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Interior Secretary Norton Must Do More for Our Finest Western Lands
The National Landscape Conservation System encompasses some of America’s most extraordinary lands and waters —all under the stewardship of the Bureau of Land Management. These wide open western lands could offer us areas for wilderness experiences, primitive recreation, birding, scientific learning, hunting and more for years to come. But at a time when we should be celebrating American foresight in protecting such places, the agency in charge of them is falling short of its responsibility, putting these lands at risk.
Help us protect and nurture this new land system by demanding that Interior Secretary Norton ensure that conservation of the NLCS is a top priority for the BLM.
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: NLCS needs more from you
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
The National Landscape Conservation System is a remarkable achievement. Its 5th anniversary is an opportunity for you to make history by ensuring that, from its earliest stages, it is well managed. To do that, I urge you to make the System and its protection a top priority for your administration. Please:
-Work with the President and Congress to fully fund critical conservation needs in the National Landscape Conservation System, cultural site research and protection, water quality and species monitoring, road closures and restoration, and law enforcement staff.
-Promote the System's special values --wildness, species, opportunities for primitive recreation and scientific research--within the BLM as well as with the public;
-Support partnerships that fill gaps in our knowledge of cultural resources through systematic inventories of archeological sites, including monitoring, and stabilization of sites at risk.
Sincerely,
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Campaign Launched:
May 31, 2005
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Under Interior Secretary Gale Norton, the BLM is pouring untold resources into opening western lands to oil and gas development, even though 90% of all BLM lands are already open to oil and gas leasing.
Meanwhile, the National Landscape Conservation System -- which harbors irreplaceable pieces of our American heritage -- is under-funded, under-staffed and under-protected. One result is that rare archeological sites within the System are at risk of erosion and vandalism.
It's important that Secretary Norton remember that there are many constituents for the NLCS who care about its future. Please click the back button and send the Secretary a message. Ask her not to squander this opportunity to protect the best of the BLM lands. If you prefer to print out and send your own letter (and we encourage you to do that), a sample letter is below.
Learn more about the NLCS at: http://www.wilderness.org/OurIssues/Monuments/index.cfm?TopLevel=Home
Letter to Norton:
Secretary Gale Norton
Gale_Norton@ios.doi.gov
Department of Interior
1849 C St, NW
Washington, DC 20240
Dear Secretary Norton:
The National Landscape Conservation System is a remarkable achievement. It’s 5th anniversary is an opportunity for you to make history by ensuring that, from its earliest stages, it is well managed. To do that, I urge you to make the System and its protection a top priority for your administration. Please:
Work with the President and Congress to fully fund critical conservation needs in the National Landscape Conservation System, cultural site research and protection, water quality and species monitoring, road closures and restoration, and law enforcement staff.
Promote the System’s special values—wildness, species, opportunities for primitive recreation and scientific research--within the BLM as well as with the public;
Support partnerships that fill gaps in our knowledge of cultural resources through systematic inventories of archeological sites, including monitoring, and stabilization of sites at risk.
Sincerely,
(your name)
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