Nominated for an Award from the Nature Conservancy (Fuck those assholes and their access policie$)
November 20, 2009
Mr. Donald L. Beaver, Jr.Chief Executive OfficerSpring Ridge Club, LLC
4719 Spruce Creek Road
P.O. Box 88
Spruce Creek, PA
16683
Dear Mr. Beaver,
Congratulations! Spring Ridge Club was selected by an independent panel of judges as a finalist in the Investing in Nature program in the Ecotourism category.
Selecting award finalists was a difficult task for our blue-ribbon panel of judges. It is an honor of which to be proud. There was a robust field of nominees from across
Pennsylvania with many excellent conservation initiatives to improve the bottom line and help create a more sustainable planet. The Nature Conservancy is proud to recognize many conservation-minded companies operating in
pennsylvania, and pleased to award Spring Ridge Club as a finalist in the 2009 Investing in Nature program. Enclosed you will find your certificate of recognition and a copy of the press release that names the winners and finalists. Thanks you again for participating and for your commitment to the environment.
Sincerely,
Teresa Howell Saxton
Donor Relations Manager
And from the newsletter, Cathy Beck on a private Lake Erie trib.
Epol fixed it though:
Merry Christmas.
This entry was posted on Monday, January 4th, 2010 at 5:44 pm and is filed under fuck you you fucking fucks, AWWW! It hurts my eyes, Photoshoppery, Holy Crap!, admit it -- it sucks, In Depth Beaver Analysis, Holy Ghey!, Absolute Horseshit, All that is way fucking wrong, Beaver Hunt.
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January 4th, 2010 at 6:40 pm
That ultra-wideangle lens makes her head look big. Just sayin.
January 4th, 2010 at 9:53 pm
Head! Move! Now! It has it’s own weather system.
Epol’s photochoppery is much better than the original photochoppery.
January 5th, 2010 at 6:38 am
Chickenwire?
January 5th, 2010 at 6:52 am
it’s like sputnik
January 5th, 2010 at 8:11 am
This nearly happened a few years ago on the North Umpqua fly water. I guided a gozzillionaire from Colorado who was good buddies with Dick Cheney. Magically, a few months later, the USFS decided the Camp Water could bring big bucks at auction to some “investors” who planned on closing it to the public and making their own little private piece of water! UNBELIEVABLE!!! Thank god for the Steamboaters who successfully shut the whole scam down.
January 5th, 2010 at 9:59 am
The Spring Ridge Club (aka Homewaters Club) is to conservation as colon cancer is to the rectum.
January 5th, 2010 at 10:29 am
I’ve never had any issues fishing the Nature Conservancy lands on my local. The lead project manager once approached us while fishing. He said it’s not open to the public, but it’s fine to fish it as long as we were practicing C&R and we picked up some trash each time. He even said he’d let us park on the the site itself, not down river as we usually do, and even gave us his card.
They really did an excellent job restoring the river and riparian habitat. They’re currently working to on another big stretch that already looks 1000 times better than it did a few months ago. I’m curious as to what issues you’ve had with them, as my experience has been very positive.
This Donny Beaver shit is …. shit.
I can’t believe they’d recognize that fucking river privateer for anything like this.
January 5th, 2010 at 11:17 am
5rivers—
more details on this please. either here, or to bacon@busterwantstofish.com. i’d only heard about this briefly prior to your posting.
thanks.
January 5th, 2010 at 12:49 pm
Fun
Sounds like you got lucky. Most of the lands that NC buys go completely off limits to everyone, unless you are a big donor or friend of Ted, then it’s your private nature park.
All in all, the NC is similar to Spring Ridge, only with better PR and the ability to get you to pay them to keep you off lands you paid to buy.
Maybe I’m being too harsh, who knows, but something about closing off lands, except to the rich and well connected, just doesn’t sit right.
January 5th, 2010 at 12:50 pm
this is so beaver shit
January 5th, 2010 at 1:24 pm
Salty
I had no idea that they closed off many of their lands. I know that the ones they’ve purchased on my local are going to be returned to the public at some point, I’m guessing when restoration is complete.
I totally agree with your sentiments on the privatization of lands, it’s happened in my backyard all too often the last 15 years.
January 5th, 2010 at 2:20 pm
Peoples of the west, check out Western Rivers Conservancy if you’re interested in a markedly forward thinking organization that’s restoring river corridors and habitat for the good of species and the public, not just rich private stinkhole Dudes who’d sooner see you off ‘thier” rivers so they can actually hook a fish with their shitty casting.
WRC is the real deal, just bought 8,000 + acres of private land on the John Day, sold more than half of that to become an Oregon State Park and opened up the entire bad motor scooter to regular old po’ folks like you and i. they hope to open more than 16,000 acres to the public. Western Rivers ‘ kicks ass.
January 5th, 2010 at 2:39 pm
fuck. i just got a call back from TNC on a job…
January 5th, 2010 at 4:36 pm
I’d say take it. Not everything TNC does is perfect, but I wouldn’t exactly portray them as “evil” either. Make change happen from the inside. Besides, job offers in this economy ain’t exactly falling from the sky. Could be worse.
January 5th, 2010 at 5:12 pm
Let me just clarify my position on TNC. I’m totally behind the conservation mission, but the access policies, or rather the selective application of them, kinda burns me. Take the job Kinni, and like Hammer said, work to chage that.
January 5th, 2010 at 5:59 pm
Come on fellas. The Nature Conservancy has a long track record of great works that far outweighs the handful of access-related controversies surrounding their projects. The organization has been THE leader in using market-based economics to further environmental goals. They play by market rules, and they play with the rich. If they drew all their funds and support from the average Joe, they’d be a small player. They fill a niche, and they are making excellent progress from my vantage point.
But when I think of the “angling community,” I see mostly abusers of wildlands. Even this dedicated circle of thoughtful anglers can only strive to balance out the huge negative impacts of angling as a sport and/or industry. I, for one, am not so comfortable with the idea of allowing unfettered access to the last great places. These efforts are about species and/or bio-region preservation. Perhaps nobody should go there except the ones who put up the cash.
And are we really gonna sit here at our computers and pretend to represent the poor “everyman.” That’s kinda funny, cuz I coulda sworn we were all yuppies. Maybe some of us are still in denial? Either way, I’ll wager that we’re fighting for our selfish interests like the rest of humanity.
With love, and with more than my fair share of prejudices.
January 5th, 2010 at 7:11 pm
it ain’t mine yet, i just made the ‘next cut’ is all.
January 6th, 2010 at 5:50 am
chaveecha when groups start deciding who gets access to sensitive areas based on funds rather than biology they are wrong. if you can’t see that then i don’t know what to tell you. is the rich dudes impact any less than the poor dudes?
January 6th, 2010 at 9:05 am
TNC’s past record in no way excuses their endorsement of the actions of Donny Beaver, The Spring Ridge Club and the Homewaters Club. Is purchasing public land and fencing it off so only your members can fish conservation? Is dumping truckloads of stockers into these waters and feeding them Trout Chow conservation? This is a sham under the guise of conservation. Anyone can see that. If TNC and others want to protect waters then take actions to do so. Work to pass environmental laws, vote for C&R rules and roll up your own damn sleeves and do some stream work.
“Fighting for our own selfish interests” ?? Do you have any idea of the personal involvement that many of us have in protecting and improving OUR waters for ALL to enjoy?
January 6th, 2010 at 10:11 am
I’m OK with The Nature Conservancy closing access to selected fragile areas as long as the decision is based on a scientifically determined need to protect them. And when it’s deemed safe to re-open those areas only on a limited basis it’s done fairly (like a lottery system) not based on how much money you donated or your position in the TNC heirarchy.
“Perhaps nobody should go there except the ones who put up the cash” = bullshit. If the rich want to buy up property and put up “No Trespassing” signs, it’s their right. To do so under the aegis of a tax-exempt foundation, no fucking way.
January 6th, 2010 at 10:43 am
Fishpaw, glad you’re fired up–more power to you. This may just fan the flames, but in answer to your first question, I DO think that conservation can be furthered by exclusivity, or better yet, total elimination of human influence. This Spring Ridge/Homewaters stuff sounds pretty lame, for sure. And I’m not a fan of stocked fish. But keeping anglers out of riparian areas is almost as good as keeping out the cows and sheep. You can trust that I’ve logged hundreds of hours of stream & lake surveys as well as critical habitat restoration for endangered fish and amphibians. And one of the most disappointing things I’ve seen is the damage done by anglers.
I’m strongly against privatization, but I can imagine scenarios, especially involving some kind of conservancy or land trust, where such a move could be a net positive for species of concern. I’m less concerned with angler access, partly because I’m spoiled, with more home waters than I can fish in a lifetime, partly because I love trespassing, and partly because I’m down on anglers (hopefully just a phase).
It’s usually a mistake to question a person’s motivations, so for that I apologize. Which leads me to wonder whether you are being fair to TNC and ol’ Donny, questioning theirs. Just a thought.
I’m going to put some effort into finding out exactly what conservation goals are being accomplished by Donny Beaver, and I’m going to ask the PA Conservancy staff about this apparent conflict–now I’m curious!
January 6th, 2010 at 11:21 am
i’ll reserve judgment on this until we hear back from your interview of the PA NC staff, chaveecha, but a bit of unsolicited advice: avoid the Stockholm Syndrome.
January 6th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
As is often the case, Bacon, that one shot right over my head, had to look that one up. I’ve only been taken hostage once, and she made it worth my while. Shit, I married her. I see what you mean–I’m highly susceptible.
January 6th, 2010 at 2:04 pm
“And one of the most disappointing things I’ve seen is the damage done by anglers.”
Then you have never seen the results of mountain top mining, or irrigation practices of corporate agriculture, or water use and run-off associated with golf courses, or the impact of storm water run-off in urban areas, or the flooding and erosion that happens when wetlands are paved over for development. The worse thing the every-day angler is going to do is leave trash, cause some bank erosion, maybe catch too many fish, destroy some redds, maybe pass along didymo or whirling disease. But, provide exclusive access to rich “anglers” and now you have created the capacity for utter disaster. Now you have people with the resources and the motivation to do real and irreversible damage - to use it until it is no longer entertaining and to turn it into exclusive, filth producing resorts for their friends and corporate counterparts. Maybe build a golf course or two and when they tire of catching dog-chow fattened trout and playing around in the dirt - they just sell it off to the highest bidder - or pave it off and use it for all the preety green lawns. The point is water is becoming liquid gold and if you think for one minute that wealthy folks don’t see, understand and fully intend to exploit its dual nature, then you should probably pick up Swedish as a second language. Exclusivity is the polar opposite of conservation - conservation relies on interdependness, cooperation and mutual interest. Exclusivity relies on hierarchy, self-interest and exploitation. Chaveecha - give me one example - just one - where exclusivity resulted in good conservation - just one and I’ll print this out and eat these words.
And pleace, when the hell are we ever going to understand that the rich do not and never will have our’s or the environment’s best interest at heart. Didn’t the revelations of this past year teach us anything?
January 6th, 2010 at 4:42 pm
Ursus, you are right. In the areas I have worked and played, most mining operators are long gone. I have had to deal with irrigators who care more for their cows than any native species, with ranchers who lock up waterways for profit and to subvert environmental enforcement. Not much in the way of impervious surfaces and urban runoff, but I get your drift.
Most of my work has been in the backcountry. And in those already protected areas, cows, horses and anglers do the most damage–in that order. The short litanny you mentioned adds up to significant abuse in my experience, especially in fragile sub-alpine and alpine areas. In several instances we removed trout from lakes and streams, anglers quit coming to the areas, and the places blossomed. Those examples don’t fit your challenge, so no need to go eating any paper. Our workgroup was constantly accused of promoting exclusivity because our actions took away angling opportunity. In my opinion, it was the best thing that could have happened for those areas. We mitigated by stocking other waters to keep packers and blubbering anglers happy, and the riparian areas in those areas suffered accordingly.
Another story I will relate: I grew up fishing a creek that was private, but the land owner let me fish. I returned in my 20s to find a new landowner who had leased the fishing rights to a club. I was really upset, called the club, tried to find some middle ground, but to no avail. It was frustrating and I got a bad taste in my mouth about such things. Fast forward ten years, I was hired by the same club as their pro-guide. We’ve been close friends ever since, and I’ve seen many of the waters they manage improve with their stewardship. Perspective matters.
One prominent player in fisheries conservation told me today that he thinks use restriction and resulting fees is the only way we will be able to maintain native fisheries in the future. He also credits private land owners and their restrictive policies for the survival of wild fish in several countries around the world. Not the final word, by any means, but very interesting.
Anyway, your excellent challenge has spurred me to do more research and interviews on this topic.
January 6th, 2010 at 10:20 pm
Dog spare us before we go the way of across the pond, where the only way to protect things was to privatize them and make them untouchable to anyone who isn’t part of the aristocracy. We left those places two centuries ago for exactly these sorts of reasons, and now we’re in danger of falling into the same trap, simply because we can’t learn from history? The solution seems clear - public lands with smart management. We can do it. And we already are in a lot of places. I refuse to believe our salvation lies in the “benevolence” of private ownership. Swallow that pill and we’re fucked.
January 7th, 2010 at 9:50 am
The Nature Conservancy of PA sent the above letters out to nominees in the spring and summer. In the case of Donny Beaver, he was nominated anonymously by one person, not by anyone in the organization. He did not win an award. The two people I interviewed had to do some digging to remember who Beaver was, and they were justly surprised that there could be any controversy over his independent nomination.
Nothing I have posted here should lead someone to believe that I’m in favor of locking up public lands. Far from it. Agreed: public lands with smart management is the path. But if TNC and other NGOs can successfully convert private lands into preserves, and continue to use market economics to protect species and places, they’ll have my support.
The next nut to crack was Beaver himself. I couldn’t reach him, but I spoke with two reporters who spent time with Donny at his Spring Creek club. I’ll spare you all the details of the conversation. The upshot is this: Donny’s not a bad guy, he has every intention of being a good steward of his lands, but his drive toward exclusivity and pellet-feeding is creepy. I’ll submit that this is a matter of perspective–what seems evil from the outside would seem pretty benign from the inside. According to the people I spoke with, Donny lost his appeal, but was not fined or reprimanded for posting the land, including the creek bed, that his deed said was his to post. Instead, they told him the water was deemed navigable. So he moved his little trout farm up to Spring Creek.
Sorry if this is old news to all of you, but I had to dig in a little after hearing this guy become everybody’s favorite demon.
January 7th, 2010 at 10:04 am
Veech
You might want to let your contacts at TNC know that Beaver is using this as a sort of “direct endorsement” by the TNC in the Club’s promo materials and newsletter.
January 7th, 2010 at 10:21 am
will do.
January 7th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
veecha,…..your contacts say: he was nominated anonymously by one person, not by anyone in the organization
But the letter says: “Spring Ridge Club was selected by an independent panel of judges as a finalist in the Investing in Nature program in the Ecotourism category.
Selecting award finalists was a difficult task for our blue-ribbon panel of judges. It is an honor of which to be proud. There was a robust field of nominees”
Sounds like it might be pretty easy to get a nomination.
January 7th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
I’m glad I checked in here and read chaveecha’s note about the PA Nature Cons Award deal. I don’t believe everyone has a right to everything. I do believe that if you are paying for something you have the right to it - and if your taxes are paying for public land you have every right to it. I also believe the counter point to that, if an organization is using the tax exemption status to profit individuals and restrict access that is criminally and ethically wrong. I also agree that restricting access has and does often result in improved health of the habitat. But taking that concept to the extreme would be unrealistic and kind of dumb. If you completely restricted all access, the plants and critters living there would benefit but who would know? Or care? We’ve all seen a stream or river essentially be ruined by too many people. They can all be catch & release, pick up their trash, stay on the path, etc but if you put enough of them on that water the fish will go somewhere else or die. You can love a river to death. There are just too many people fishing some water. So restricted access, granted on a fair and rotating basis sort of makes sense. Sure, you’d hate it when it wasn’t your turn or you didn’t win the lottery, but when it was your turn you’d love it. Its not terribly different than hiking an extra two miles to avoid crowds. Do you wish you didn’t have to? Sure. Doing it is kind of a pain and not everyone will do it, but when you do its sure nice.
Regarding the Nature Cons, in general I think they do more good than harm. They have plenty of property open to the public. The McCloud River Conservancy is limited to 10 rods a day. 6 are on a phone call, member only status, 4 are walk in open to John Q Public. Silver Creek in Idaho is a Nature Cons property, open to the public. Both those rivers are much prettier and cleaner and the fish healthier than the Green River below Flaming Gorge or the Colorado River out of Granby. I disagree with their tactic of holding “high roller special access” to only those who contribute the most. I contribute what I can so I think I should be allowed an equal opportunity to those special access times. As far as I know, they have no property that is open full time that way. They set up guided special access trips and invite the major contributors as a way to entice them to contribute more. I know Phantom Valley north of Ft Collins is that way. Normally no one is allowed in there, except maybe the NC scientist and researchers. But they have run special invite trips down into the canyon - I know because I know one of the guides who worked the trip. Do I wish I could have gone - absolutely! Can I fault the NC entirely - no, I understand the reason is to reward those who can and do contribute the most and its been successful at getting them to contribute more. If that ever becomes more the norm rather than the exception I’ll not be an NC member any more.
January 7th, 2010 at 1:28 pm
(Sagebrush Says: Sounds like it might be pretty easy to get a nomination.)
Agreed Sage, sounds like old Donny is trying to use the good name of TNC as an avenue to advertise his commercial venture, I would think TNC would not be too happy with this if they realized just what was going on.
January 8th, 2010 at 8:29 am
There is no doubt chaveecha that the Beaver comes across as a friendly and nice guy. When you are running a country club the members expect that. I bet that story he spews about how he watched his childhood home waters destroyed brings tears to many eyes. The same kind of tears that todays little Donny’s shed when they can’t fish the stream anymore because it is now Homewaters Club property.
And speaking of personal motives, your words regarding questioning others motives are appreciated. The Beaver’s, Spring Ridge and Homewaters (or whatever new name they choose) motives are being looked at from the inside, as well as the outside. Just to make sure there is no question on their motives.
January 8th, 2010 at 3:59 pm
I have heard the argument for restricting use through fees before. Some people say that Yellowstone National Park would be much better preserved if the entry fee was $100 or more, because it would reduce the number of people who could afford to visit. Some of the same people have suggested that a license to fish for wild trout should be at least $100 a year for the same reason, adding that catching a wild trout or visiting Yellowstone is such a valuable experience that it would still be a bargain at that price. What they fail to mention is that our waterways, public lands, and game and fish are part of the national trust, and restricting those resources to the affluent is a violation of that trust.
There are fairer ways to protect natural resources than fencing or pricing most members of the public out. We need to stick to those.
January 8th, 2010 at 5:00 pm
Well said Rusty. The public is not enemy number one.
January 9th, 2010 at 4:47 pm
Hi. I’m Randy Edwards and I’m a media relations guy for The Nature Conservancy’s Pennsylvania program. A couple of folks drew my attention to this thread and I wanted to clarify a few things.
In April 2009, The Nature Conservancy and Journal Publications, Inc., announced the winners of its 2009 “Investing in Nature” awards. Nominations were open to all and were not reviewed by Conservancy staff. An independent panel of judges reviewed the nominations and selected the winners and the finalists in six categories. The award winners (and the names of the judges) can be found here: http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/pennsylvania/press/press3997.html
Spring Ridge Club was one of two organizations nominated in the “Ecotourism Initiatives” category. The winner of that category was Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau, for its Get Outdoors initiative. The judges identified Spring Ridge Club as a finalist.
Winners were announced in April; some finalists may have received notification as late as November 2009.
January 9th, 2010 at 4:47 pm
Over the past five decades, The Nature Conservancy has protected tens of thousands of acres in Pennsylvania with the help of our member/donors and other conservation organizations, including hunting and fishing groups. Most of this conservation work benefits fish habitat, directly or indirectly.
Many of the lands we’ve protected are open to public fishing because we have transferred the property to state parks and forests, state game lands, or other public agencies. Some examples include lands now in Hickory Run State Park (Hickory Run and Lehigh River in Carbon County), Wolf Run Natural Area in Tioga State Forest (Wolf Run and Pine Creek in Lycoming County), the Ohio Islands National Wildlife Refuge (Ohio River in Beaver County), Wyoming State Forest (Loyalsock Creek in Sullivan County), and Mt. Holly Marsh County Park (Mountain Creek in Cumberland County).
At many Conservancy-owned lands we welcome responsible public use, including hunting and fishing. More information on Conservancy properties open to the public, including the 3,100-acre West Branch Forest in Clinton County, can be found at http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/pennsylvania/news/news2481.html
That page talks mostly about hunting, but everywhere hunting is permitted, we allow fishing, too.
Some Conservancy-owned lands are closed to public use are because we have determined that public access would threaten fragile ecosystems and/or rare species.
I know this won’t satisfy everyone, so if you’d like to talk more, feel free to look me up at www.nature.org/pennsylvania (look for “contacts”) and give me an earful if you want.
Best,
Randy Edwards
January 9th, 2010 at 5:53 pm
That didn’t take long.
January 9th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
Randy
Thanks for dropping in a clarifying. We appreciate it
January 10th, 2010 at 5:12 pm
That’s the way to clear things up, I guess. Well played, Randy the Media Relations Guy. Well played indeed.
January 11th, 2010 at 7:32 am
“TNCPA Says: Spring Ridge Club was one of two organizations nominated in the “Ecotourism Initiatives” category. The winner of that category was Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau, for its Get Outdoors initiative. ”
So Donny was the loser in a two horse race. Just thought that needed clarification.
January 11th, 2010 at 11:22 am
Thanks for the info TNCPA / Randy.
Since the TNC named the Spring Ridge Club (now dba Homewaters Club) as a finalist, should one assume the TNC supports the Beaver’s actions?
Interesting group of judges by the way: Cindy Adams Dunn, Deputy Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; John C. Dernbach, distinguished professor of law, Widener University Law School; Tom Olenzak, venture capitalist, Robin Hood Ventures; and Robert M. Scaer, CEO, Gannett Fleming Inc.
January 11th, 2010 at 11:47 am
Very interesting….
January 12th, 2010 at 11:26 am
i’m still a bit confused, but lemme see if i can get this straight.
-TNC allows open nominations for their TNC-branded “Investing in Nature” awards
-these nominations are unreviewed by TNC staff
-winners are chosen by a panel on non-TNC-related judges
-Then TNC puts their logo on the winners awards, despite not having a direct involvement in the selection process.
not trying to be facetious in the slightest , just honestly trying to follow the selection process and figure out how TNC is involved here beyond logo placement. mr. edwards, can you help me here?
also, what were the criteria for winning the award? i tried to find it online but the best i could come up with was a quote from Bill Kunze, the PA TNC director:
“Our Investing in Nature program,” explained Kunze, “recognizes those business initiatives that model strong conservation practices to improve the health of our world and our economy. I’m proud to say we had a very competitive field of nominees, all of whom deserve our appreciation for their contributions to Pennsylvania’s economy and for their many initiatives that help us accomplish the mission of The Nature Conservancy of preserving the diversity of life on Earth.”
thanks for any help you can lend.
January 13th, 2010 at 1:59 pm
Well?
January 13th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
i emailed mr. edwards today and re-directed him to this. hoping to hear from him soon.
where it’s at.
January 13th, 2010 at 3:24 pm
Wait a minute.
Bacon said, “recognizes those business initiatives that model strong conservation practices to improve the health of our world and our economy.”
Economy? By increasing commerce? By more pay to play bullshit?
TNC, straight up, do you support businesses with models and goals similar to Spring Ridge, aka Homewaters, aka Donny Beaver?