ebear be careful you don't fall into the trap of considering that ecotourists and environmentalists don't have a good cause. We all must co-exist on this planet and if I were convinced that ARU's BOD were careless and going to destroy the environment in a significant way I would sell my shares. I am not convinced there is any kind of problem but rather know Keith Baron is very considerate of it.

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In twenty odd years of backpacking the planet, I feel I've met enough eco-tourists to form an accurate picture of the mentality. Earnest and naive are the two characteristics most noted.

Most of these people could wander through the Guatamalan jungle believing they were in pristine wilderness, and never once notice that it's all secondary growth from previous slash and burn agriculture. Likewise, it would never occur to them that in Mayan times it was all cornfields.

I am always suspicious of people with "just" causes. For them, there are no open questions. Everything is decided, all the facts are in, and the typical reaction when you challenge them is petulance and a retreat into dogma. They'll cite scientific "facts" to support their argument, but then turn around and attack scientists with opposing views accusing them of hidden agendas, never once noticing the contradiction.

I live in Vancouver, which is dead-center of the universe for the movement, in fact, some of these people are my friends, including one who sits on the board of Greenpeace. I won't deny their heartfelt convictions and sincere desire to correct the excesses of our modern civilization, but on the whole they offer no practical solutions. They live in an idealized fantasy world that is completely unattainable. Look no further than the reaction to their own Dr. Lovelock when he came out in favor of nuclear energy. Apostate! Traitor! I swear, they'd burn him at the stake if this was 16th century France...LOL!! In short, it's not a philosophy so much as a religion.

You will see ARU as a good corporate citizen and a balance will be achieved. In the end I would like to see ARU establish an eco tourist lodge near the cloud forest reserve nearby and then build a center to show environmental tourists how mining can be done responsibly with little impact. It has been done before and hopefully will be done here.

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Back when ARU was looking for a drill foreman I sent them a fellow with 35 years experience who is also one of the toughest environmentalists I know. This fellow has WALKED across Africa and the Darian Gap. He's also one of the best diamond drill operators you can find. Don't know if they hired him - haven't heard back yet - but it's our loss if they didn't. If anyone can manage their program with the least amount of impact, he's the man.

Personally I wouldn't waste money on eco-retreats. it would be better spent building a fence to keep everyone out who doesn't belong there. There's still land mines up there from the 1995 war. That's all we need is for some starry-eyed earth mother to get blown up wandering about looking for a place to pee.