Desert Action Alert
Please take a moment and write a letter in support of designating new wilderness areas in the California desert. Each of these personal letters gets read and counted by our elected officials and get us one step closer to protecting our wild deserts.
Your letter should come from the heart—if you have visited any of these places, would like to someday, or just like the idea that they exist—this is the time to wax poetic about why you love the desert and want to keep it wild. For a full list of the places we're working to protect, go to http://www.calwild.org/explore-wild-lands/desert.html
Sample editable letter (feel free to copy, paste, and make this your own!):
To: The Honorable __________________________
US House of Representatives
RE: Support for the CA Desert Protection Act of 2010
Dear Representative__________________________,
I am writing to urge you to support the CA Desert Protection Act of 2010. This bill will protect our treasured desert wild lands as wilderness, national monuments, and parks, including the Big Morongo Canyon and San Gorgonio wilderness additions within the Sand to Snow National Monument. The bill will also preserve scenic lands along Historic Route 66 as part of the Mojave Trails National Monument and add to Joshua Tree and Death Valley National Parks. Additionally, the legislation will protect some of our region’s important rivers, including Deep Creek and Whitewater River as wild and scenic rivers. These wild places include habitat for unique plants and animals like the threatened Desert tortoise, the Desert bighorn sheep, and the Amargosa vole.
Our fragile desert is being carved up by industrial scale solar plants, expanding military bases, and rampant off road vehicle riding. While it’s crucial to have solar energy and recreation in the desert, we need to have an organized plan in place so that we don’t destroy our last remaining open spaces and wildlife. The CA Desert Protection Act of 2010 is a smart, commonsense approach to balancing these uses in the desert.
By protecting our most sensitive wild areas and rivers as national monuments, parks, wilderness and wild and scenic rivers, we will ensure that current and future generations can continue to experience the peace and tranquility of nature, and have places to go to hike, camp, fish, and enjoy the scenery, sunsets, wildlife, and dark night skies.
I hope that you will support this legislation and support a smart approach to renewable energy, conservation, and recreation for the California desert.
Sincerely,
Name_____________________________________________________________________
Address____________________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip______________________________________________________________
Email_____________________________________________________________________
Phone_____________________________________________________________________
CC: Senator Dianne Feinstein & Senator Barbara Boxer
CC: County Supervisors
Email your letter to: lwilliams@calwild.org
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Laurel Williams
Desert Field Organizer
Tel: (909) 260-8833
PS Please feel free to share this message with your family and friends!
