Jim Fuglie's Legal Fees - Badlands Defense

Hello, Clay Jenkinson here. I'm spearheading this fundraiser to assist my friend Jim Fuglie in a difficult moment. I hope you can help.

I've known Jim Fuglie since I was a cub reporter at the Dickinson Press in the late 1960s. Over the years, he has not only become one of my dearest friends, but also one of the fiercest defenders of North Dakota's badlands and the Little Missouri River. He has used his wit and wisdom on his blog, The Prairie Blog, and many magazine articles to make people aware of particularly egregious threats to the integrity of these very special areas. I think Jim’s blogs over the last decade are the best work of his career.

We are all the beneficiaries of Jim’s passion and dedication. He is our agent in the badlands. At a time when other voices have been few or muted, Jim has spoken for us all, and done all that he could to advocate for the integrity of the badlands.

In his writings, he has occasionally mentioned people who were doing things he felt were harmful to the landscape and air quality of western North Dakota. This includes companies like Meridian Energy, which wants to put an oil refinery next to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and county commissioners who want to build a bridge and truck freeway through the Little Missouri River valley. In all of his writings, I know he has been careful not to publish anything he knew to be untrue, slanderous, or libelous about anyone. He had never been accused of slander or libel until the fall of 2021, when he was sued for defamation of character by a wealthy former Billings County Commissioner.

In the end, it was a frivolous but expensive lawsuit, purely harassment with no merit, and eventually dismissed. But the battle continues. The wealthy county commissioner has now appealed the dismissal to the North Dakota Supreme Court, and legal bills continue to mount, expected to be at least $15,000. That's a big bite for a retired guy on a fixed income.

I have unlimited respect for Jim Fuglie. I have known him for fifty years now. He has emerged as the principal watchdog of the badlands. For his moral courage, he has been singled out by the forces of untrammeled economic development as a threat to the routine economic exploitation of our beloved badlands. We need to support Jim in all the ways we can. If he were not going this service for the rest of us, who would perform this important public service to the people of North Dakota? I intend to pay my share. I hope you will step up to support a hero of North Dakota conservation life.

Clay Jenkinson

Any assistance you can provide to help Jim cover these costs is appreciated. Aside from the minor GoFundMe transaction fee, 100% of your donation will go directly to Jim Fuglie to assist with his legal fees.