The Great Montana Land Swindle, Phase II
To put the following USFS Press Release in context, also see:
The Great Montana Land Swindle of 2008 [here]
The Montana Legacy Project: Worth the Price? [here]
The Great Montana Land Swindle Sleazes On [here]
Montana Legacy Project Phase II Conserves [formerly] Working Forests
NEWS RELEASE: USDA Forest Service — Northern Region. March 15, 2010 [here]
Missoula, MT. – The Lolo and Flathead National Forests are assuming management of approximately 112,000 acres of former Plum Creek Timber Company lands purchased by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and The Trust for Public Land (TPL) as Phase II of the Montana Legacy Project comes to a close today with the official transfer of ownership to the Forest Service.
“It’s such an honor to witness the addition of over a hundred thousand acres of occupied lynx, grizzly bear, and bull trout habitat brought under the umbrella of public land management,” said Northern Regional Forester Leslie Weldon. “There is significant wetland habitat and a great diversity of plant species on these lands. Acquiring these parcels allows us to restore whole landscapes, assist wildlife in adapting to climate change by reducing habitat fragmentation and conserving water flows as these [formerly] working forests are placed in permanent public ownership.” … [more]
The story inside the story is the blackmailing of the parties to the deal by Weyerhaeuser, which resulted in that very same appropriation in the Farm Bill to include a $172,000,000 special tax break for Whorehouser. So while Missoula residents celebrate, there was a hoedown for the geriatric heirs to the Weyerhaeuser fortune in Minneapolis-St.Paul and in Tacoma.
That Senator Baucus certainly brings home the bacon — using other people’s money!!! Yours!!! Blatant legislative blackmail works, I guess. So how do I get on the gravy train? Do I need more inappropriate shepherding photos of the Senator or what? Truth serum in his Viagra? Man, would that be a hoot!!!
Reply: Don’t forget the pig-out party at Goldman Sachs when their real estate arm, the Nature Con (Servancy), brought back a windfall profit of $10 million or so for middling the deal. Basically, their lawyer went to a meeting. That’s all they had to do, and the money fell out the sky on their heads.