TAKE ACTION

Take Action: Action Alerts | What You Can Do | Contact Your Representatives

How Important Are Your Public Lands to YOU?

Paria Canyon, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. Photo by Mark Miller.

The Department of the Interior wants to stop wilderness protection on public lands from this day forward. In less than five minutes, you can make a powerful statement to your elected officials and help protect our natural heritage for future generations.

What's Happened?

In April 2003, the Department of the Interior (DOI) opened the door for a broad wilderness assault that could mean more drilling, mining, and road construction on much of America’s remaining wild but unprotected western public lands—including special places in Arizona. As part of the assault, Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton renounced any authority to conduct future wilderness inventories or to establish new Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management in any state. WSA designation is a first step to having an area considered by Congress as an addition to the National Wilderness Preservation System, which affords land the highest protection from development.

What areas are at risk?

Estimating total public lands affected by Norton’s attack is difficult, but just a sampling of the special places in Arizona shows how broad the scope may be. Click here for a list of Arizona's top threatened places.

What Can I Do?

The Arizona Wilderness Coalition (AWC) is urging its members and friends to pick up the phone and call their elected officials. Our Governor, Representatives, and Senators need to hear from their constituents how important public lands are to you and how the latest round of rollbacks from the Department of the Interior will devastate years of wilderness inventory efforts completed by citizens all over Arizona and the West.

By preventing wilderness designation, this Adminsitration is facilitating the development of oil, gas, and mineral production on lands with wilderness qualities. Once wilderness is destroyed, it cannot be retrieved. These are YOUR lands. You deserve better than this.

How:

Take five minutes and call Janet Napolitano, Reps. Raul Grijalva and Ed Pastor, and Senator John McCain.

Ask that they contact the Department of the Interior and Secretary Gale Norton to request that she retract her settlement that halts wilderness reviews within the BLM.
Ask that they tell the Bush Administration to reinstate and fully comply with its obligations under the law to fairly consider wilderness resources and their many multiple use benefits as an integral part of planning for public lands—YOUR public lands!
Tell them about a personal experience you have had in wilderness--volunteering, watching wildlife, or spending time with family or friends--or why wilderness is important to you.

Contact Information:

Governor Janet Napolitano

Phone: 602-542-4331

Address: Governor Janet Napolitano

1700 West Washington

Phoenix, Arizona 85007

Senator John McCain

Phone: 602-952-2410; 202-224-2235

Address: Senator John McCain

241 Russell Senate Office Bldg.

United States Senate

Washington, DC 20510

Congressman Raul Grijalva

Phone: 520-622-0198; 202-225-2435

Address: Congressman Raul Grijalva

1440 Longworth House Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20515

Congressman Ed Pastor

Phone: 602-256-0551; 202-225-4065

Address: Congressman Ed Pastor

2465 Rayburn House Bldg.
Washington, DC 20515

If you think of it, please copy the AWC on your letters so we can keep track of our member outreach efforts on behalf of wilderness. CC: your letter or tell me about your call to the above offices at kmackay@azwild.org . Thanks!

From the Arizona Wilderness Coalition and Future Generations, Thank You.