The Nature Conservancy's record of accomplishment

The Washington Post recently published a series of stories highly critical of The Nature Conservancy. The stories also appeared in The Seattle Times (Page one, May 5-7).

For 52 years, The Nature Conservancy has performed to a very high standard on behalf of conserving wild lands and attempting to mitigate the environmental effects of development on all lands.

While we know nothing about the substance of any of the charges made by the Post, we appreciate the organization's decision to suspend some of the questioned activities pending review by its board of governors ("Conservancy suspends land sales after news reports" Times news, May 13). Further, we are confident that they will fix whatever problems they have.

In various capacities, both of us have worked with the Conservancy chapter in Washington state. We've worked with both the professionals who make up its staff and the volunteers who support it. We know they're dedicated to protecting our region's rich and imperiled biological diversity; that they use science to guide their decisions; and that they're professional, ethical and skilled.

We also know and embrace the Conservancy's mission. The organization seeks to conserve biological diversity by protecting the lands and waters that support our planet's remarkable fabric of life.

Over the course of many years, the Conservancy has sought to fulfill this mission largely by way of habitat acquisitions. In many instances, the organization has established nature preserves — lands it owns and manages for future generations.

In other instances, the Conservancy has passed these lands on to public partners — from the National Park Service to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state agencies. The Conservancy has also worked to support public land-acquisition efforts, through legislation and advocacy work. It's a tangible, results-oriented approach, one that has won the respect of many in both the business and conservation field.

In Washington, that work has translated into land-protection efforts with a wide array of partners in every corner of our state. The Conservancy owns nearly 49,000 acres and has helped to protect another 330,000 acres in Washington. It has taken a leadership role in creation of the major land-conservation programs now employed by the state — including the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program and the program that establishes state-owned natural area preserves and natural resource conservation areas. And it's engaged in some of the most significant land-protection work currently under way in Washington. By any measure, these are strong accomplishments.

The Post series did not touch upon any work the Conservancy has undertaken in Washington state. But it raised questions about the way the Conservancy conducts its business in other parts of the country.

First, the Post took issue with the Conservancy's contributions from corporations, a criticism we find curious. Conservation solutions, particularly on a large scale, require broad collaboration. They require a willingness to bring many different players to the table — from private landowners to business-people.

Throughout our professional lives, we have tried to find those places where civic and business interests intersect. We believe strongly that diverse players at the table make for better results. Corporations, not surprisingly, find The Nature Conservancy's non-confrontational brand of conservation action one they can embrace. That is good, not bad.

It takes many kinds of groups to advance a cause. In the case of land conservation, it takes considerable financial support. We laud corporations and anyone else willing to step up to support this most worthy cause.

The Post also criticized The Nature Conservancy for some of its most innovative and cutting-edge strategies. The future of our planet depends on visionary leadership. It depends on people and organizations willing to take risks. And yes, sometimes those experiments don't work, as the Post series demonstrates. It's unfair to suggest that isolated incidents define the entire organization.

It is our understanding that the Conservancy has completed over 2,200 land acquisitions in just the past two years. The Post focused on a handful. Failing to convey the Conservancy's full record of accomplishment is failing to tell the real and hopeful story of land conservation by one of the country's most important conservation groups.

In Washington, the Conservancy — with the help of some 34,000 members — has made a profound difference. It has helped to protect the Skagit River, arguably the most important salmon river in the Lower 48. It has protected an entire coastal watershed in the Willapa Hills. It has purchased some of the best remaining shrub-steppe habitat in Eastern Washington. These are the things that matter. These are the actions that are helping to shape the landscape our children inherit.

The people and volunteers at The Nature Conservancy have shown leadership, taken action and earned our respect. Our world has been made better because of them.

Former Gov. Daniel J. Evans was a trustee of The Nature Conservancy of Washington. William D. Ruckelshaus is former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator. His daughter, Mary Ruckelshaus, is a Nature Conservancy of Washington trustee.