Journalist fired for writing about public access

I got the why did you not renew DU survey yesterday, pretty much every question I typed at length about this issue in the other reason column. I doubt they will listen, I keep getting the invites to the downtown Chicago banquets which cost $300/couple with one membership just to get in the door.
 
What a shame! I commented and hope everyone does the same.
 
smarandr said:
DU could take a lesson from the RMEF. This video was posted on their YouTube channel yesterday:

https://youtu.be/oxxUxgQT8rM
Click to expand...

Not just on the access front but the critical habitat front. I had to temporarily stop my research to pack up to visit some friends and head up north for a couple weeks, but I brought it with me and was asked to see it by some DU members, so one by one, starting with the highest amount first, went through the stack for them, so they could see for themselves. Hearing the same comments from each of them, the general rank and file member does not know this is going on and the federal taxpayers are getting hosed.

I have about a dozen more of these in the top tier that I want to finish looking into and then I am stopping. I am not a DU member, so I have no skin in this from that perspective, but had a lot of friends that are/were that I wanted to complete at least this part of the puzzle for people to see, but I could see that this could go on for quite awhile if I wanted to pursue it, sadly. So far I havent seen a case available to the public and none of them in the priority habitat areas on their map.
 
Kat, are you going to give us a summary of your findings at some point? I would be interested. Sounds like you are doing good work. Thank you.
HD
 
Hatchie, yes, I was composing the web page that will have all the links, kind of like what I set up on the elk shoulder season outfitter page, starting with the highest easement working down. I have maps and background information as well. When I first started this with Kennedy, I thought it was just something here in Montana, then saw the other Montana properties with Dunavant, curious about his other private hunting properties in Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi listed in an interview he gave, it all just spidered out, getting worse. I love researching, so it became kind of addictive, needing to research to a closing point, but this doesnt seem to have a bottom.

Knowing the money and connections these guys involved have, I dont want my resources to disappear before I get this next dozen researched. I did find one that had a court case where the LLC members took the easement deduction in the millions, split it up and used it between them for their personal taxes, then each gave DU a cash donation of $6250 - that totaled $25,000. Almost seems like a money laundering thing going on at times.
 
Bigfoot, youre welcome, though I dont know how happy some will be to see whats going on. Often I feel like I am a harbinger of bad news when I do research and see this kind of crap going on. Hopefully it will aid the average waterfowl/wetlands conservationist.
 
kat sometimes the truth hurts. DU sounds like a good organization that got lost in the greed of lining their pockets. If that is in fact the truth then hit them with both barrels. I used to be a member but let it lapse now I'm glad I did. Just waiting for the next we want you back letter so I can send them a proper response ;)
Thanks,
Dan
 
Dan, thanks. I understand, but sometimes the results of researching sucks. Kind of like the Matrix, red pill, blue pill. "You take the blue pill, the story ends. You wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes." I am not much of a blue pill taker, burying my head in the sand.

HD, I hope to get this done in the next couple of weeks (have a sportsmens website to work on this week), then get all the data uploaded to the web, the map created so people can click on each spot and see the details, so maybe, mid Jan. (thankfully it is not a legislative year) I should have it available for everyone. And thanks.
 
Just signed up to the forum and first time post.
I just learned of this story yesterday via the podcast.
I read the opinion story, "A Rift Runs Through It", written by Mr. Thomas as well as the comments that followed on the Outside Bozeman website.
A few comments...
There was obviously a lot of passion behind the words. I completely support the position Mr. Thomas takes and hope the legal battle ends with unrestricted access.
I know nothing about Mr. Kennedy, never heard of him before this article. After reading the article, I was left with the notion that this guy is obviously wealthy beyond belief, but further, a good for nothing, arrogant, selfish, screw everybody I'm rich, anti-American kinda guy. I believe that many that read the story got the same impression.
I kinda think this is why DU chose to end the association with Mr. Thomas. The story, just stating the facts, wouldn't have severed the relationship. It was the personal attack toward Mr. Kennedy that ended it. Further, I don't believe by ending the relationship they have sided with Mr. Kennedy on his stance regarding accessibility.
On a positive note, the issue regarding accessibility is getting more attention. Hopefully more people will gain awareness of the issue and join the fight.
Finally, I think bailing on DU is the wrong answer. Throwing in the towel removes you from the equation. If you don't like what you are seeing in the organization, get more involved. This issue is an opportunity to grow DU. I am not a member of DU, but see accessibility going hand and hand with waterfowl and wetland conservation.
Steve
 
Sorry, but I have to disagree with a couple of your statements reprod. First, if Kennedy wasn't such a significant donor to DU they wouldn't have done what they did in the first place. Second, the only way to change things IMHO is do exactly what a lot are doing and that is to notify the DU higher ups that they disagree with what DU did and hit them in the pocketbook until they change their ways. I don't call that throwing in the towel and if enough do that it should start the bells ringing at the DU headquarters.

Welcome to the site by the way!!!
 
Welcome to the forum reprod.
A couple of comments. ..
First, it's hard to spread awareness of the issue when authors get fired if they write about it. Most of us here also see hunter access going hand in hand with waterfowl hunting and conservation, so when DU tells us it does not (as was made clear in their response to numerous emails), you bet that I as a member (for now) am going to complain. Don Thomas was also a long time volunteer and donor, so I dont know what level of involvement in DU it takes to have a valid opinion. It apparently takes at least 6 figures worth of "involvement" to be heard.
 
Wanted to share a link I received over the holiday. Looks like Mr. Kennedy is hoping to buy more sympathetic judges for his next Montana Supreme Court appeal. In a nutshell, it appears he and others contributed large sums of money to a dark-money group that illegally supported a judicial candidate who considers the stream access law as a taking of private property rights. Will be interesting to see what comes from the prosecutor's office. But if Kennedy is willing to go to these lengths, I'm fairly certain making a call to have a certain author fired is not so far-fetched.

Definitely redirecting my DU funds to PLWA - looks like they're going to need it.

http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/outdoors/2015/dec/22/rich-donor-criticized-canned-du-columnist-donated-100k-judges/
 
Hunting Wife said:
Wanted to share a link I received over the holiday. Looks like Mr. Kennedy is hoping to buy more sympathetic judges for his next Montana Supreme Court appeal. In a nutshell, it appears he and others contributed large sums of money to a dark-money group that illegally supported a judicial candidate who considers the stream access law as a taking of private property rights. Will be interesting to see what comes from the prosecutor's office. But if Kennedy is willing to go to these lengths, I'm fairly certain making a call to have a certain author fired is not so far-fetched.

Definitely redirecting my DU funds to PLWA - looks like they're going to need it.

http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/outdoors/2015/dec/22/rich-donor-criticized-canned-du-columnist-donated-100k-judges/
Click to expand...

Interesting to see that Charles Schwab is also involved. More fun coming in the Bitterroot!
 
Been a member of DU since 1998. I didn't make a banquet this year, so they sent me a renewal membership. Let them know I was no longer interested and why. Then went to http://www.plwa.org/ and sent them my $35 DU money and will continue to do this in the future. Pretty sure DU will never win me back.
 
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