Protect Grand Canyon's Magnificent Watershed
- by: Center for Biological Diversity
- recipient: President Barack Obama
The Grand Canyon is a breathtaking, awe-inspiring site visited by millions of people every year. The canyon is surrounded by public lands, where native wildlife roam through magnificent old pines and life-giving streams and springs feed the Colorado River and iconic Havasupai Falls. This magnificent landscape is also the cultural and spiritual home of many southwestern tribes.
But the lands surrounding the majestic canyon remain unprotected and open to exploitation. Working with Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), local tribal nations have proposed the creation of the Greater Grand Canyon Heritage National Monument to protect the surrounding 1.7-million-acre watershed from toxic uranium mining and destructive old-growth logging.
Congress isn't likely to act in time, so we're urging President Obama to use his power under the Antiquities Act to forever protect these lands for future generations.
Take action today -- tell the president to leave a legacy we can all be proud of by designating the Greater Grand Canyon Heritage National Monument.
But the lands surrounding the majestic canyon remain unprotected and open to exploitation. Working with Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), local tribal nations have proposed the creation of the Greater Grand Canyon Heritage National Monument to protect the surrounding 1.7-million-acre watershed from toxic uranium mining and destructive old-growth logging.
Congress isn't likely to act in time, so we're urging President Obama to use his power under the Antiquities Act to forever protect these lands for future generations.
Take action today -- tell the president to leave a legacy we can all be proud of by designating the Greater Grand Canyon Heritage National Monument.
Along with hundreds of thousands of Americans and people from all over the world, I am writing to ask you to use your last months in office to leave a legacy we can all be proud of by designating the Greater Grand Canyon Heritage National Monument.
[Your comment will be added here]
As you and your family know from visiting the park, the lands surrounding it are also incredibly beautiful -- full of steep cliffs, ancient pine forests, deep canyons, grasslands and springs. These natural features -- which fall within the Colorado River watershed -- help make the canyon a national treasure. They also supply clean drinking water for millions of people downstream, support native wildlife from mule deer and mountain lions to California condors, and provide countless opportunities for outdoor recreation and spiritual renewal. People from around the world come to this place and contribute millions of dollars to the local economy.
The problem is that these lands surrounding the park are perennially under threat. In 1919 the Grand Canyon was designated the 15th U.S. national park -- but the need to safeguard the watershed encompassing the park, to ensure that the waters of the Grand Canyon are forever protected as well, was overlooked. As a result toxic uranium mining and old-growth logging projects continue to threaten the park and its borders.
Designating a national monument would address these persistent threats. Importantly, it would also protect historic sites and conserve clean drinking-water sources for the people and wildlife that depend on this precious place. As you enter this last stage of your presidency, I urge you to use your authority to protect the park and these lands forever.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
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As you and your family know from visiting the park, the lands surrounding it are also incredibly beautiful -- full of steep cliffs, ancient pine forests, deep canyons, grasslands and springs. These natural features -- which fall within the Colorado River watershed -- help make the canyon a national treasure. They also supply clean drinking water for millions of people downstream, support native wildlife from mule deer and mountain lions to California condors, and provide countless opportunities for outdoor recreation and spiritual renewal. People from around the world come to this place and contribute millions of dollars to the local economy.
The problem is that these lands surrounding the park are perennially under threat. In 1919 the Grand Canyon was designated the 15th U.S. national park -- but the need to safeguard the watershed encompassing the park, to ensure that the waters of the Grand Canyon are forever protected as well, was overlooked. As a result toxic uranium mining and old-growth logging projects continue to threaten the park and its borders.
Designating a national monument would address these persistent threats. Importantly, it would also protect historic sites and conserve clean drinking-water sources for the people and wildlife that depend on this precious place. As you enter this last stage of your presidency, I urge you to use your authority to protect the park and these lands forever.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
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