Necessary alliances in the name of conservation

In response to the May 24 front-page article "Oil spill threatens to stain alliances," I'd like to clarify why the Nature Conservancy works with energy and other natural resource companies. The daily operations of these companies directly affect the lands and waters we all cherish and rely upon for survival. Energy exploration and development is happening -- it's a reality we must address.

We are eager to advise companies when we can, using our scientific knowledge and nearly 60 years of on-the-ground conservation expertise to engage others, from governments to individuals to corporations. We try to improve their practices, strengthen regulations and provide support for conservation. This includes working with energy companies, farmers, ranchers and small forest land owners. Reaching out to all stakeholders who have a direct impact on the natural world is at the core of what we do and is essential to achieving our conservation mission.

We face challenges on many fronts. Forests and coral reefs are vanishing. Water resources are stretched to the limit. We are losing plant and animal species at an alarming rate. We cannot afford to write off any conservation strategy, including getting companies to improve their business practices and provide support for conservation.

We don't know all the answers, but we are listening, learning and committing ourselves to getting the best results for the natural world.

Mark Tercek, Arlington

The writer is president and chief executive of the Nature Conservancy.

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I disagree with Joe Stephens's description of the Nature Conservancy as "the leader of a nonconfrontational arm of the environmental movement." While the conservancy is an environmental leader, working with business increasingly represents the central corpus of the movement. The paradigm that pits environmentalists against industry is now an extreme wing of what has become a mainstream social movement.

In addition to BP's negligence, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is a result of inadequate federal oversight and, more important, what President George W. Bush called "our addiction to oil." Given that an entirely safe offshore oil project is impossible and America's relationship with the internal combustion engine is unlikely to significantly change in the near term, environmentalists are left with a stark choice: Condemn all offshore drilling or work with oil companies to make drilling as safe as possible.