Re: Forest Shakedown, May 18, and Horror Borealis, May 19, Peter Foster
These columns implied that the work of The Pew Charitable Trusts, in helping to broker the recent Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement, somehow violates the intent of Pew's founding donors. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The four children of Sun Oil Co. founder Joseph N. Pew and his wife, Mary, established seven family trusts beginning in 1948 to address societys challenges and opportunities, and to strengthen the communities in which we live. By taking a giant step to help sustainably manage the vast and globally important resource of the boreal forest, all the participants in this agreement provide a great service not only to Canada but also to the world.
We are committed to telling the truth and trusting the people. In the case of the boreal agreement, the science and economics provided compelling data on which to base the largest forest conservation plan in history.
Today, half of the board of The Pew Charitable Trusts are members of the Pew family. Our entire board and staff embrace their stewardship responsibilities with care and diligence in serving the public interest and honouring the legacy of our donors.