What began as a benign effort to allow financially strapped property owners to receive tax benefits in exchange for specified development rights, has morphed into a government land grab. The chief culprit here is The Nature Conservancy (TNC), a well-funded 501(c) (3) organization founded in 1951 that is closely partnered with the federal government.

TNC  is far and away the richest environmental group in terms of assets and income stream, with 2009 total revenues of $856,246,824 and assets of $5,636,393,924, financial records show.