Thursday, May 29, 2014

Wild & Scenic in Calaveras County

Alone among the various government bodies in Amador and Calaveras Counties, the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors voted in support of the Wild & Scenic designation for parts of the Mokelumne River. Their endorsement provided the excuse for an out of the area state senator to sponsor the legislation. But the propriety of the Calaveras supervisors’ process and other issues have forced them to reexamine their position. Along with several others I spoke at their 5/27/14 meeting. What follows is a significantly revised and expanded version of my comments.

The website of the Foothill Conservancy states under their core values: “Work transparently. We are transparent in our actions and motives.” But they seem to have lost that transparency. If this wasn’t true we probably wouldn’t be here today reexamining this issue.

The Foothill Conservancy has an executive director, a watershed conservation associate, an administrative assistant and an office big enough to accommodate, on at least one occasion, the El Dorado National Forest Stakeholders Group. Most of this is paid for by grants from foundations with very specific political agendas.

My very quick and incomplete internet search of public records revealed the probable tip of the iceberg of their funding. The Rose Foundation gave the Foothill Conservancy over $110,000 between 2004 and 2013 while it gave the Friends of the River over $195,000 between 1999 and 2013. The George Soros’ Tides Foundation in 2010 gave the Friends of the River Foundation almost $4,000 and, that same year, also gave the Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment almost $22,000. These foundations transfer money amongst themselves in an uninhibited manner. In the business world, this activity would result in criminal prosecution for money laundering. They are immense operations; the CEO of the Tides Network receives $317,000 total compensation.

Almost all of the above cited grant money was for obtaining the Wild & Scenic designation. Personally, I believe that the Foothill Conservancy would prefer to keep their core value of transparency. But their tax exempt ride may be threatened because their foundation paymasters expect results.

I hope we all agree that preserving transparent process and democratic values are a far greater legacy to leave future Americans that any river.

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