Folder_0047

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

cular scientist f U:S_=En > defends hen:as a sped_~a laws tnc3u'dfiigTitle 16-of the But from 11ie outset one of Kennedy's r . dangered Species Act; he also pleaded more drasti- } ;: problematic tactics was to guilty to tax fraud and perjury, the last for crime, a practice Ac - tally mmtmize Wegnets having lied at his gir'lfriend's trial telephone report, Weg- he persists in to this day. In his cording to his presentendng interview, Kennedy claimed that most of t. his in-- ner said he was "very regretful for the birds Wegner smuggled were"nuisance volvement" in the scheme and would -preying on crops, that they were that he neverthe- species" never do it again: but "subject to massive eradication efforts by birds less "believed it was better for the government, that in fact -r to be ownedpnvatmth ely e United';States j : the Australian of cock ` v " harsh :there area hundreds: of millions" than for them to be subjected to =atoos,Cand that rose breasted cockatoos . + conditions preálentin the wild" Wegner. particular are like "starlings in this coon received a 5ve-year se'atence:He'went to in though try. In short, he made it sound as prison in California in January 1996 and Hitchcock could have used cockatoos when served three years and seven months. He he filmed The Birds. Clearly some Kennedy , _ ,~"~ was released in August 1999. loyalists at Riverkeeper have absorbed this fr; That fall Kennedy offered him a job. view. (In a telephone interview, board men- ^..1 - "I began getting calls from animal ed- ucators like Jim Fowler lof Mutual of ber Brenda Boozer referred to cockatoos "vermin.") However, Dr. Joseph M. For- Omaha's Wild Kin gdomi. saying Wegner as crisply disputes it. An Aus- a shaw, for one, was being released and was looking for ornithologist and author of Parrots i Both experts in the tralian job,' Kennedy says.

ll wit- of the World, he appeared asan expert sport of falconry, Kennedy and Wegner Wegner's sentencing hearing. For- ness at already knew each other. They had met the 'B0s.In his interview with shaw says that Wegner's activities had "a the Planet": John Cronin, the sometime in impact on local populations," "Hero of me. Kennedy was not forthcoming about very strong claim that his group focused Hudson's first riverkeeper, fell out with and that the how well he came to know Wegner in the a friendship was ended. years that followed —well enough, how- an common birds is "absolute nonsense. national Kennedy, and They were robbing birds from ever, to write a letter to the sentencing and nature preserves. These birds t was s bi er in the testifying to Wegner's good parks t here a lot f gp eople judge in 1995 obeat a l?a aren't qualities. (After answering several ques- -are not pests." more qualified? In his interview, Kennedy As the war over Wegner intensified, so tions about the Wegner hire, Kennedy struggle to understand what was made reference to a"national search." John thereafter to say anything for did the "There was no search." declined Kennedy. Some came to suspect— Fry says flatly, publication. Jim Fowler, who also wrote drivfrig At least once in these early weeks. as John Cronin wrote in a memo—that he the judge supporting Wegner, declined to yet to Kennedy seems to have questioned himself interviewed.) . had "more up his sleeve than he has says a former board member, ..- be Privately, reveal." Today some just call it "hubris," After Bob Boyle got word of the hiring "Bobby told me it was a mistake hiring . . he spent a couple of days the native arrogance of being a Kennedy. publicly he was relentless. in November, now. Wegner." But into Wegner's background. What But the most common view of those Christmas the whole board was caught peering departed, from Boyle on down, is that By he found incensed him. Asserting his right Kennedy seized onWegner as away to take in a tornado of ill will brought on by thefl as president to hire and fire, he ordered Wegner dispute, among other clashes. One over the organization. With that hire, as Wegner dismissed on November 22. climaxed in the final break between one ex-board member says, "Bobby Kennedy refused. knew Kennedy and Cronin. Their friendship had be stressed at this point that Kennedy drew a line in the sand. He August It should Boyle would not tolerate it. And lo lhngtbeoenffam there is no reason to doubt one of Bob e ere ous; salater s eamy salute 99 then Kennedy was right:" Kennedy's principal .ines of defense, Time as "Heroes of the Planet:' But their renounce At the time, the most pressing concern and now: that Wegner's vow to relationship had soured by then, and the of Boyle and his allies was that employing crime is genuine, and that he is presently environmental felon could sabotage Wegner issue was one of the finishing dedicated to environmental work. Ac- an ruary 4 Kennedy ssion. Boyle wrote cording to too. were other com- Cronin a caustic letter that includedrthe'- b vud membersearly onn:: "Can you palling arguments. too. would appreciate it if you would always fiercely maintained that - me what Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, a for- line, "I respect. ..or at least try not .1 He has show [Wegner) mer hardball United States Attorney who Wegner deserves another chance. It's a some hard knocks from Bobby to seethe so demonstrably." Later that Kennedy's heart; defend- has taken resigned. -' notion close to month Cronin Wegner, he has often cited his own over the watershed, would do if he dis- meanwh le, was still working— ing Wegner, covered that Wegner was working for us? drug arrest in the early 'B0s. ("Where Boyle's continuing objections— get asec- It boggles the mind." Fry had objections despite would any of us be if we didn't attached to Riverkeeper's umbrella orga- of his own: "As treasurer I thought it would and chance?" he asked The New York fund-raising much harder for years nization, the Water Keeper Alliance. Over the board.) make Times just after the breakup of if xt few months moderates on the talked often about how cheap come. w would u triedto craft proposalswhereby Weg- He has foundatio n and Riv yoeeperl uses your boarde Wegner comes-S38,000 a year, originally ner would do consulting work for River- foundation money —and money to hire a convicted felon?" Others to be paid by . october2000 talk 57

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