Dear friends, Congress passed the visionary Wilderness Act with the promise that Wilderness be protected “for the permanent good of the whole people.” But, time and again the promise has been broken. Right now, federal and state agencies flaunt the law with unparalleled frequency and anti-wilderness Congress members abet their efforts. Wilderness Watch is the only organization working day in and day out to stop these constant attacks. We are so grateful for the action you’ve taken in the past year to help protect our country's wilderness and wildlife. Now we really need you to take the next step by becoming a supporter of Wilderness Watch. We shouldn’t have to worry about: - fleets of helicopters with wildlife “gunners” invading Wilderness to capture and collar native wildlife to perpetuate their game-farming schemes, or, worse—to later track and shoot them;
- President Trump’s Secretary of Interior’s backroom deal to build a road through the heart of the Izembek Wilderness so a foreign seafood company can expedite its catch to market;
- the Department of Homeland Security waiving the Wilderness Act and Endangered Species Act to build an impermeable border wall that would degrade Wildernesses and block the migrations of endangered desert animals;
- the Forest Service carving a massive exemption through wilderness rules and upending 55 years of “primitive skills” tradition by opening Wildernesses in Colorado to unlimited chainsaw use;
- Wildernesses everywhere being opened to mountain bikes and other mechanized equipment because special interest groups and their industry supporters have anti-wilderness Members of Congress ready and willing to do their bidding; and
- new mines fouling the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and Okefenokee Wildernesses, or massive oil and gas development devastating the Arctic Refuge.
But we do. We’ve had to fight every one of these battles—and many more—this year because if we didn’t, Wilderness would not persist. We can win these fights, but we need your continued help. In 2019, you—our members and supporters—sent more than 500,000 letters and emails to Congress and agency officials on issues affecting Wilderness. That makes an impact! And, 90 percent of the funds that fuel our efforts were provided by our members. We truly are a citizen-powered organization. We really need you to join with us to continue our work ensuring the Wilderness system lives up to its promise, both for people and the wildlife that live there. Please be as generous as you can. For the Wild,
George Nickas
Executive Director | |
