Earth-Save

Get out and visit the lands and waters you help protect!  You can use the Nature Conservancy’s Preserve Map, powered by Google Maps, to find a preserve near you.  Or check out the Nature Preserve Directory at Nature-Preserves.com.

This is one of many ideas on how to help save our planet at Change.org.  As citizens of our world, we face a daunting array of social and environmental problems ranging from health care and education to global warming and economic inequality. For each of these issues, whether local or global in scope, there are millions of people who care passionately about working for change but lack the information and opportunities necessary to translate their interest into effective action.  Change.org aims to address this need by serving as the central platform informing and empowering movements for social change around the most important issues of our time.

The U.S. House of Representatives rejected an amended omnibus package containing significant conservation projects and advancements.  This represents a major loss to the conservation movement in the United States. 

The bill would have established:

• More than 2 million acres of wilderness in nine states
• Three new national park units
• Three new national conservation areas
• Ten new national heritage areas
• A new national monument
• Four new national trails
• Enlarged boundaries for more than a dozen existing national parks
• More than 1,000 miles of national wild and scenic rivers

“This is the most important piece of conservation legislation we will likely consider this year and possibly in this entire Congress,” House Natural Resources Chairman Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) said on the House floor before the bill was rejected.

As usual, the Republicans were the major obstacle to the land conservation and killed the bill for procedural reasons.  There was also pressure by the National Rifle Association (NRA), which objected to items in the bill that would restrict hunting on some federal land.

Story at New York Times

Occasionally Congress actually does some good for our country.  Given that Congress so often provides us with bad news, I want to take this rare opportunity to highlight something truly good that Congress has done for us.

In a rare Sunday session, the Senate advanced legislation to set aside more than 2 million acres in nine states as wilderness.  Democrats gathered enough votes to overcome stalling tactics from Republicans, who complained that Democrats did not allow amendments on the massive bill. 

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