Tom Butler Staff Highlight: Tom Butler, Tompkins Conservation's "Chief Philosophy Officer" New Page 1 of 6 ASIDE Staff Highlight: Tom Butler, Tompkins Conservation's "Chief Philosophy Officer" Tom Butler Hometown: Huntington, Vermont Year joined TC: 2005 Position: Vice President for Conservation Advocacy Favorite mustelid: wolverine (Gulo gulo) Favorite landscape: northern New York's Adirondack Park At Tompkins Conservation, our work is driven by the core values of the fundamentality of natural health and beauty, the intrinsic value of all life, the need for deep, systemic global change, and the obligation that each individual has to help ensure planetary health. Tom Butler is the guardian of these ideals, always encouraging the team to align organizational values with the philosophy of deep ecology that inspired Douglas Tompkins's work. From overseeing the Foundation for Deep Ecology's book publishing program to presenting our work to broader audiences, Tom is key to the dissemination of our collective voice. His title is Vice President for Conservation Advocacy, but the team truly views him as our "Chief Philosophy Officer," acting as a guiding compass, ensuring we retain the values that sparked the creation this groundbreaking family of organizations and initiatives. I posed a few questions to Tom to understand what brought him to conservation work and what inspires his activism. Below is our conversation: How do you relate to the philosophy of deep ecology? http://www.tompkinsconservation.org/news/2017/02/28/staff-highlight-tom-butler-tompki... 6/18/2017 Staff Highlight: Tom Butler, Tompkins Conservation's "Chief Philosophy Officer" New Page 2 of 6 I'd say I am an enthusiastic but not very knowledgeable proselytizer for deeply ecological thinking and practice. I'm not particularly well read in the literature of deep ecology-but the happy news on this front is that it takes less than a minute to read the 8 point deep ecology platform written by philosophers Arne Naess and George Sessions and to understand its central tenet-that all life has intrinsic value. That is the foundation for recognizing, analyzing, and rejecting the dominant, anthropocentric (human-centered) worldview that undergirds the present global eco-social crisis. Understanding intellectually the ecocentric vs. anthropocentric dichotomy is a good start, but to create an emotional bond with wild nature, I think you have to spend time outside, at least sometimes in big wild places where the scale of the world teaches humility. Stroll down a mudflat in Lake Clark National Park and see brown bear paw prints the size of dinner plates-at such moments the idea that we human are masters of the universe will seem less convincing. I am lucky to live in the foothills of Vermont's Green Mountains where I can walk out the back door and be immersed in wild beauty. We have moose and black bears, fishers and coyotes for neighbors, and we value them as much as our human neighbors. Last year my wife built a Shinrin-yoku trail in our woods, a path for "forest bathing" in the Japanese tradition. Almost every day, rain or shine, I walk (or ski) that short path, greeting the trees and rocks and plants. Not only are there health benefits including stress reduction from that kind of daily practice, but it's a great way to reinforce an ecocentric worldview. How did you first get involved with the Tompkins Conservation family of organizations and initiatives? I became a grassroots wilderness activist in the 1980s, inspired by Dave Foreman and others on the leading edge of the conservation movement. In the 1990s I worked for the conservation journal Wild Earth, which Dave cofounded and which Doug Tompkins had long supported through the Foundation for Deep Ecology (FDE). So I first became acquainted with Kris and Doug as a grantee. I assumed the editorship of Wild Earth when its original editor John Davis went to work as a program officer for FDE in 1997. When Wild Earth folded in 2005, Doug hired me to work on a book project; that effort resulted in Wildlands Philanthropy: The Great American Tradition, a book that was partly inspired by the Wild Earth theme issue on that topic that Doug had read. There are many examples in conservation history of people using their time, energy, and wealth to save parks and other nature sanctuaries. By that time Kris and Doug had already acquired, through their foundations, huge amounts of wild habitat in Chile and Argentina with the idea of saving it for nature, but initially I don't think they were really aware of the historical examples of individuals buying and donating land for protected areas, including national parks. Of course they have done just that at an unprecedented scale. http://www.tompkinsconservation.org/news/2017/02/28/staff-highlight-tom-butler-tompki.. 6/18/2017 What recent project would you care to highlight, and why? Putting together the recently released 25-year retrospective on Tompkins Conservation's accomplishments was useful to me personally-I learned many new things about our team's efforts-but also think it will be compelling to external audiences. Many people have the idea the Kris and Doug Tompkins are just those American entrepreneurs who bought up land in Patagonia for new national parks. Which of course is true, but there is so much more to the story-the activism, the organic farms and ranch operations, the reintroduction programs putting extirpated species such as giant anteaters back into their native habitat, etc. People looking through the 25-year book often have the reaction: "I had no idea that Tompkins Conservation is doing all this." And in reality the book only scratches the surface of what the team has accomplished over the past quarter century. Moreover, it doesn't cover the ongoing, and even accelerating, land conservation work underway currently. What does the future of Tompkins Conservation look like, in your view? Under Kris's leadership, I see the team that she and Doug assembled over the years doing exceptional conservation work in Argentina and Chile. The scale and ambition of it-trying to breed captive jaguars and reintroduce their offspring to the Iberá marshlands, and working to add at least five new national parks to Chile's national park system while jumpstarting ecotourism along the "Route of Parks"-these are audacious, but achievable goals. I think we will get them done, and it is tremendously exciting to be part of the effort. http://www.tompkinsconservation.org/news/2017/02/28/staff-highlight-tom-butler-tompki.. 6/18/2017 Staff Highlight: Tom Butler, Tompkins Conservation's "Chief Philosophy Officer" New Page 4 of 6 You've written or edited books about various topics including population overshoot, the toxic energy economy, mountaintop-removal coal mining and the value of protected areas. What, in your view, is the greatest threat to nature and how would you suggest we combat that threat? The key driver of the global extinction crisis-which is the greatest contraction in life's diversity in the last 65 or so million years-is habitat loss. Overkilling, especially of marine wildlife, and invasive exotic species and climate change are also in that deadly-to-life mix. All of these stem from overpopulation and overdevelopment-that is, humanity has grown too large and we use the world badly Our numbers and behavior are linked to the overarching question of how we view the world-is it a community of life to which we belong (as good neighbors!) or just a collection of "resources" for our use, enjoyment, and profit? Commodity or community-that is the fundamental question. The language we use helps undermine, or reinforce, the current dominant worldview of human supremacy. This is a particular interest of mine (see a brief talk on the "language of dominion"). I could answer the second part of your question in the standard way-make family planning tools and education universally available, educate girls in the developing world and work for gender equity everywhere, reform the carbon-emitting energy economy, and protect lots more wildlife habitat in interconnected systems of protected areas on land and sea. Of course I believe in all those things, and we'd be on the way to a flourishing biosphere if we can make progress toward those goals. To do so, however, to really gain broad-based cultural support for such life-affirming policies, I think we need a cognitive revolution, something Doug Tompkins recognized decades ago when he launched the Foundation for Deep Ecology. We need to change the way we think about our place on Earth, the language we use to describe our kin in the community of life (not "natural resources"!), and from that new worldview our behaviors and societal trajectory will change. And in the meantime, protecting wild habitat, especially in new national parks, can help buy time and save species, as well as mitigate climate chaos. It's good work, and there is plenty to do: every individual can find their own place in a global effort to rewild the Earth, and rewild ourselves. http://www.tompkinsconservation.org/news/2017/02/28/staff-highlight-tom-butler-tompki... 6/18/2017 Board, Staff, and Advisors | Northeast Wilderness Trust Page 1 of 2 I'd like to hear more about Northeast Wilderness NORTHEAST WILDERNESS TRUST Trust conservation projects! CONSERVING FOREVER-WILD LANDSCAPES FOR NATURE AND PEOPLE Subscribe to Our Mailing List Our privacy policy CONSERVING YOUR LAND PLACES WE PROTECT WILD CARBON ABOUT NEWS GET INVOLVED DONATE Mission & History Board, Staff, and Advisors About Wilderness Board of Directors Advisors Staff Board, Staff, and Advisors President Phyllis Austin Daryl Burtnett Newsletters Anne Faulkner Journalist Executive Director New Hampshire Author of On Wilderness-Voices daryl@newildernesstrust.org Privacy Policy Conservation Landowner in Maine Cathleen Maine Contact Us Vice President Gerard Bertrand, PhD Director of Development & Employment Opportunities Jim Dumont Co-founder of The World Land Operations Vermont Trust cathleen@newildern esstrust.org Attorney Honorary President of The American Bird Conservancy Marisa Riggi Secretary Conservation Director Cynthia Pope White Meade Cadot, PhD marisa@newilderne esstrust.org New Hampshire Former Land Director Artist & Conservation Landowner & Senior Naturalist Shelby Perry Conservation Assistant The Harris Center for Treasurer Conservation Education shelby@newildernesstrust.org Dean Lizotte New Hampshire Mike DiNunzio Certified Public Accountant Conservation Ecologist Author of Adirondack Wildguide Mark Anderson, PhD Massachusetts Bill McKibben Harry White Director of Conservation Science, Journalist and activist Consulting Ecologist Eastern U.S. Region Author of The End of Nature and harry15@mindspring.com The Nature Conservancy Eaarth Tom Butler David Publicover Vermont Senior Staff Scientist Vice President for Conservation Appalach ian Mountain Club Advocacy, Foundation for Deep Ecology Nancy Smith Former Executive Director John Davis Sweet Water Trust New York Eastern Wildlands Advocate Steven Trombulak, PhD Professor of Biology Marc Lapin, PhD Middlebury College Vermont Franklin Environm ental Center, George Woodwell, PhD Middlebury College Founder, Director Emeritus, and Senior Scientist Merloyd Ludington Woods Hole Research Center Massachusetts Editor & Publisher Susie O'Keeffe Maine Author & Research Associate, College of the Atlantic http://www.newildernesstrust.org/mission-and-history/board-staff-and-advisors 6/18/2017 9/15/2017 XFINITY Connect Inbox Re: Tompkins Conservation 25 Tom Butler 11:43 AM To Ronald Epp ps: If you would happen to be in VT on Oct. 20 I know I'll be around because giving a presentation that eve in the Burlington area, along with TNC scientist Mark Anderson. It will be a public event sponsored by Northeast Wilderness Trust, where both Mark and I serve on the board. And even if you aren't around, perhaps your Waterbury friends would be interested. I'll send details when I have the electronic info/flyer. Should be a fun evening. best t On Sep 15, 2017, at 11:17 AM, Tom Butler wrote: Hi Ron, Thanks for the kind words and glad you are finding that publication of interest. Congrats on receiving the Acadia Preservation Award! A wise choice on their part to honor your work. I sat next to Kevin Scheider at a dinner in Maine a year ago, he might not remember me but I was impressed with him. Good guy. Give him my regards. I am in VT now, but heading to SF next week and then, it is up in the air, will either be back home on the 25th or going back to Argentina then. So things are up in the air and a bit crazy for the next few weeks but I will very much look forward to seeing you this fall sometime, before snow flies. best, t Tom Butler Vice President for Conservation Advocacy Tompkins Conservation tompkinsconservation.org The major problems in the world are the result of the difference between how nature works and the way people think. -Gregory Bateson On Sep 14, 2017, at 9:05 PM, Ronald Epp wrote: Tom, Over the last couple of days I've been paging through TC25 and reading much of the narrative. What a 9/15/2017 XFINITY Connect Inbox not only the book but the quarter century of splendid achievements by Doug, Kristine, and staff like yourself. The photography overwhelms one by the sheer grandeur of the landscapes. And as I read with no authorship disclosed on the title page, I found a consistency and style that reminded me again and again of Wildlands Philanthropy. Sure enough, the credits were finally disclosed on page 282 and my hunch was correct. Congratulations! It is such a well organized and writen work with a narrative flow that pulls the reader forward. You cover all the major and minor themes about places that have been outside my range of interest. So many wild, wild places- so deserving of protection! Thank you for this eye-opening gift. I intend to take it with me next month to Maine where I will leave it for several months on loan to the Acadia National Park superintendent, Kevin Schneider, and the Exec. Director of Friends of Acadia, David MacDonald. The latter presented me recently at the FOA meeting with the inaugural Acadia Preservation Award. I do not know if you are still south of the border or whether you have since returned. I hope to travel again to Vermont before the snow arrives-- and see you once again, if possible. My Waterbury friends, Ralph and Penny Holibaugh, were so impressed by my description of the radish eatery you took me to that they visited several; weeks ago and were very pleased. All the Best, Ron Ronald H. Epp, Ph.D. 532 Sassafras Dr. Lebanon, PA 17042 717-272-0801 eppster2@comcast.net Page 1 of 2 Re: Wildland Philanthropy From "Tom Butler" To Date 03/08/2010 05:14:34 PM Dear Ron--so good to hear from you, and thanks for the kind words about my book. I am very much looking forward to reading yours also, and this excellent essay further whetted my appetite. Yes, I would love to get together when next you come to VT. Occasionally I head to Boston, but those trips tend to be quick down and back in the same day visits for board meetings of the Northeast Wilderness Trust. As for funding prospects, I am sad to say I have little to offer. I wonder if Roxanne Quimby might be a possible source. You could try the Quimby Family Foundation (there is a website and one submits a concept paper, but I think this year's deadline is coming very soon) but beyond that I can't think of other prospects. Funding for book projects is really tough, and at the foundation I work for we typically only fund our own projects, or on very rare occasions, have sponsored translations. (We underwrote Russian and Spanish editions of William Catton Jr.'s classic Overshoot, for instance.) So let's definitely stay in touch and try to get together when next in reasonable geographic proximity. By the way, I am sure in your work with the book's copy editor you will catch such things, but the very good draft you attached did have a few things to clean up next round: in particular, I think perhaps the footnote #15 is in the wrong place, my book's publisher is Earth Aware Editions, and also the way you characterized Rockefeller's Wyoming conservation work as "the acquisition of the Grand Tetons" lacks nuance. The roughly 35,000 acres he acquired in the Jackson Hole valley was hardly equivalent to the whole mountain range, and the sentence could use some expansion to more accurately reflect Rockefeller's goal there of expanding an existing national park unit with a gift of privately purchased 12910 land. But these are small quibbles. Overall the chapter looks great. best, tom On Mar 6, 2010, at 5:33 PM, eppster2@myfairpoint.net wrote: Dear Tom, Thank you for the marvelous essays that unify the wildlands philanthropy photographs. I want to thank you again for sending me gratis a copy more than a year ago. At that time I scanned this formidable tome but did not read because I was preoccupied with completing the biography of George B. Dorr. Two months ago I completed the manuscript and sent it off to the publisher, the Library of American Landscape History/UMASS Press (www.lalh.org) Now I'm responding to chapter-by-chapter edits, selecting illustrations, securing permissions--and trying to raise $50K to cover the costs of having it published by this nonprofit (yes, any foundation suggestions would be greatly appreciated!). I've attached a draft of the Introduction to Becoming Acadia National Park: A Biography of George B. Dorr. Despite the considerable weight of your book and the related hernia risks, since Christmas I read it from cover to cover. I commend you for uncovering, researching, and showcasing--with such lucid prose--these marvelous landscapes and the individuals who preserved them. The Lincoln quote at the conclusion about the endurance of the land is restated again and again with less eloquence by Mr. Dorr. This commitment to the pursuit of Permenidean permanence in a world of Heraclitean change was a key motivator in his philanthropy and that of Mr. Rockefeller Jr. I believe it informs our own personal philosophies. Please, let us keep in touch. If yuo are still residing in Vermont, I hope we can arrange a meeting when Elizabeth and I next head northwest on I-89. Of course, you are always welcome here at our condo on Horseshoe Pond should you head south on I-89 toward Boston. All the Best, R.H.E. https://webmail.myfairpoint.net/mail/message.php?index=2830 3/8/2010 Re: Wildlands & Acadia National Park - Inbox - Verizon Yahoo! Mail Page 1 of 1 Verizon Yahoo Mail Venzon Central Yahoo! Search: Welcome, eppster2@verizon.... Mail Home All-New Mail Tutorials Hell YAHOOK [Sign Out, Member Center MAIL Classic Mail Contacts Calendar Notepad What's New? Mobile Mail Options Check Mail Compose Tom Butler & Conserva Search Mail Search the Web 300 See your Credit Previous I Next I Back to Messages Mark as Unread Print Score Free Delete Reply Forward Spam Move... Folders [Add Edit] Re: Wildlands & Acadia National Park Monday, December 22, 2008 10:42 AM Inbox (26) From: "Tom Butler" Drafts (7) To: "ELIZABETH and RONALD EPP" Sent Spam (3) [Empty] Ron: your book prospectus is brilliant. Can't wait to read the book. I really do hopes our paths can cross is person sometime. Would love to hear more Dom Trash [Empty] stories, and get updated on your progress with the book. My Folders [Hide] And am glad to hear that you are back home and back online. We have friends in Stoddard at the end of a remote road, and last heard they were still out DorrBiblio (5) of grid-serviced power. DorrBio2008 (33) Please do stay in touch, and if you ever hear of speaking opportunities please let me know. I have been giving talks for various land trusts and conservation Eliz messages (6) groups, and will give a talk in Portland, ME in January. Horseshoe Pond best, Member Informa Tom Ron Archives (31) On Dec 20, 2008, at 12:21 PM, ELIZABETH and RONALD EPP wrote: Search Shortcuts Dear Tom, My Photos My Attachments Thank you so VERY much for the complimentary copy of your book! I never expected it and am extremely impressed with both the exceptional photography and well-crafted narration. ADVERTISEMENT TRAVEL ERS. Moreover, it arrived when we were about to be forced out of our home due to the loss of power from the recent ice storm. Your book buoyed my spirits and I plunged into the Acadia chapter. Now that we have returned after a six day hiatus at the Bedford Quality Inn, I've reserved the SAVE UP TO remainder of the book for holiday season reading. $472 in car Insurance Best of luck with the distribution of this remarkable work. Should you have a few minutes you might want to take a look at the attached It's smarter under prospectus for the Dom biography which will be published in 2011 by the Library of American Landscape History /University of Massachusetts the umbrella. Press. smore GET QUOTE Please keep in touch! Ron Ronald H. Epp Ph.D. 47 Pond View Drive Merrimack, NH 03054 (603) 424-6149 eppster2@verizon.net www.wildlandsphilanthropy.org Tom Butler, Editorial Projects Director Foundation for Deep Ecology (personal office) 835 Economou Road, Huntington VT 05462 802-434-4412 tbutler@gmavt.net (main office) Foundation for Deep Ecology & The Conservation Land Trust Bldg. 1062, Ft. Cronkhite Sausalito, CA 94965 Delete Reply Forward Spam Move... Previous Next I Back to Messages Select Message Encoding I Full Headers Check Mail Compose Search Mall Search the Web Copyright Q 2008 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright/IP Policy Terms of Service Help NOTICE: We collect personal information on this site. To learn more about how we use your information, see our Privacy Policy arizon VAHOO http://us.mc842.mail.yahoo.com/mc/showMessage?fid=Inbox&sort=date&order=down&. 12/22/2008 Verizon Yahoo! Mail 1-eppster2@verizon.net Page 1 of 3 Verizon Yahoo! Mail Verizon Central Yahoo! Search: Web Search Welcome, eppster2@verizon Mail Home All-New Mail Tutorials Help [Sign Out, Member Center 1 MAIL Classic Mail Contacts Calendar Notepad Mail For Mobile - Options Check Mail Compose Search Mail Search the Web Folders [Add Edit] Previous I Next Back to Messages Inbox (9) Delete Reply Forward Spam Move. Draft This message is not flagged. [ Flag Message - Mark as Unread Printable View Sent Date: Tue, 11 Mar 2008 11:30:54 -0500 Bulk (1) [Empty] From: "Tom Butler" Add Mobile Alert Trash [Empty] Subject: Re: Wildlands Philanthropy & Acadia N.P. My Folders [Hide] To: "ELIZABETH and RONALD EPP" Eliz messages (3) Horseshoe Pond Dear Ron: Indeed I do remember that extremely helpful correspondence. You were kind enough to review my brief essay on Acadia/Dorr and had Member helpful suggestions, and saved me from that error of calling it the Information first national park in the East. And coincidentally, just last week I Ron Archives (26) was reviewing our book's acknowledgments and noted your name. I think that the draft of the Acadia essay you saw is largely the same Search Shortcuts as what appears in the book, but I'll attach here the iteration that My Photos went to the publisher. I am delighted to hear you are closing in on completing a draft of your ms. Can't wait to read your book. Say, My Attachments after you've finished with Dorr might you take on Rosalie Edge? Still no biography out there of her, as far as I'm aware. I had heard from you about the Ken Burns series but I never followed u with them. If you have a contact there I'd love to see if there are opportunities for collaboration. If we could put together a joint even this fall with the Friends of Acadia I'd love that. I was just reviewing the publisher's marketing plans this morning for our book launch and this is the type of thing that would be perfect to work in the schedule. of course my aim is not to sell books, but to sell the idea of conservation philanthropy. Have you retired from academia? best, Tom Plain Text Attachment Scan and Save to Computer On Mar 10, 2008, at 3:13 PM, ELIZABETH and RONALD EPP wrote: > Dear Tom, > > You may recall that in 2004-2005 we carried on this extended email > correspondence regarding the essay on Acadia National Park that you > included in your forthcoming book. > > I'm in the final stages of completing the rough draft of the http://us.f842.mail.yahoo.com/ym/ShowLetter?MsgId=6464_9117904_111358_2230_201... 3/11/2008 Verizon Yahoo! Mail-eppster2@verizon.net Page 2 of 3 biography > of George B. Dorr and was reviewing my files and came across our > correspondence, googled your name, and was finally led to Amazon's > announcement of Wildlands Philanthropy. Did much of the content of > your essay on "A Consencrated Altruism" survive the editing process > I ask because I wanted to quote from it -- I suspect I can make > changes after your book is published. > > I also wanted to write and ask whether in promoting the book you wer > aware of the timing for Ken Burns forthcoming series of PBS programs > on the evolution of the national parks? > For the past several years I've been consulting with Florentine Film > as they developed the eight or ten hour documentary (see their web > pages) which centers on Acadia National Park and several Western > parks, emphasizing throughout the philanthropic spirit of men like > J.D. Rockefeller Jr., George Dorr, and President Charles W. Eliot. > > The Burns programs will air in 2009 with previews scheduled at various > locations beginning this fall. I've suggested to the Friends of Acadia > that they might be able to partner with Burns in some public > event--you might want to consider this as well if it hasn't already > occurred to you. Would you like me to bring to the attention of the > Friends of Acadia your forthcoming book and its chapter of Acadia, and > see what comes of it? > > With best wishes, > > > > > Ronald H. Epp , Ph.D. > 47 Pond View Drive > Merrimack, NH 03054 > (603) 424-6149 > eppster2@verizon.net Tom Butler (personal office) 835 Economou Road, Huntington VT 05462 802-434-4412 tbutler@gmavt.net Foundation for Deep Ecology (main office) Bldg. 1062, Ft. Cronkhite Sausalito, CA 94965 www.deepecology.org Attachments Files: Acadia_0722.07_pubfinal.do (43k) [Preview] Scan and Save to Computer Delete Reply Forward Spam Move Previous Next Back to Messages Save Message Text Full Headers http://us.f842.mail.yahoo.com/ym/ShowLetter?MsgId=6464_9117904_111358_2230_201...3/11/2008 ography - Inbox - Verizon Yahoo! Mail Page I of 3 Verizon Yahoo' Mail Verizon Central Yahoo! Search: Welcome, eppster2@verizon... Mail Home All-New Mail Tutorials Help YAHOO! [Sign Out, Member Center ] verizon MAIL Classic Mail Contacts Calendar Notepad What's New? Mobile Mail Options Check Mail Compose Search Mail Search the Web Previous I Next Back to Messages Mark as Unread Print Folders [Add Edit] Delete Reply. Forward Inbox (1) Spam Move... Drafts (7) Re: Dorr biography Wednesday, September 3, 2008 8:21 AM Sent From: "Tom Butler" Spam [Empty] To: "ELIZABETH and RONALD EPP" Trash (Empty] My Folders [Hide] Ron: Amazing--this is the kind of nugget that must make a biographer DorrBio2008 (33) both rejoice, and wake up in the night with cold sweats wondering what else they have missed about their subject. Thanks so much for sharing Eliz messages (6) that, and yes, I'll keep it under my hat. Horseshoe Pond Yes, I am in Hunting and would love to meet you and Elizabeth this Member Informa. fall. Hunting is 20 miles outside Burlington, at the base of Camel's Ron Archives (31) Hump, but I could arrange to meet you elsewhere. I am traveling some this fall so hope we can work it out. Search Shortcuts best, My Photos Tom My Attachments On Sep 3, 2008, at 8:14 AM, ELIZABETH and RONALD EPP wrote: > Dear Tom, > > Regarding the Dorr biography, tentatively titled Becoming Acadia > National Park, I expect to complete the first rough draft later this > week. Of course, I need to insert several thematic pieces of > connective tissue, and then begin the process of severely editing > it--cutting it by nearly half to fit the requirements of the contract > which limit it to 150,000 words exclusive of scholarly apparatus. This > will take several months--at the very least. > > I'm attaching a copy of the Prospectus which I don't believe I have > sent you thus far. It will give you an overview of where I am heading. > It is curious what such work discloses about the subject--and oneself. > Until six months ago I thought I knew pretty well what were > Dorr's merits and failings. I then uncovered a misfiled folder at the > Harvard Archives that contained President Eliot's correspondence with > Dorr during the last fifteen years of Eliot's life. > > One Eliot letter written two years before his death in 1926 was sent > to the Secretary of the Interior on the eve of congressional hearings > regarding the growth of motor and carriage roads in Acadia National > Park. Therein Eliot warns the newly appointed Secretary not to be > misled by Dorr's reticence to speak since he had been afflicted since > childhood with a pronounced stammer, a disfluency that was still > inhibitative- to say the least. What a shock to me! In the tens of > thousands of words I had read about Dorr, the disability had never > been mentioned. Yet its impact on how others reacted to him and his > own efforts to cope with this limitation surely affected his > development. This is the kind of theme that I need to integrate at > appropriate points in the manuscript. Please keep this issue > confidential until publication takes place ! > My wife and I hope to spend a couple of days in central Vermont later > this fall. Perhaps we can finally meet. Are you still in Huntington? > Since this community does not appear in my road atlas index, where is > it? > > Keep in touch. > > Ron > On Tue, 9/2/08, Tom Butler > From: Tom Butler >> Subject: Re: wildlands philanthropy book >> To: "ELIZABETH and RONALD EPP" >> Date: Tuesday, September 2, 2008, 4:37 PM >> >> Hi Ron: Thanks for passing along the website link to the Friends of >> Acadia. I trust your book project is coming along; would be curious >> about your progress. >> >> I met Dayton at a recent reception in Woodstock hosted by the National >> Park Foundation and told him about our project. It doesn't appear that >> there's any interest in doing joint promotion but he does know of our >> effort, and I of his. Can't wait to see the film. >> >> best, >> Tom >> >> On Sep 1, 2008, at 4:27 PM, ELIZABETH and RONALD EPP wrote: >> >> > Dear Tom. http://us.mc842.mail.yahoo.com/mc/showMessage?fid=Inbox&sort=date&order=down&sta.. 9/3/2008 Verizon Yahoo! Mail -eppster2@verizon.net Page 1 of 2 Verizon Yahoo! Mail Verizon Central Yahoo! Search: Web Search Welcome, eppster2@verizon Mail Home All-New Mail Tutorials Help [Sign Out, Member Center verizon MAIL Classic Mail Contacts Calendar Notepad Mail For Mobile - Options Check Mail Compose Search Mail Search the Web Folders [Add Edit] Previous I Next I Back to Messages Inbox (17) Delete Reply Forward Move Draft This message is not flagged. [ Flag Message - Mark as Unread Printable View Sent Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2008 13:13:04 -0700 (PDT) Bulk [Empty] "ELIZABETH and RONALD EPP" Add to Trash [Empty] From: Address Book Add Mobile Alert My Folders [Hide] Subject: Wildlands Philanthropy & Acadia N.P. Eliz messages (3) To: tbutler@gmavt.net Horseshoe Pond Dear Tom, Member Information Ron Archives (26) You may recall that in 2004-2005 we carried on this extended email correspondence regarding the essay on Acadia National Park that you included in your forthcoming book. Search Shortcuts My Photos I'm in the final stages of completing the rough draft of the biography of George B. Dorr and was reviewing my files and came across our correspondence, My Attachments googled your name, and was finally led to Amazon's announcement of Wildlands Philanthropy. Did much of the content of your essay on "A Consencrated Altruism" survive the editing process? I ask because I wanted to quote from it -- I suspect I can make changes after your book is published. I also wanted to write and ask whether in promoting the book you were aware of the timing for Ken Burns forthcoming series of PBS programs on the evolution of the national parks? For the past several years I've been consulting with Florentine Films as they developed the eight or ten hour documentary (see their web pages) which centers on Acadia National Park and several Western parks, emphasizing throughout the philanthropic spirit of men like J.D. Rockefeller Jr., George Dorr, and President Charles W. Eliot. The Burns programs will air in 2009 with previews scheduled at various locations beginning this fall. I've suggested to the Friends of Acadia that they might be able to partner with Burns in some public event-you might want to consider this as well if it hasn't already occurred to you. Would you like me to bring to the attention of the Friends of Acadia your forthcoming book and its chapter of Acadia, and see what comes of it? With best wishes, Ronald H. Epp, Ph.D. http://us.f842.mail.yahoo.com/ym/ShowLetter?MsgId=9984_8973618_143146_646_1268 3/10/2008 Page 1 of 4 Epp, Ronald From: Epp, Ronald Sent: Tuesday, December 06, 2005 5:14 PM To: "tbutler@gmavt.net" Subject: Re:Philanthropy Book Intro Dear Tom, Your inspiring introduction left me envious of your facility with language. I did find a few spots where I would wordsmith it differently and one error that needs to be corrected. In the last paragraph before section two, beginning "To be sure I would strengthen the sentence by stating that and most national parks in the West were designated-and legislatively separated-from the existing federal domain " In the next paragraph (""The cumulative effect...") in the third sentence I had trouble with a series of plurals and the "and against" attribution to Ms. Carson. How about: The pantheon of conservation heroes include champions of wildlife protection (William Hornaday), forest conservation (Theodore FRoosevelt), wilderness areas (Aldo Leopold), and environmental non-toxicity (Rachel Carson). To do this makes all elements conform to a positive thrust, Tom. Finally, three paragraphs later you refer to Mr. Dorr and make a claim that I believed to be truthful until corrected in the last few weeks. See the email exchange below between myself and the National Geographic editor and an academic historian, Kathy Mason. You will see that Acadia was not "the East's first national park." I think you should alter this to state that: Acadia the first national park established entirely through the generosity of private citizens ." Or words to that effect. I hope you do not find these changes too interruptive of your publication schedule. Ron Ronald H. Epp Ph.D. University Library Director & Associate Professor of Philosophy Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH 03106 603-668-2211 x2164 r.epp@snhu.edu From: BWyckoff@NGS.ORG [mailto:BWyckoff@NGS.ORG Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2005 2:49 PM To: Kathy Mason Cc: BWyckoff@ngs.org; Epp, Ronald Subject: Re: Mackinac Island & -Acadia NP history Dear Ron and Kathy: Thank you both for your help. Sorry I did not know to ask about this before we published the Acadia article. I can see how this fact got lost in Park Service history, but it's too bad--it adds a dimension that Kathy notes below so well. Best wishes, Barbara Barbara L. Wyckoff 12/6/2005 Page 2 of 4 Research Editor National Geographic Magazine 1145 17th St., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036-4688 phone: 202 857 7229 fax: 202 828 6695 or 202 857 7295 bwyckoff@ngs.org Kathy Mason To "Epp, Ronald" 11/17/05 02:37 PM CC BWyckoff@ngs.org Subject Re: Mackinac Island & -Acadia NP history Hi Ron, I certainly would agree with you that Acadia's reputation should not be diminished because it is the second national park founded east of the Mississippi. Mackinac National Park had been turned over to the State of Michigan years before the establishment of Acadia, and Acadia's park status stood the test of time. Acadia also factored into the debate over the "fitness" of eastern landscapes for national park status. I would still argue, however, that Mackinac National Park helped shape early discussions of the meaning, mission, and idea of national parks. Like Yellowstone and later parks, Mackinac was established "for the benefit and enjoyment" of the American people. For fifteen years, Yellowstone and Mackinac were the only national parks. The decommissioning of Mackinac also highlighted the fragility of national park status. Nonetheless, Mackinac was never part of the formal park "system" that was managed by the National Park Service. I hope this helps a little. Thanks for including me in this. Let me know if there is anything else you need. Kathy Dr. Kathy S. Mason Department of History, Political Science, and Law and the Liberal Arts The University of Findlay 1000 N. Main St. Findlay, OH 45840 (419) 434-4756 mason@findlay.edu Original Message From: "Epp, Ronald" Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2005 11:53 am Subject: Mackinac Island & -Acadia NP history > Kathy S. Mason > > Assistant Professor of History > 12/6/2005 Page 3 of 4 > University of Findlay > > Findlay, Ohio > > 419-434-4756 > > > > > > Dear Kathy, > > > > Last October I contacted you regarding your newly published "Natural > Museums" and my work on George B. Dorr, founder of Acadia National > Park. Recently I consulted with National Geographic magazine to > validateand correct several paragraphs contained in an article on > Acadiapublished in the November 2005 issue. One claim therein that > Acadia was > the first national park East of the Mississippi (which I did not > see in > advance) has resulted in letters to the editor (see below). . > > > > I'd like to give you the opportunity to weigh in on this issue > especially since your book clearly documents the history of > Mackinaw as > a national park. > > > > My own view that I will send off to Barbara Wyckoff is that the > "national park" concept is-during this timeframe (1874-1916) - > impreciseand devoid of consistent application until the NPS is > established. Even > Park Service promoters like Robert Sterling Yard restated Dorr's > congressionally endorsed claim and park literature over the decades > reflected the fact that Acadia was the first sustained national park > East of the Mississippi. Nonetheless, based on the work of historian > Kathy S. Mason the distinction must be conceded to Mackinaw Island. > Whenall is said and done, chronology is of less importance than the > mosttelling distinctiveness of Acadia: that it was the first > national park > donated entirely by private citizens. > > > > I look forward to hearing from you ASAP. I plan to send the previous > paragraph off to Barbara by the 17th . I expect that she has also > referred this issue to one or more of the NPS historians but I > think she > would appreciate your input as well > > > > Ronald Epp, Ph.D. > > Director of University Library & 12/6/2005 Page 4 of 4 Associate Professor of Philosophy > Southern New Hampshire University > > Manchester, NH 03106 > > > > 603-668-2211 ext. 2164 > > > > > From: BWyckoff@NGS.ORG [mailto: BWyckoff@NGS.ORG] > Sent: Monday, November 14, 2005 12:43 PM > To: Epp, Ronald > Subject: National Geographic--Acadia NP history > > > > > Hi Ron: An interesting question has come up, and I wonder if you have > encountered this in your research. In our Acadia article we say that > Acadia NP was the first national park established east of the > Mississippi. Park Service contacts verified that, and the fact is > written just about everywhere the park is mentioned. > > We are getting letters saying that this is wrong--that Mackinac Island > State Park was established as a NP in 1875, two years after > Yellowstoneand 41 before Acadia. Mackinac (Mackinaw?) was returned > to the state in > 1895 and remains a state park today. If the letter writers are > correct, and a quick search says they are, then Mackinac was the > first national > park east of the Mississippi, not Acadia. Have you come across > this in > the research you've done about Dorr and the park? > > Thanks for any advice you might have. Hope all is well. Regards, > Barbara > > Barbara L. Wyckoff > Research Editor > National Geographic Magazine > 1145 17th St., N.W. > Washington, D.C. 20036-4688 > phone: 202 857 7229 fax: 202 828 6695 or 202 857 7295 > bwyckoff@ngs.org > > 12/6/2005 Epp, Ronald From: Tom Butler [tbutler@gmavt.net] Sent: Monday, May 16, 2005 8:55 AM To: Epp, Ronald Subject: Re: Dorr essay Ron, thanks yet again, for being so meticulous. So I take it that the sentence from my draft "then, in 1908, Dorr arranged to purchase the summit of Cadillac Mountain " is factually correct but incompletely reflects the prior transactions. I'll try to work in the point that dozens of the land transactions listed Dorr as the grantor. best, Tom On May 16, 2005, at 8:42 AM, Epp, Ronald wrote: > Tom, > > Thank you for the update. Over the weekend I checked a detail that I > pointed out to you and found out that I was incorrect. Namely, Dorr > did purchase from the Seal Harbor group headed by George L. Stebbins > the 1,600 acres atop Cadillac Mountain with the understanding that > Dorr would donate the land to the Trustees. This is yet another > illustration of the difficulty of establishing credit, in the general > sense of the term. The sale was completed at Dorr's expense when > property was transferred to the Trustees and yet without the Seal > Harbor group negotiating the initial larger purchase the sale to Dorr > would not have been possible. There were many such instances in the > history of the Trustees; in fact, Dorr's name appears as "grantor" on > 29 of 129 transactions, if I recall correctly. > > I will try to make it to Huntington in the months ahead for a face to > face. > > Ron Epp > > Original Message > From: Tom Butler [mailto:tbutler@gmavt.net] > Sent: Friday, May 13, 2005 3:57 PM > To: Epp, Ronald > Subject: Re: Dorr essay > > > Ron: I greatly appreciate your time looking over the draft essay and > catching these errors. Very helpful. With our proposed format I'm > very constrained for space, SO probably can't work it in, but I find > that point about the female donor ratio to the Trustees fascinating > and notable. I hope you'll write about that in some forum. It looks like I > am going to give a talk on wildlands philanthropy at the World > Wilderness Congress in Alaska next fall and if I end up spending any > time on Acadia, perhaps I can work that point into the talk. > > I appreciate you keeping me in the loop on the various celebrations > forthcoming this summer. I hope all will go well, and still hope that > when you have occasion at some point to visit Vermont we can meet in > person. Can't wait for your book. Again, many thanks. best, > Tom > > On May 13, 2005, at 3:23 PM, Epp, Ronald wrote: > >> Tom, 1 >> Sorry to have taken this long in responding. I've got too many "balls >> in the air" and today is graduation day and so a host of last minute > items >> contend for one's time. >> >> First off, the visual images are most striking, even as black and >> white pictures. I also was most impressed by the chapter title, >> "Consecrated Altruism, " one of those telling phrases that seem SO >> perfect that you kick yourself for not thinking of it first. >> >> I think the introductory narrative nicely sets the stage, especially >> in terms of how it leads to the sentence "Few will be thinking of Mr. >> Dorr . II Again, the verbal imagery is evocative, the historical >> context > >> has just enough detail to set the stage for Mr. Dorr. >> >> A correction: Charles W. Eliot (not "V. ") Youi might be interested to >> note that when Eliot's son founded the MTPR in 1891, nearly a decade >> earlier he and other Harvard undergrads and faculty summered on MDI >> engaged in natural history studies. Botanist Edward Lothrop Rand >> proposed at this time establishing a sanctuary on MDI, eclipsing the >> senior Eliot by nearly two decades. >> >> Regarding the 1,600 acres purchased on Green (now Cadillac) Mountain, >> the funds came from a group of Seal Harbor residents championed by >> real estate agent George L. Stebbins who was a HCTPR member and for >> nearly fifty years Treasurer of the Seal Harbor Village Improvement >> Society where he championed islandwide conservation. I have no >> evidence that Dorr contributed his own funds to this, though he >> brokered the transaction. >> >> Quoting from the published comments at the Sieur de Monts national >> Monment opening ceremonies is very effective. It might interest you >> that I've recently reviewed the donor names for the 129 properties >> acquired by the Trustees and roughly one third of the donors were >> female, a fact not appreciated by those who have contributed to the >> literature until I completed this tally. >> >> The remainder of the essay is very well written and on the mark >> historically. >> >> Thank you for adding Acadia to your important work. I look forward to >> its publication. Do keep me informed of your progress. >> >> Ron Epp >> >> >> >> >> >> Original Message >> From: Tom Butler [mailto:tbutler@gmavt.net] >> Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2005 12:52 PM >> To: Epp, Ronald >> Subject: Dorr essay >> >> >> Dear Ron: your message this morning reminded me that I never sent >> this > >> brief essay for your review. It's short and superficial, but I'd >> greatly appreciate your looking it over for factual accuracy. I'm >> including here the Word file (feel free to use the track changes >> feature for comments or proposed emendations if you wish) and a page >> mock-up for the Acadia profile. A caveat: the mock-up is an internal 2 Epp, Ronald From: Tom Butler [tbutler@gmavt.net] Sent: Monday, November 08, 2004 11:00 AM To: Epp, Ronald Subject: G.B. Dorr query book synopsis.rt (6 ATT189914.txt KB) (268 B) Dear Mr. Epp: I'm the editor of the conservation journal Wild Earth, presently on sabbatical to work on a large-format book of photos and text that will celebrate natural areas protected by Americans through private funding and initiative--wildlands - - philanthropy. Antonio Vizcaino is the book's photographer; I'm writing brief essays about each profiled site. The book is being underwritten by the San Francisco foundation endowed by Doug Tompkins. (Doug and Kris Tompkins are themselves deeply committed wildlands philanthropists; they have purchased upwards of two million acres thus far in Chile and Argentina and are helping to create several new national parks there.) I believe you are a leading expert on George Dorr. Would you consent to a short interview? We are including an Acadia profile in our book project, and I would love to talk to you about Dorr's life and legacy. If you would be willing, please suggest a time at your earliest convenience at I'll call you at the number you provide. Many thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you. Tom Butler 7/31/2017 President of Chile, Tompkins Conservation Sign Historic Pledge to Create 11 Million Acres of New National Parks THE REWILDING INSTITUTE Rewilding Institute Navigation You are here: Home > President of Chile, Tompkins Conservation Sign Historic Pledge to Create 11 Million Acres of New National Parks President of Chile, Tompkins Conservation Sign Historic Pledge to Create 11 Million Acres of New National Parks Posted on April 5, 2017 by Susan in Chilean National Parks, Conservation News, Doug & Kristine Tompkins Leave a comment TOMPKINS CONSERVATION Pledge includes the largest land donation in history from a private entity to a country PUMALÍN PARK, CHILE (March 15, 2017) - Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and Kristine McDivitt Tompkins, leader of Tompkins Conservation, today signed a pledge to dramatically expand national parkland in Chile by approximately 11 million acres. The proposal includes the largest land donation in history from a private entity to a country; the total area to be protected, via this private land donation plus government land, is three times the size of Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks combined. c/o Tompkins Conservation When fully executed, the agreement will create five new national parks - including two crown jewels of Tompkins Conservation's park creation work, Pumalín Park and Patagonia Park, and the 1 million acres and world-class infrastructure they contain - and expand three others. The signing of this historic pledge reflects a desire to continue and deepen Chile's tradition of conservation, a sentiment which President Bachelet expressed in her speech today. "Today, alongside Kris, I am honored to see how everything has come together. We are bequeathing