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A Look Behind the Scenes –
Land Rights Letter on
Environmental Grantmakers Association
Strategy Sessions

Fly on the Wall in the War Room

This series of articles on environmentalist goals, strategy and tactics against defenders of property rights first appeared in Land Rights Letter beginning in February 1993. Based on recordings of an Environmentalist Grantmakers Association (EGA) conference in which key environmentalist political leaders and their financial backers openly discussed their strategic plans, the reports reveal an almost unprecedented behind–the–scenes, candid look at the mentality of environmentalist activists. We see first–hand how they think about the economy, property rights, their militaristic–like campaigns targeting rural areas of the country for takeovers of private property and the destruction of industry, and their savage smear campaigns designed to destroy those who dare oppose the viro pressure groups.

But the LRL series didn't stop with the reports on the EGA sessions on strategy; it traced the strategy from beginning to end showing how the strategically funded activism was implemented in actual case histories in Maine and New Hampshire, and how it relates to the plans for a massive takeover of 26 million acres of mostly private property in northern New England and upstate new York.

The LRL series was written in the mid-90's, but it is important to remember that the activists funded by the EGA (and others) are still operating today with unprecedented amounts of tax-exempt and government funding used for the ideologically motivated, destructive political agenda against the private economy and property rights. (Such activism through the end of the 90's is covered in one of the references cited below.)


Introduction

Original 1993 Land Rights Letter Introduction


“How do you say to somebody, no I don't want you to have your job?”

Here we see a prominent viro political leader in the EGA, Debra Callahan of the W. Alton Jones Foundation – later to become head of the national viro lobby, the League of Conservation Voters, give an insider account of the results of the EGA–sponsored research acknowledging the scope of the grassroots uprising of real people against them.


“On the Ground” – Environmentalism as a Military Campaign

The strategies proposed against the grass roots rebellion against environmentalists can be grouped into several categories: personal attacks, organizing and political funding, philosophy of anti–economics, and the private property “takings” issue. Here we see Callahan describing a military–like planned assault and vicious smear campaign directed against the people who dare to speak out against the viro agenda for takeovers of private property and social control. The campaign is confirmed again in a report on Callahan's written report produced under the direction of the Wilderness Society.



Taking Private Property by Regulation

Seizing control of private property through regulations has been a viro favorite to avoid having to pay for it under eminent domain. Here we see an EGA strategy session reporting how the EGA funds a national network to prevent state or local laws from requiring compensation for regulatory takings.


Back “On the Ground” – The “Strategy” in Action.

From EGA-funded campaigns in collusion with government agencies for takeovers of private property to the deliberate smear campaigns against their victims, here we see actual case histories of some of the EGA-funded activism in northern New England.



The Anti–Industrial Revolution vs. “Species Chauvinism”: It's the Economy, Stupid – Trash it

Imagine this scenario: An influential scientist and TV personality gives the keynote address to an auditorium full of politically powerful environmental activist leaders and their tax–exempt, wealthy benefactors meeting to plan and coordinate strategy for a long term political agenda. When the speaker is finished describing his vision for humanity – which he says his friend Vice President Al Gore shares – he receives a sustained, thunderous, standing ovation.

What did he say? Environmentalists publicly advertise that their preservationist agenda to lock up natural resources and prevent economic development will “help the economy”, but what do they really think?– What do they say and applaud amongst themselves when they think you aren't listening?


Buying (Extorting) Your Future – Meet the Environmental Grantmakers Association (EGA)

Few have heard of it, but this consortium of big foundations and corporations is funding and controlling a large part of environmentalist activism. A brief summary of the EGA.


The “Earth Day” Movement Revisited – and It's Consequences

The editor of Land Rights Letter reports on the 1992 EGA presentation by “Earth Day” founder and organizer Denis Hayes giving his assessment of the movement, his recommended strategies and his acknowledgement of “the pain some of our policies have caused”. The first “Earth Day” in 1970 was the symbolic beginning of the modern phase of the “ecology” movement (that was later to become known as environmentalism) spawned by the New Left and often still treated with a religious–like reverence. This popularized cult–like status, fueled by moral intimidation of its victims and enormous financial and political resources, allowed it for over ten years to get almost any new laws it wanted, packaging its radical eco–socialist ecology goals with the rhetoric of “anti–pollution”. The movement's legislative agenda for controls and land takings has slowed, but is cumulative, and remains a growing threat to the freedom, rights and well–being of people world wide.

It is interesting to compare the similarities between Hayes' 1993 assessment and the more recent viro controversy over the “The Death of Environmentalism” paper by Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus presented at the October 2004 EGA conference as part of an internal battle over what political strategies should be funded to continue the viro agenda.


References and Further Reading

These Land Rights Letter articles were the first published on the role of the EGA in funding and influencing the organized environmentalist assault on property rights and economic surival in rural America. Since their publication, two books have been written which more comprehensively cover the role of the EGA, environmentalist funding and organizations, and grant–driven activism, influence and collusion in governement. Strongly recommended are:

The head of the Mountain States Legal Foundation (and previously a top official in Ronald Reagan's Dept of the Interior) summarizes samples of the activities of individuals around the nation who have dared to defend themselves, their communities and the rights of all of us against the powerful environmentalist activist groups – thereby becoming personal targets of the smear campaign orchestrated by Debra Callahan and the viros. This is the only book so far that focuses on the individuals who have fought back and why, documenting the first practical widespread revolt accompanied by morally inspired outrage rejecting abusive New Left environmentalist social control.

Two transcripts from the October, 1992 EGA sessions.

For more transcripts see the collection at the Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise:

Copyright © 2000, 2005 Erich Veyhl. All Rights Reserved

Page last updated: 07/20/22