USARK NO More

[AbsoluteApril]

Im guessing that website is not allowed to be posted here?

that is correct

 

[ReptilesForEver]

screenshot removed -AbsoluteApril

 

[Shadera]

Someone wants an infraction ...

Larry summed it up well, though.

I'm wondering, can anyone who was at Tinley provide answers as to what went down there? A lot of people are mentioning it, so it must (they feel) have played some pivotal role in all of this?

 

[Lucille]

I'm holding off on donating to either until such a time as I have a better feel for what is going on.

I think that is a wise approach. If all that is available is soothing comments that although no particulars can be discussed, everything is safe and it is all gonna be OK, we have heard such assurances from politicians when something goes down, and we all know how that goes.

What with the fact based approach we have come to expect on the BOI which has changed the way we see the reptile world, vague assurances don't get it anymore.

 

[Warren_Booth]

To everyone concerned I say sit back and make your own judgements as the organization proceeds in 2013. I cannot force people to join nor pledge their continued support. However I would expect people to make their own minds up as we elect a new president and present new alliances that with strengthen us, and do so with a fresh mindset.

Regards
Warren

 

[Dan Krull]

USARK speaks following the resignation of President and CEO Andrew Wyatt. Read the press release exclusively from Herp Nation Media at the link below:

http://www.herpnation.com/hn-blog/h...ess-release-interview-with-herp-nation-radio/

 

[Lucille]

fresh mindset.

You mean (in politic-speak) that we should ignore the vague and suspicious split and new organization that seems to have many of the same goals as USARK, we should not ask too hard where all the previous money contributed has gone and will go ("Oh, it's fine", won't get it) and just sit around and watch and just fork over cash when asked?

I would expect people to make their own minds up

I think they are doing so.

 

[Warren_Booth]

Lucille,
From reading your posts I am aware you have never appeared to be a supporter of USARK. That is fine and everyone has their own opinions to make. USARKs budget is openly available to the public to see. The money donated will continue to be spent in the same way it always has, I.e. to support the herp nation, promote the association, and fight legislation.

As I say, I cannot force people to suddenly change opinions or walk away happily with my answers, but I truly cannot say anything more. If you do not like or want to support USARK, do not support us. I am not asking you to support other associations either as I only represent USARK as a non-paid board member (as all board members are).

Regards,
Warren

 

[Lucille]

If you do not like or want to support USARK, do not support us.

I am perfectly aware that I can choose to support who I wish. I am also aware that many are asking the same sorts of questions that I am asking, and you in your last post neatly turned the focus on me, and away from the answers that are being sought.

 

[Warren_Booth]

Sorry Lucille, I did not mean to direct this to you. I offer my sincerest appology.

I simply cannot answer many of these questions as I do not know the answers. For example, I was at Tinley but was not aware that Andrew was removed, if indeed that was true. My only communication with Andrew at that show was at a board meeting on the Friday. Sorry I cannot help further. Secondly, no money has ever been mishandled or stolen as suggested above. As I say, our budgets are open to the public and all spending is clearly laid out. Not sure what else there is to address.

We (USARK) and Andrew Wyatt have simply come to an impass in terms of our philosophies as to the role and future of USARK in the herp community and industry. Our (USARK) philosophy has not changed from that which we have followed from day one. It will be up to the herp community to decide which organizations philosophy they prefer.

Again, please accept my appology, it was not a personal attack on you.

Regards,
Warren

 

[GREGORY J HALL]

well we need somebody to represent us?? if not everybody will be crying when the goverment walks all over us JS

 

[Skiploder]

Sorry Lucille, I did not mean to direct this to you. I offer my sincerest appology.

I simply cannot answer many of these questions as I do not know the answers. For example, I was at Tinley but was not aware that Andrew was removed, if indeed that was true. My only communication with Andrew at that show was at a board meeting on the Friday. Sorry I cannot help further. Secondly, no money has ever been mishandled or stolen as suggested above. As I say, our budgets are open to the public and all spending is clearly laid out. Not sure what else there is to address.

We (USARK) and Andrew Wyatt have simply come to an impass in terms of our philosophies as to the role and future of USARK in the herp community and industry. Our (USARK) philosophy has not changed from that which we have followed from day one. It will be up to the herp community to decide which organizations philosophy they prefer.

Again, please accept my appology, it was not a personal attack on you.

Regards,
Warren

Nobody is saying you stole anything. A lot of people would have liked to see how much money has been collected and an update on the promised federal lawsuit before today's release........

I cannot speak for others, but my perception of USARK has been colored by your recently moved on spokesmouth. I've seen a lot of big claims, a lot of pyrrhic victories and quite a bit of double talk. I still see PIJAC jumping USARK on the local issues and I see other groups representing other aspects of the pet hobby being a lot more effective in exempting their animals from stupid and reactive legislation.

I see alot of hit and run posts asking for donations or giving the masses a propaganda update with a plea for more money.

What I don't see is a connection with the people USARK seeks to support. A good start would be to give us an update on the Federal Lawsuit, an update on the fund drive for same, and a forthcoming answer as to why Wyatt left.

Quotes from USARK's press release:
USARK announces that Andrew Wyatt has tendered his resignation as CEO and president of USARK, the organization that he co-founded in 2008, due to philosophical differences and in order to pursue other interests, effective December 31, 2012. USARK wishes Wyatt well on his future endeavors and Wyatt wishes nothing but the best for the reptile industry.

Question for USARK: What were the philosophical interests and how do you see his new group competing with funding that USARK says it sorely need?

In other words, if Wyatt wishes the best for the reptile industry, why in the hell would he make a move that could fracture a portion of USARK's financial support? Did he leave on his own accord or did he resign to save face?

Before you make the statement that this is none of the public's business, realize that many of us aren't going to trust our money to someone who can't openly answer such a question.

USARK BUDGET: Last year USARK brought in $300,000 of which 35% went to our lobbyist in Washington DC, 30% went to the former president’s salary, and 30% funded operating expenses (travel, hotel, t-shirt printing, etc.). In order to operate effectively, we need to raise $500,000 annually which will allow USARK to hire a full-time office administrator, fund important scientific studies, and pay expensive legal fees in the fight against anti-herp legislation.

$300K on the dot? The president took home almost a third of all donations? What percent went to the Federal Lawsuit? Wasn't that the big war cry - raising $150K for the Big Fight?

From USARK's release, 60% of our donations went towards the president, his expenses and promotional material, 35% went to USARK's lobbyist - how much went towards the lawsuit?

If I read this correctly, maybe less than 5%? Or should I be ASSuming that no money goes towards the legal fund until we crack the $300K barrier?

How much money is in the war chest for The Lawsuit? When do you anticipate The Lawsuit being filed?

I've searched the USARK website under "budget", "expenses", etc. and am coming up empty. Can you point me to where the yearly operating expense info is?

A number of years ago, just about everybody was pro-USARK. Any eroding of that support base is of USARK's own doing. As you say, you cannot force anyone to support USARK, but USARK can certainly take positive steps that would garner them more support.

 

[Mooing Tricycle]

Oi... Warren, thank you and for what Herp Nation is sharing. People cry and cry yet dont just go take a looksie at the information available themselves, or, you know, maybe send messages of their own. Instead of posting on a forum where they may, or may not see it. Everybodys fingers are a'typin... but I dont see many actually going to the source.

I highly doubt that the rumors floating are of much merit.

 

[Shadera]

We have asked questions, directly of the source, all along. And a whole lot of them were never answered. It's one thing to take a stance on something, and another altogether to belittle those who have had a different experience and insinuate they're just being whiners. Anyone still remember NatPet? One of the most stand-up guys in the industry before that went down. Do you still send him money if he were to ask for it? Or has your experience shown him to be untrustworthy?

I agree with a lot of what Craig said. I used to be a big usark supporter, but then somewhere along the line someone decided that a lot of the people donating their hard-earned money don't deserve to be spoken to.

I've been over it before in another thread, but several emails of mine with questions better than a year ago went unanswered. At the time I was asking, the information wasn't available on the website because it was over a year out of date. When I emailed Wyatt shortly after my move here to MT to ask about action for WV who was working on an exotics bill - no email alerts had gone out calling for phone calls to them - , he acted as if it was the first he heard of it, and repeatedly asked me if I was going to be able to organize a march to the capital. Despite my telling him twice that I no longer lived in WV and didn't have other people footing my travel bills. It's crystal clear that he only had interest in physically going to states where the money flow was good.

So by your reasoning, someone who doesn't trust these guys as far as they could throw 'em based on personal experience, should just quit "crying" and continue to hand over our money? Personally, I dislike koolaid.

 

[Metachrosis]

^ +1 ^

 

[Skiploder]

Both Bob and I would like to take a moment to say a few words on recent events taking place in the industry in regards to USARK and Andrew Wyatt. We have supported USARK from the moment it was first considered. It hadn't even had a name. We watched it grow over the years which at times was a bumpy process. But it was a proud time for our Industry to come together for a change and TRY to do SOMETHING. It was a START. Not everyone was on board. Some supported USARK in the beginning, some came in later and others never supported USARK. We never agreed with everything USARK did 100%. Not many people agree with anything or anyone in their lives does 100% of the time so that was to be expected, but as a whole USARK has and is doing a great job! Andrew Wyatt has continued to show lack of good judgment and both Bob and I as well as many others feel that a change at the top of USARK was something that could not be avoided. USARK will be a stronger and better organization without him. We feel lucky to have both organizations in USARK and PIJAC working for our industry. With the changes being made at USARK we both feel that a much more cohesive working relationship with PIJAC and other peer groups is on the horizon and is in fact in the works already. This should bring a new level of confidence to the industry as it can only help the fight. We have been through a couple rough years of infighting and divisiveness which helped nothing and hurt many issues and relationships. We look forward to 2013 and a strengthening of our industry with the help of BOTH PIJAC & USARK. We have received assurances from both organizations that a new working relationship is blooming quickly. We look forward to seeing the work they both do and what can be accomplished when we work together towards a common goal which is getting the Government out of our businesses and hobbies.

NARBC will continue to support both USARK and PIJAC solely as we have in the past and look forward to seeing everyone soon in Arlington and Tinley Park this spring.

Best Regards,

Brian Potter and Bob Ashley

Interesting quote - neh?

Some additional quotes:

January 19, 2012 - USARK Shills for $150K in Donations for Legal Fees:

"Are you Ready For A Legal Fight?" Just in from USARK:

"While there is no doubt that saving Boa and Retic was huge for the sustainability of this industry... the fact remains that all of the things that were wrong with this rule making last week, are still wrong today. The "science" was produced from a fudged climate data set; and was inconclisive at best; making far flung projections on inaccurate data points. Second, due process under the Administrative Procedures Act and info quality standards seem to have been completely ignored by FWS, but was entered into the public record by USARK. Third, this still fixes nothing in the Everglades, but it will fund FWS and USGS scientists to the tune of tens to hundereds of millions of taxpayer $. And, thousands of Americans will be subject to felony prosecution if they transport listed snakes accross state lines. USARK is digesting what has occured and we will be exploring all legal remedy. Are you ready for a fight!

The ONLY thing that can change the Contrictor Rule is a federal lawsuit... It is FAR TOO LATE for all of the petitions I see floating around! We need to raise over $150K just to get started... Are you ready for a real fight?"

January 2, 2013 - USARK Makes a Curious Statement:

"Over turning the federal ruling is still something i see as a priority, however it has to be done correctly. We need strong scientific data to support this and that is something I am personally working on. Once we have that data to prove this is a south Florida issue, then the money will be the next goal. I, as a board member of USARK, do not want to take money off people until we have conclusive data in our hand. Challenge it and lose as a result of no strong scientific support will crush a second chance and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. I empathize with everyone impacted by the python/anaconda ban, and the boa ban still looms over our head, but we need to proceed sensibly, with supporting data not hearsay. As a boa breeder/hobbyist, I have a stake in this but want to see the fight directed correctly.

Regards,
Warren"

For the love of God Dr. Booth, USARK has been asking for donations for the last year for the BIG LAWSUIT.

A year after one of the USARK fluffers shilled money on just about every reptile forum in existence you now state that you "do not want to take money off people until we have conclusive data in our hand"?

USARK asked for money and people sent in $300K in anticipation for a lawsuit. Now we find out that 95% of that money went to the Prez, his expense account and a lobbyist?

WTF?

Seriously, WTF?

 

[JohnRougeux]

Question for USARK: What were the philosophical interests and how do you see his new group competing with funding that USARK says it sorely need?

In other words, if Wyatt wishes the best for the reptile industry, why in the hell would he make a move that could fracture a portion of USARK's financial support? Did he leave on his own accord or did he resign to save face?

Before you make the statement that this is none of the public's business, realize that many of us aren't going to trust our money to someone who can't openly answer such a question.

Let me throw my 2 cents in here.

If USARK is like ANY other organization out there, they cannot legally say why Andrew left other than what was agreed upon at Andrews departure.

It's just like if you get fired or left your job. Human Resources will only tell your prospective employer that either 1) you will not be rehired or 2) you can be rehired.

Anything else, legally, is not allowed. Granted, it probably happens, but good luck proving it.

So, Dr. Booth is doing the correct thing. If he was to say anything further, Andrew could sue them. If you want to find out what the differences are, why not ask Andrew? Surely he will tell you or put it in an interview with Herp Nation

As for the salary, why isn't Andrew being dragged over the coals on that one? Is Andrew here (and at other herp sites) explaining what he did and why he left? Hell no. At least USARK is here.

Andrew was the "face" and voice of USARK for several years. He is the one who asked or designated others to ask for money. That's what a CEO of a company does.

Fighting and accusing people without all the facts is terribly wrong.


Want to see where the money goes/is going? Take 5 seconds and google it. That's what I did and I will even save you more time:
http://usark.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/US ARK Budget 2011- Actual.pdf

Seriously, I am very disappointed in the representatives of this site *ahem*Lucille*ahem* for being as disrespectful as you have.

I am not a USARK shill. I did donate a whopping $40 last year. But I hate seeing mob mentality against someone who volunteers to come to this site to try to answer the best that he can. Had you read on the you would have known that he was over in Europe and traveling back home. Yet he is taking time to post here and at other places.

Can you all at least take a step back and give the man some time? And stop asking questions that he can't legally or freely talk about?

Go do some research on Wyatt's new organization. And ask him why he doesn't come here to answer anything. Gotta make you wonder!

 

[JohnRougeux]

Not sure why the ink doesn't work or why **** didn't show up?

 

[Mooing Tricycle]

Not sure why the ink doesn't work or why **** didn't show up?

I dont think you can share other forums, i think it happened to another wesite too, someone was trying to post. *shrug*

 

[Shadera]

If he'd have read, as he's harping on others about, just a few posts up it's mentioned that particular forum is blocked from being posted here.