Lynn Scarlett, top Bush official, joins The Nature Conservancy

The latest announcement concerns former Interior deputy secretary Lynn Scarlett, who's going to work for The Nature Conservancy, as managing director for public policy. TNC describes itself as "the leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people."At first glance, the choice might seem, well, surprising. Scarlett, you'll recall, was second in command at the younger Bush's Interior Department. And that administration was, of course, notorious for its anti-environmentalist, pro-corporate policies. Given all that, why would a group like The Nature Conservancy hire one of Bush's top Interior officials? Well, for one, Scarlett's an outdoorswoman: an avid hiker, birder, and canoeist, she also serves on the boards of the National Parks Conservation Association, the National Wildlife Refuge Association, and the American Hiking Society. More importantly, she didn't really seem to reflect the more rapacious aspects of the administration she served. Along with her boss Gale Norton, she emphasized collaboration as a way to solve thorny public land management issues. And as we reported in a 2002 story, she worked on developing landowner incentive programs, such as tax credits and assistance designed to encourage property owners to get rid of invasive species...more