8,800 Acres of Fragile Desert, latimes.com, 9/30/04

MILNESAND, N.M. (AP) - Nature Conservancy purchase 18,500-acre ranch to protect prairie chicken in N.M, 8/6/04..

No More Heroes, July 6, 2004, by retired Fish and Wildlife biologist and manager Jim Beers, "The Washington Post reported last year that the Nature Conservancy had repeatedly bought land, added some development restrictions, and then resold the properties at reduced prices to its trustees and other supporters."...."The next thing you know someone will tell us that some Endangered mouse doesn't even exist and that Endangered owls that we "saved" by decimating rural communities, timber companies, and uncounted families are still decreasing."

IRS Toughens Scrutiny of Land Gifts, Washington Post, posted to KBC 7/6/04.  The Nature Conservancy is one of the largest landowners in the Klamath Basin. Go HERE for land acquisitions.

MORRISON: The Nature Conservancy joins forces with the US Corps of Engineers, Illinois Leader 6/23/04.  Since TNC and government agencies have converted 94,000 acres of farmland to wetlands in the Klamath   Basin, here's some update on what they are doing in other places.

Letter from Senate committee on finances to TNC, 5/05

The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the rest of the picture, by James Beers 4/15/04. The Nature Conservancy owns a vast amount of land in the Upper Klamath Basin.

Overhaul of Nature Conservancy (TNC) urged. Washington Post 4/1/04. TNC owns/controls thousands of acres of land in the Klamath Basin--go HERE for local acquisitions.

IRS to audit The Nature Conservancy from inside, Washington Post 1/17/04. The Nature Conservancy is one of the largest land owners in the Upper Klamath (UK) Basin, and are at the table with the tribes, KBRT, the DOI and the irrigators. HERE for UK land acquisitions and evaporation rates.

TNC faces double investigation 7/23/03,

ARIZONA COMMUNITY AVERTS REPEAT OF KLAMATH DISASTER. Citizens Fearful of contract ramifications with The Nature Conservancy.  From the author: "I learned about Hardy by first reading about the fish habitat studies on the Klamath, then reviewing the habitat study performed to support the flawed streamflow statistics here on Sonoita Creek.  When I saw that they were performed by the same person (Dr. Hardy), I freaked out." from the archives...2002 

Methinks she protesteth too much, by C.J. Hadley, owner of Range Magazine. Reprinted from RANGE magazine, Summer 2003 issue, regarding The Nature Conservancy, (a huge landowner in the Klamath Basin). At rangemagazine.com  website, everyone can read Tim Findley's piece in its entirety on TNC. For information on subscriptions, please call 1-800-RANGE-4-U.
   

ACTION ALERT:  Bill S.  476 hands over to The Nature Conservancy and other massive Land Trusts a special tax break when buying land. Click here for more info and what you can do.

Large Klamath Basin Landowner--"protector of the US countryside' is in trouble: Wilderness bewilderment, "Nature Conservancy felled trees, allegedly drilled for gas beneath the last breeding-ground of an endangered bird and sold unspoiled land at discounted prices to its trustees so they could build luxury homes in some of America's most beautiful landscapes, according to the Washington Post, which spent two years investigating its activities,"  May 29, 2003, The Guardian.

The truth about the a large land owner in the Klamath Basin, The Nature Conservancy.  This is a series in the Washington Post of this Organizations unethical practices throughout the country.

  Washington Post, 5/12/2003, Big Green Blues
     http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43226-2003May11.html

Panel calls for Nature Conservancy reforms, Congressman Doolittle 3/31/04

Landmark Calls for Probe into EPA Grants to Nature Conservancy, May 15, 2003 11:54

 Illinois Conservative Politics, 4/22/2003, "TNC owns approximately 13 million acres in the 50 states and 28 countries." (KBC link)