Published April 19, 2002 Greeley Tribune
Weld Voices

Are environmentalists trying to establish U.S. policy? By Roni Bell Sylvester

What’s going on `round here?
I kept hearing, that allegedly the Nature Conservancy and sister groups are trying to personalize our U.S. democracy into their own sovereign government.
Gosh, everyone acted like this is common knowledge. So, being a naturally quizzical sort, I asked people in the know.
THWACK! My questions were knocked silly by defenses: “The Nature Conservancy is wonderful. Don’t question them!”
Or, “Go after your Enron-lover Republicans.”
Or, “People like Paul Newman, Ted Turner and Robert Redford are involved. If it wasn’t an upstanding organization, they wouldn’t be!”
Or, “You are so paranoid and dumb. You want to destroy the earth, the sky, the water, prairie rodents and ice, leaving nothing for our grandchildren’s future.”
So, I backed off.
But the rumors didn’t.
Apparently, there have been environmental actions proposed in California to establish possible regulations that could affect agriculture.
If this alleged takeover is so obvious, why aren’t sharp, dispassionate reporters probing the Nature Conservancy and sister groups with questions like: Who is masterminding their projects? It would appear the conservancy manages to usurp our elected officials at policy-making. Explain how.
If the conservancy ends all domestic natural resource and agricultural production, has it made any arrangements with unfriendly nations to supply us with those necessary products? Define your goals and accomplishments.
I’m not naive, but never was the idea entertained that our crops, minerals and livestock would be uprooted from our American soil in order to make room for the planting of a sovereign government.
If true, the methodology - - i.e., using lovely ads to ambush the public’s mind and wallet - - is a brilliant form of warm, smiling terrorism.