[babble-on]

Ok, I have to say that I find the Nature Conservancy to be the most palatable nature organization out there. For the most part (and I know there are exceptions) they are preserving the land that they want by PURCHASING it. In other words, they are taking donations from citizens who are therewith saying that they ascribe an economic value to the preservation of nature, and buying land in the open market from its owners to preserve as natural space. If someone else wants that land they could pay more for it than the Nature Conservancy. All in all, I think they operate in a way which I can reconcile with capitalism.

[farmfriend]

In other words, they are taking donations from citizens who are therewith saying that they ascribe an economic value to the preservation of nature, and buying land in the open market from its owners to preserve as natural space.

Boy are you wrong. They take money from the government (your tax dollars) buy land and give it to the government. Some of the land they sell to developers. There is one around the San Fransisco area where they operate a golf course to raise money. They are not honest about how they do this either.

[meadsjn]

All in all, I think they operate in a way which I can reconcile with capitalism.

Huh? What part of that income list in #10 hints at any form of capitalism.

TNC gets taxpayer money from the government to force unwilling property owners to sell out at below-market prices; then they sell land back to the government at inflated prices.

It should be noted, since their largest source of income is "contributions": what liberals call "contributions" includes any unearned money begged, borrowed, defrauded, or taken at gunpoint from unwilling participants.