Protect Nevada's Gold Butte Region as a National Monument
- by: Center for Biological Diversity
- recipient: Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and President Barack Obama
The time has come to protect Nevada's Gold Butte region as a national monument. Northeast of Las Vegas, this 350,000-acre expanse of public land is a vital habitat for rare and endangered species like desert tortoises, kit foxes and burrowing owls -- but without protections for this landscape, these species may soon disappear.
The area has a long history of being the homeland for American Indian peoples and is still the homeland for the Moapa Band of southern Paiutes, whose ancestors left a rich treasure trove of rock art and other artifacts that are now in jeopardy of being plundered and lost forever.
For the past two decades, the federal Bureau of Land Management has allowed illegal and extremely destructive cattle grazing here and has failed to adequately regulate off-road motorized vehicle use, which puts precious resources at great risk. The agency has failed to even produce a management plan that begins to address needed protections. This mismanagement must end.
It's past time for these BLM lands to be transferred to the National Park Service and managed as the Gold Butte National Monument in recognition of their irreplaceable value as a national treasure.
The area has a long history of being the homeland for American Indian peoples and is still the homeland for the Moapa Band of southern Paiutes, whose ancestors left a rich treasure trove of rock art and other artifacts that are now in jeopardy of being plundered and lost forever.
For the past two decades, the federal Bureau of Land Management has allowed illegal and extremely destructive cattle grazing here and has failed to adequately regulate off-road motorized vehicle use, which puts precious resources at great risk. The agency has failed to even produce a management plan that begins to address needed protections. This mismanagement must end.
It's past time for these BLM lands to be transferred to the National Park Service and managed as the Gold Butte National Monument in recognition of their irreplaceable value as a national treasure.
I am writing to support a presidential proclamation that would proclaim the Gold Butte area of southern Nevada as a national monument, administered by the National Park Service.
[Your comment will be added here]
Ever since President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Devil's Tower in Wyoming as America's first national monument, our country has had a long and rich history of both Democratic and Republican presidents establishing national monuments to fulfill the promise of the Antiquities Act of 1906.
Designating more areas as national monuments under the Antiquities Act is vitally important today in light of the House of Representative's recent attacks on our country's most cherished public lands and threats from Senator Dean Heller (R-Nev.) against doing so.
The Gold Butte area is rich in cultural resources and artifacts left by over a thousand years of occupation by American Indians and is still considered the homeland of the Moapa Band of Southern Paiutes. In addition to being home to wonderful paleontological, cultural, scenic and historical resources that deserve protection, Gold Butte is critically important as habitat for threatened desert tortoises, rare Las Vegas buckwheat, Las Vegas bear poppy, kit foxes, burrowing owls and many other plants and animals of scientific interest.
The present level of protection afforded the area by the Bureau of Land Management is woefully inadequate to protect these special treasures. For the past two decades, the BLM has knowingly allowed trespass cattle to graze and lay barren this fragile desert ecosystem, making the recovery of desert tortoises and other rare species impossible. And rampant abuse by ORVs also continues to threaten Gold Butte's species and ecosystems.
Please help protect desert tortoises, kit foxes, burrowing owls and many more of the United States' precious wild animals by designating Gold Butte as a national monument and leave a lasting legacy that future generations can cherish.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Sign PetitionSign Petition[Your comment will be added here]
Ever since President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Devil's Tower in Wyoming as America's first national monument, our country has had a long and rich history of both Democratic and Republican presidents establishing national monuments to fulfill the promise of the Antiquities Act of 1906.
Designating more areas as national monuments under the Antiquities Act is vitally important today in light of the House of Representative's recent attacks on our country's most cherished public lands and threats from Senator Dean Heller (R-Nev.) against doing so.
The Gold Butte area is rich in cultural resources and artifacts left by over a thousand years of occupation by American Indians and is still considered the homeland of the Moapa Band of Southern Paiutes. In addition to being home to wonderful paleontological, cultural, scenic and historical resources that deserve protection, Gold Butte is critically important as habitat for threatened desert tortoises, rare Las Vegas buckwheat, Las Vegas bear poppy, kit foxes, burrowing owls and many other plants and animals of scientific interest.
The present level of protection afforded the area by the Bureau of Land Management is woefully inadequate to protect these special treasures. For the past two decades, the BLM has knowingly allowed trespass cattle to graze and lay barren this fragile desert ecosystem, making the recovery of desert tortoises and other rare species impossible. And rampant abuse by ORVs also continues to threaten Gold Butte's species and ecosystems.
Please help protect desert tortoises, kit foxes, burrowing owls and many more of the United States' precious wild animals by designating Gold Butte as a national monument and leave a lasting legacy that future generations can cherish.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
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