Re: [Paddlewise] ACA abandons conservation & advocacy!!!

I have to say that I've found this discussion interesting.  For the better
part of the last decade, I've worked in the Clean Water Act regulatory
arena, both as a member of the regulated community and the regulatory
community.  And I have to say that it has jaded me quite a bit.  I've
encountered activist regulators who deliberately sandbag on issuing permits
for completely legal projects simply because they're anti-development; I've
seen members of pro-environment organizations make assertions that are just
not supported by scientific research.

What does all this have to do with ACA and conservation/advocacy?  Probably
not much, except that I've become _extremely_ leery of individuals and
groups with an environmental agenda.  Which is not to say that I don't think
environmental protection isn't important- it's what I've been working on all
my life.  But I also think that people need to be aware that the image of
environmental conservation and advocacy organizations doesn't always fit
well with what's happening on the ground.  I _do_ think it's possible for an
organization such as ACA to go too far in environmental advocacy.  It's also
possible to not go far enough, as we're currently seeing from ACA.  It's
difficult to do, but I believe ACA needs to invest some time in finding a
middle-ground position; a position that represents the conservation-oriented
interests of paddlers without turning ACA into a Sierra Club clone.

I won't be dropping my ACA membership just yet...

tm
~~~~~~~~~~~
"There Is No Regulon In The Semiosphere"
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