Protect National Parks from Climate Change

Dear Senator,

Ken Burns's new PBS documentary, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea," could not come at a more critical time.

Today, our magnificent national parks and their wildlife face an unprecedented threat: Global Warming.

The glaciers in Glacier National Park are rapidly melting. In Canyonlands National Park, increased drought and hotter temperatures will make it harder for bighorn sheep to find nourishing grasses and hide from predators. From the Atlantic seashore to the Rocky Mountains and out to the Olympic rainforest, America's wildlife and landscapes are under threat. But it's not too late to save these places.

Interior Secretary Salazar is making habitat protection a priority. We need to protect key wildlife migration routes and ecosystems, including on private lands. We need to enhance the capacity of our forests, wetlands and soils to store carbon and help fight global warming.

Soon, the Senate will begin debate on climate change legislation that will dedicate as much as $1.8 billion per year for protecting our natural resources from the effects of global warming. This will provide needed resources that are needed to protect our national parks and all of our natural resources.

I urge you to support strong climate change legislation that both reduces the greenhouse gas emissions triggering climate change and safeguards our National Parks and all of our natural resources and wildlife. We must act swiftly to ensure that wildlife, plants, and landscapes survive global warming. Stewardship of "America's Best Idea" has never been more important.

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