undueinfluence.com condemns The Nature Conservancy

The article at undueinfluence.com at
http://www.undueinfluence.com/nature_conservancy.htm is a well researched and well written indictment of The Nature Conservancy.

"How to Bilk Taxpayers 101"

The Nature Conservancy helps Florida municipal governments like Santa Rosa County bill taxpayers for $1.8 billion for over half a million acres in Florida. See the story at http://www.newsherald.com/headlines/article.display.php?id=931. This is a dream come true for local government officials whose ambitious career dreams of domination are bounded only the petty coffers of their community budgets.

There is absolutely no doubt that The Nature Conservancy is the "go to guy" when it comes to preparing grant applications for public funds to acquire land. They have made billions of dollars in these deals and have the very best political resources that money can buy.

The Nature Conservancy violates non-profit laws

The U.S. Senate Finance Committee investigated The Nature Conservancy for assisting trustees and insude managers to profit from land deals brokered by the nation's largest non-profit real estate organization. During the Senate investigation The Nature Conservancy's president admitted receiving a $1.5 million dollar mortgage at a minimal interest rate. Although this violation and other admissions clearly violated laws regarding non-profit organizations, The Nature Conservancy was allowed to continue operating with its non-profit status.

See a discussion of the investigation in this law firm's newsletter: http://www.gg-law.com/CM/Publications/August%202003.pdf

IRS fails to stop The Nature Conservancy

The IRS audited The Nature Conservancy following Congressional outrage to land deal schemes reported by the Washington Post in 2003, but the audit did not result in a repeal of the non-profit status of the TNC as many had expected. By late 2005, the powerful attorneys of The Nature Conservancy announced that the billions of profits on land deals would remain tax free. To this day, every dollar of profit in real estate brokerage and development made by The Nature Conservancy is exempt from tax simple because the stated purpose of the organization is tax exempt.

How it all begins

See the harmless article at http://www.thestar.com/News/article/308603 that shows how it all begins. Who would suspect that The Nature Conservancy is positioning to aquire distressed land in Alberta, sell off the timber and drilling rights and then sell the back to public agencies at an inflated price. All in the name of conservation!

FOR SALE - Lodge in TN

FOR SALE - New Real Estate listing from The Nature Conservancy

Peaceful retreat in the heart of a 100-acre nature preserve. Property includes a 4,000-square-foot furnished lodge with five bedrooms, each with private bath; a two-bedroom partially renovated cabin; hiking trails; and a fishing pond. $239,900.

Surrounding farmland has already been sold by The Nature Conservancy to a commercial farmer. Previously the Dungannon Development Commission, a private management firm, handled the rental of the lodge but now a new provate owner is sought. See more information about the sale of Rikemo Lodge at www.nature.org/.

Some people continue to refuse to acknowledge that The Nature Conservancy is one of the world's largest and most powerful developers and real estate agents.

Staten Island CA land deal scandal

California Assemblyman Bill Maze is leading the charge to request that the U.S. Attorney’s office investigate a shady 9,200 acre land deal at Staten Island. The California state auditor found serious problems with the deal. The state auditors most recent report dated February 21, 2008 blasted the state agency that awards this type of grant is published at http://www.bsa.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2008-406.pdf, following an investigation and previous report in 2007. The audit found problems with the appraisal that shifted the bill to taxpayers and created unreasonable profit for The Nature Conservancy.

Maze is also concerned as to why California taxpayers should pay the bloated price. "It is unclear to me why The Nature Conservancy, which has over $4 billion in assets and made over $1 billion in revenue last year worldwide, needed grants by the taxpayers of California to purchase the island”. The state legislature is learning the hard way and perhaps too late, that The Nature Conservancy is powerfully efficient at manipulating state-sponsored programs for its own benefit. See more at http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080301/A_NEWS/803010324/-1/A_NEWS03

Unfortunately, such sly maneuvers are standard tactics for The Nature Conservancy, as other municipal governments across the U.S. and around the world have learned the hard way for decades.