>property rights. It seems to me that if there is a patch of property that
>has something valuable on it, then either the (national, state, or local)
>government can use a condemnation procedure to purchase the property for
>a fair market price, and then make it a protected property; OR a private
>group should make an offer of a fair market price for the property (this
>is how Nature Conservancy does it) and then negotiate with the
>appropriate governmental agency to make the property a publicly owned,
>protected preserve. If the groups advocating the protection of the
As an unapologetic TNC supporter, I think a clarification may be necessary
here. At all times, TNC works *with* the private land owners. There is no
political or financial pressure placed on the land owners. This is simply
because a friendly relationship with land owners makes for a more productive
one. There is semi-urban-legend about TNC using condemnation laws for land
acquisition. This is rooted in a single event which actually did happen, and
which resulted in the director of that state getting sacked.
Also, TNC prefers not to buy property outright, but rather facilitates land
deals or is granted conservation easements. That way TNC does not have to
worry about property taxes.
>protected preserve. If the groups advocating the protection of the
>species/property cannot or will not come up with the money for purchase,
>then maybe they are not really serious about preservation. It is always
>easy to require someone else to make the sacrifice of parting with their
>land (money, resources, etc.)
Again, TNC works *with* land owners, and does not force them to take
action. And during the time I have worked with TNC (as a volunteer), I have
seen some projects work and others fail, and the outcome does not just
depend upon the dedication of the people involved in the project. Sometimes
a landowner simply is not interested. I was talking to a great fellow named
Tom Wyche who has singlehandedly helped TNC protect large tracts of South
Carolina mountain terrain. One landowner he approached stated it simpley,
``You don't understand. My goal is to do whatever I can with the land to
get the maximum dollar value from it.'' Difficult obstacles to overcome.
Barry