Staff

Chuck Cushman

Founder and Executive Director

Chuck is, himself, a park inholder in Yosemite National Park. When his cabin and other private property owners in the community of Wawona in Yosemite were threatened with “Condemnation” (eminent domain) by the National Park Service in 1972, he organized the community to fight back and won.  Others across the country heard about his success.  They asked for his help in their own situations.  And, as they say, the rest is history.

Chuck now works with many kinds of constituencies dealing with Federal, state and local government.  He has helped organize numerous successful coalitions to deal with all kinds of threats from Congress and various Administrations over many years.  

His first experience in politics was starting a non-profit foundation at a local school to help children with learning disabilities.  That resulted in his appointment to Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley’s Education Committee that dealt with the Los Angeles City Board Of Education.  He eventually was elected the Committee Chairman. 

After leading the successful effort to save Wawona in Yosemite, he organized a national association to help park inholders nationwide in 1978.  That was the National Park Inholders Association.   That effort was so successful that many other types of groups dealing with Federal land agencies asked for help.  The name of the organization was changed to the National Inholders Association in 1980.  Finally, after becoming involved in numerous Federal and state land issues, the name was finally changed to the American Land Rights Association in the mid 1990’s.

In 1981 Chuck was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the National Park System Advisory Board.  Examples of other participants at that time were Lady Bird Johnson and astronaut Wally Schirra, who worked with Walter Cronkite on the Moon landing broadcast.

Chuck is not only the founder of ALRA, but also the League of Private Property Voters (LPPV) and the Grassroots ESA Coalition.  The League of Private Property Voters is a national coalition that publishes a scorecard on how Congress votes on private property and environmental issues.

Through numerous successful political battles over the years dealing with Congress and various Federal agencies, Chuck was nicknamed by the press as the “Desert Fox” and “Mr. Rent-A-Riot” as a result of his aggressive and successful efforts to protect landowners and permittees from overreaching Federal, State and other land-use controllers.

Chuck continues to be the executive director of the American Land Rights Association to the current day.  He is also the coordinator of the League of Private Property Voters.

E-mail: ccushman@pacifier.com       Physical Location:  30218 NE 82nd Ave  
Mailing Address:  PO Box 400, Battle Ground, WA 98604

Mike Hardiman

Washington, DC Lobbyist

www.hardimanconsulting.com

Mike Hardiman is the President of Hardiman Consulting, a government affairs and public relations firm based in Washington, DC. Founded in 1999, it specializes in land use and environmental issues and grassroots organizing. Clients have included the American Land Rights Association, American Trucking Association, National Federation of Independent Business, American Conservative Union, recreational access groups and property owners having conflicts with federal agencies.
He was a congressional staffer for seven years working on endangered species and other natural resources issues and as a press secretary. He was chief of staff for a state legislator in the 1980s, helping to steer eleven bills and a statewide ballot initiative into law. He also has extensive political campaign experience in federal, state, municipal and special district elections. He was named Advocate of the Year by the Property Rights Foundation of America for his leadership role in defeating a $47 billion land acquisition trust fund proposed in Congress.
Hardiman has been quoted in major media outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR and BBC, interviewed by all major cable television news networks and is a regular on talk radio. His creative street theatre at public events has earned extensive media coverage.
Mike is a private property inholder in the Southern California desert. He was a cofounder of two volunteer landowner groups advocating private property rights and multiple use of public lands, in New Jersey and California.
Contact: Michael Hardiman - 507 Seward Square, SE - Washington DC 20003 - phone 202-531-2290 - fax 202-543-7126 – email landrightsnet@yahoo.com

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