A4 Opinion wallowa.com February 11, 2015 Wallowa County Chieftain ESA created an industry W hen it comes to environmental groups, H[WUHPLVPSD\V$UHYLHZRIWKHWD[IRUPV¿OHG E\PDQ\RIWKHPRVWDFWLYH²DQGUDGLFDO² groups operating in the Western U.S. shows that the top JURXSVUHFHLYHGQHDUO\ELOOLRQLQFRQWULEXWLRQVDQG legal fees. That’s billion, with a “B.” ,IWKH\ZDQWHGWRWKRVH JURXSVFRXOGIXOO\IXQG EDITORIAL WKH86)LVKDQG:LOGOLIH 6HUYLFH¶VHQGDQJHUHGVSHFLHV The voice of the Chieftain SURJUDPV²IRU¿YH\HDUV ,QVWHDGWKH\JRIRUWKHPRQH\7KH\VQLSHDWWKHIHGHUDO JRYHUQPHQWDQGDVLPSRUWDQWO\DWIDUPHUVDQGUDQFKHUV 0DQ\SUHIHUWRGUDJWKHLUWDUJHWVLQWRFRXUWLQVWHDGRI VHHNLQJFRPSURPLVHVWKDWZRXOGKHOSVSHFLHVDQGDOORZ IDUPHUVUDQFKHUVDQGRWKHUVWRVWD\LQEXVLQHVV ,QIDFWWKHOLWLJDWLRQSUHFOXGHVVXFKFRPSURPLVHV “When you’re litigating something, you almost can’t UHDOO\WDONWRDQ\RQH´VDLG'RQ6WXDUWIRUPHU$PHULFDQ )DUPODQG7UXVW3DFL¿F1RUWKZHVWGLUHFWRU+HZURWHD book about the clashes over the ESA. 7KHUHDVRQVIRUVXLQJWKHJRYHUQPHQWDQGUDQFKHUV DUHFOHDU0DQ\HQYLURQPHQWDOJURXSVGRQ¶WOLNHDQLPDO DJULFXOWXUH7KH\ZDQWDYHJHWDULDQOLIHVW\OH$QGWKH\ GRQ¶WOLNHODUJHVFDOHIDUPLQJ$Q\WKLQJWKH\FDQGRWRJHW ULGRIUDQFKLQJDQGODUJHIDUPVZRXOGEHDIHDWKHULQWKHLU cap. But there’s more to it. Environmental organizations cannot raise money if they solve problems. They must PDNHVXUHWKHSUREOHPUHPDLQVRUWKH\FDQ¶WSURGXFHWKH JORVV\DGVDQGSDPSKOHWVDQGKROGIXQGUDLVHUV You’ll never hear an environmental group announce to LWVGRQRUV³:HOOZH¶YHVROYHGWKDWSUREOHP7KDQNVIRU \RXUKHOSDQGZH¶UHQRZJRLQJWRGLVVROYHWKHJURXS´ (QYLURQPHQWDOJURXSVQHHGDSHUFHLYHGSUREOHP² SUHIHUDEO\RQHWKDW¶V³JHWWLQJZRUVHDQGWKDWWKURXJK\RXU GRQDWLRQVZHFDQPDNHDGLIIHUHQFH´ +HUH¶VWKHIRUPDWWKH\XVH ³7KHLQVHUWDQDQLPDO¿VKRULQVHFWQHHGV\RXUKHOS :HZLOO¿JKWWRVDYHWKHLQVHUWDQDQLPDO¿VKRULQVHFW :LWK\RXUGRQDWLRQZHFDQVDYHWKHLQVHUWDQDQLPDO¿VK RULQVHFWIRURXUFKLOGUHQDQGJHQHUDWLRQVWRFRPH´ The environmental groups came up with this formula GHFDGHVDJRZKHQ&RQJUHVVZURWHWKH(QGDQJHUHG 6SHFLHV$FWDQG3UHVLGHQW5LFKDUG1L[RQVLJQHGLWLQWR law. :LWKLWVGHDGOLQHVDQGSURWHFWLRQQRWRIVSHFLHV EXWRIVSHFL¿FSRSXODWLRQVWKH(6$ZDVDJLIWWRWKH environmental movement. 6XGGHQO\WKHVHJURXSVKDGDQRSHQSOD\LQJ¿HOGWR petition the government to protect local populations of VDOPRQVPHOWZROYHVRZOVJURXVHDQGRWKHUFULWWHUVDV though they were the last of the species. 7DNHIRUH[DPSOHWKHJUD\ZROIZKLFKLVSURWHFWHGDV ³HQGDQJHUHG´LQSDUWVRIWKH/RZHUGHVSLWHWKHIDFWWKDW MXVWRYHUWKHERUGHULQ&DQDGDWKHUHDUHPRUHWKDQ ²DQGDERXWLQ%ULWLVK&ROXPELDDORQH