Nonprofit Land Bank Amasses Billions

* Some of the charity's scientists have complained that the organization has drifted from its stated commitment to the "best available science." One scientist complained in an internal 2001 Conservancy study: "Science is not understood or supported by senior managers and state directors. [The] entire focus is on land deals." Said another: "I am not convinced [the Conservancy] is science-based, as we claim."

While Conservancy officials now acknowledge that the charity made mistakes in Texas and Virginia, they dismiss them as isolated incidents and stoutly defend their philosophy and initiatives as a pragmatic strategy for conservation in the 21st century.

Conservancy officials say their approach -- which falls under a larger environmental philosophy known as "compatible development" -- allows them to leverage corporate America's wealth to achieve conservation on a massive scale. Instead of insisting in every case on the pristine preservation of land, the charity practices the art of the possible, its officials said.

"There are trade-offs in conservation," Conservancy President Steven J. McCormick said in an interview. "We make a judgment that less than 100 percent is acceptable."

Along the way, the Conservancy hopes to entice companies into more environmentally friendly practices. Alliances with logging companies, for example, have protected thousands of acres from development, even though logging on the land often continues, McCormick said.

"Some of our brethren say we're dealing with the devil, but I say quite the contrary," said Conservancy official Michael Horak. "Some of the deals we're making are quite extraordinary."

Today, the organization says it manages 7 million preserved acres through a variety of means and owns 2 million outright. Much of that land is held in 1,400 nature preserves, which it describes as the world's largest private sanctuary system.

In late 2000, the nonprofit purchased the Palmyra Atoll, 15,500 acres of coral reefs, islets and lagoons 1,000 miles south of Hawaii. Last year, Conservancy researchers on Borneo discovered a large number of orangutans, which the organization said increased the known population by 10 percent. Also that year, the Conservancy acquired the 100,000-acre Baca Ranch, the final step toward creating the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado.

Supporters say that the organization's enormous wealth has enhanced its influence, within the environmental movement and with the government. Last year, the Conservancy received $105 million in government consulting fees and other payments.

Respected naturalists praise the Conservancy's programs. Along with the chief executive officers, the Conservancy's board has included prominent scientists and academics. Even some critics acknowledge that global environmental health would suffer without the charity's resources devoted to land preservation. Still, some former high-ranking Conservancy officials believe the organization has grown too close to business.

"It was the wrong decision to get so close to industry," said David Morine, who headed the charity's land acquisition for 15 years and helped pioneer the group's corporate ties. "Business got in under the tent, and we are the ones who invited them in.

"These corporate executives are carnivorous. You bring them in, and they just take over."