This is the last in a series of blogs that will look at the finances of the five environmental activist groups that are involved in lawsuits that have had and will have a profound effect on our islands.
We will look at Form 990, the form that non-profit, tax-exempt organizations must file with the Internal Revenue Service.
In these blogs, we will be all about the numbers only, such as income, expenses, salaries, and program expenses.
We will present the numbers without comment, though I?m sure many of you will find, as I have, that some of those numbers are attention getting. Others are just?.well, interesting.
The numbers is this blog don?t reflect everything on the tax return, but there will be a link to the entire Form 990 for each group if you are interested in digging further.
The first week, we looked at the Southern Environmental Law Center, which is the tie that binds the others. SELC is based in Charlottesville, Va., with an office in Chapel Hill, N.C., and is representing the other environmental groups in three major lawsuits in the federal courts that have or will affect our life and lifestyle and economy.
All three are in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. They are:
- A lawsuit Defenders of Wildlife and the National Audubon Society filed in 2011 against the National Park Service for its lack of an ORV management plan, which the groups claimed resulted in inadequate protections for nesting shorebirds and turtles. It was settled by a 2008 consent decree but is still being ?overseen? by federal Judge Terrence Boyle.
- A lawsuit that Defenders of Wildlife and the National Wildlife Refuge Association filed against the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, and others to stop the plan to replace the aging Bonner Bridge over Oregon Inlet. A federal judge ruled in favor or DOT on Sept. 16. The plaintiffs have appealed the decision. In addition, SELC, on behalf of its clients, is challenging a state-issued Major CAMA Permit in the state judicial system.
- A lawsuit in which Defenders of Wildlife and the National Parks Conservation Association are defendant-intervenors on the side of the federal government. In this case, filed in February 2012, the Cape Hatteras Preservation Alliance sued the Department of Interior, the National Park Service, and others to overturn the Park Service?s ORV plan and final rule. This case is currently also before federal Judge Terrence Boyle.
The second in the series looked at the National Audubon Society, the richest of these groups in income and the amount of assets it is sitting on. The third group was Defenders of Wildlife, based in Washington, D.C., which is a party to all three suits. Last week, we looked at the National Parks Conservation Association.
This, the fifth and final of the blogs, will focus on the National Wildlife Refuge Association.
As promised, in the next month, we?ll take a look at beach access groups.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE ASSOCIATION?S FORM 990
The National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) is also based in Washington, D.C., and has partnered with Defenders of Wildlife to try to stop the North Carolina Department of Transportation?s plan to replace the Bonner Bridge.
Its stated mission is to ?conserve America?s wildlife heritage for future generations through strategic programs that protect, enhance, and expand the national wildlife refuge system and the landscapes beyond refuge boundariesthat secure its ecological integrity.”
NWRA is most definitely the poor cousin of its fellow environmental groups involved in these lawsuits.
In its 2011 Form 990 filing, NWRA had income of only $1.4 million.
That is a drop in the bucket compared to Audubon?s $96.2 million. The National Parks Conservation Association had income for 2010 of $27.4 million and NWRA?s partner in the bridge lawsuit, Defenders of Wildlife, came in at $24.8 million.
NWRA?s 2011 form 990 is for the tax year beginning July 1, 2011 and ending on June 30, 2012.
Here are some of the details:
Total revenue for the tax year was $1.4 million, down from $1.9 million the previous year.
Total expenses for the tax year were $2.1 million, up from $1.8 million the previous year.
Revenue minus expenses (what we would call profit or loss) is -$643,093. So NWRA had a loss for the year.
At the end of the 2011 tax year, the group had total assets of $528,202, down from $1.1 million the previous year, and liabilities of about $143,000, up from $95,000 the previous year. Net assets or fund balances were $384,709.
Endowment funds total $372,958.
NWRA has a board of directors of 18 people, all of whom are independent and are not paid by the group.
Some revenue details:
Revenue includes federated campaigns ($35,214), government grants ($346,000), conference registrations and program revenues ($24,730), investment income ($25,392), and all other contributions, gifts, and grants ($1.03 million).
Expense detail:
One of the most interesting details of the group?s expenses is that salaries, other compensation, and employee salaries and benefits totaled almost $900,000 or about 60 percent of income.
Other expenses:
Compensation of officers, directors, trustees, and key employees: $142,222.
Other salaries and wages: $641,382.
Pension plan contributions: $14,808.
All other employee benefits: $41,839.
Payroll taxes: $57,845.
Office expenses: $21,051.
Travel: $250,614.
Conferences, conventions, and meetings: $175,222.
NWRA has no expenses listed for lobbying, professional fundraising, advertising and promotion, or legal fees.
Only two employees received more than $100,000 in compensation.
Most highly compensated employees listed in the 2011 Form 990:
Evan Hirsche, president, $156,639.
David Houghton, vice president of conservation: $126,398.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Click here to see all of the National Wildlife Refuge Association?s Form 990.
