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Protect the Tongass National Forest

Target: Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
Sponsored by: Sierra Club
Located in the southeastern panhandle of Alaska, the Tongass National Forest is the largest remaining old-growth temperate rainforest on Earth. A lush landscape formed thousands of years ago by glaciers, where 500-year-old trees tower 250 feet overhead. Most Americans don't even know it exists...but the timber industry does.

In fact, just last month a Ketchikan lumber mill applied and was granted access to clear-cut 381 acres in one of the Tongass' pristine roadless areas. And more timber sales targeting Tongass roadless areas are just around the corner, unless the Obama Administration takes immediate action.

Ask the Obama Administration to uphold the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which would finally protect pristine areas of the Tongass and other irreplaceable national forests.
deadline: Ongoing...
goal: 15,000
 

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Dear Secretary Vilsack,

I'm writing to urge you to uphold President Obama's pledge to support the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, including protections for the Tongass National Forest. As you know, roadless areas provide significant wildlife habitat, clean drinking water, flood control and public recreation opportunities. As we face unprecedented threats from climate change, roadless areas also stand to play a critical role in absorbing global warming emissions.

As the largest temperate rainforest left in the world and the wildest of our national forests, the Tongass National Forest perfectly exemplifies the values of roadless areas. However, since 2003 the Tongass' roadless areas have had no protections, and its natural values that support recreation, the tourism industry and wildlife are at risk as a result.

I ask you to reject all current or future state-based roadless plans and instead maintain President Obama's commitment to upholding the 2001 Roadless Rule. The wildest and best areas of our national forests, including the Tongass, need your help.

[Your comment here]

Sincerely,
[Your name here]
We took action on “Protect the Tongass National Forest”!
# 13,046:
3:19 pm PST, Feb 9, Casey Garrison, California
# 13,045:
2:54 pm PST, Feb 9, TAMMI COLE, North Dakota
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1:25 pm PST, Feb 9, Omar Mercado, Peru
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11:39 am PST, Feb 9, Ksenija Antic, Croatia
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9:14 am PST, Feb 9, Tracey Malfa, Massachusetts
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8:28 am PST, Feb 9, Lisa R, Germany
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7:41 am PST, Feb 9, Darko Markac, Croatia
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7:24 am PST, Feb 9, Esther Zamora, California
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6:51 am PST, Feb 9, Emma Spurgin Hussey, United Kingdom
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2:09 am PST, Feb 9, Christofer Jauneau, France
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1:36 am PST, Feb 9, Barb Gaetz, Canada
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12:42 am PST, Feb 9, Ivi Makariou, Cyprus
# 13,034:
12:36 am PST, Feb 9, Kevin Tay, Singapore
# 13,033:
11:00 pm PST, Feb 8, Jodi Burns, Colorado
# 13,032:
4:55 pm PST, Feb 8, Catherine Garrigus, Ohio
# 13,031:
4:36 pm PST, Feb 8, Michelle Mak, Singapore
# 13,030:
9:29 am PST, Feb 3, Veranika Los, Poland
# 13,029:
7:32 am PST, Feb 3, Bente S. Jensen, Denmark
# 13,028:
6:08 am PST, Feb 3, IJ Whist, Canada
# 13,027:
5:21 am PST, Feb 3, Helen Hughes, United Kingdom
Om Mani Padme Hum May all beings be auspicious! I make my prostration to you who destroyed the enemy of negative life cycle changes, who has thus gone to the state of enlightenment like other Buddhas, who perfectly accomplished the quality of the Buddha, the supreme physician who is fully liberated and awakened, the enlightened one, Medicine Buddha. Bedurya, King of the physicians. Buddhists believe that saying the mantra (prayer), Om Mani Padme Hum, out loud or silently to oneself, invokes the powerful benevolent attention and blessings of Chenrezig, the embodiment of compassion. "Buddha of great compassion, hold me fast in your compassion. From time without beginning, beings have wandered in samsara, Undergoing unendurable suffering. They have no other protector than you. Please bless them that they may achieve the omniscient state of buddhahood. With the power of evil karma gathered from beginningless time, Sentient beings, through the force of anger, are born as hell beings and experience the suffering of heat and cold. May they all be born in your presence, perfect deity." "There is not a single aspect of the eighty-four thousand sections of the Buddha's teachings which is not contained in Avalokiteshvara's six syllable mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum", and as such the qualities of the "mani" are praised again and again in the Sutras and Tantras.... Whether happy or sad, if we take the "mani" as our refuge, Chenrezig will never forsake us, spontaneous devotion will arise in our minds and the Great Vehicle will effortlessly be realized." Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche -- Heart Treasure of the Enlightened Ones In the Bhaisajyaguruvaidūryaprabharāja Sūtra, the Medicine Buddha is described as having entered into a state of samadhi called "Eliminating All the Suffering and Afflictions of Sentient Beings." From this samadhi state he spoke the Medicine Buddha Dharani om namo bhagawate beshajye guru; vaidurya prabha rajaya tathagataya; arhte sammyaksambuddhaya tadyatha om bheshajye beshajye maha beshajye; beshajye rajaya samungate svaha The last line of the dharani is used as the Medicine Buddha's mantra
# 13,026:
5:19 am PST, Feb 3, Donna Gaulin, Vermont
# 13,025:
5:11 am PST, Feb 3, Joyce Hawes, Vermont
# 13,024:
2:36 am PST, Feb 3, Franci Baresi, Italy
# 13,022:
12:53 am PST, Feb 3, Daniel Symes, Australia
# 13,021:
10:02 pm PST, Feb 2, Maria Eugenia Escobedo, Mexico
wHO WOULD LIKE TO LIVE IN THE DESERT. THAT`S WHAT THE EARTH WILL BE IF THE TIMBER INDUSTRY KEEPS DEFORESTING IT.
# 13,020:
5:01 pm PST, Feb 2, Joshua Roark, Kentucky
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3:24 pm PST, Feb 2, Jacqueline Andrusky, Virginia
# 13,018:
3:09 pm PST, Feb 2, David Weber, New Jersey
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3:06 pm PST, Feb 2, Rosa Lerner, Peru
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12:49 pm PST, Feb 2, Gretchen Gottwald, California
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11:23 am PST, Feb 2, Kurt Valentine, Netherlands
# 13,014:
10:24 am PST, Feb 2, Amber Hollendursky, South Carolina
Leave Tongass alone!
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9:46 am PST, Feb 2, Name not displayed, Israel
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7:58 am PST, Feb 2, Fenna Buikstra, Netherlands
# 13,011:
7:05 am PST, Feb 2, Jen Kane, Canada
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6:46 am PST, Feb 2, Nicole Lauder, United Kingdom
Om Mani Padme Hum namo bhagavate bhaiṣajyaguru vaiḍūryaprabharājāya tathāgatāya arhate samyaksambuddhāya tadyathā: oṃ bhaiṣajye bhaiṣajye mahābhaiṣajya-samudgate svāhā Aum Maitri Maiteya Maha Karuna Ye Om Tare Tuttare Ture Svaha
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4:06 am PST, Feb 2, Kathrin Linnemann, Germany
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2:37 am PST, Feb 2, Name not displayed, Sweden
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2:13 am PST, Feb 2, Ira Poliakova, Russian Federation
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1:45 am PST, Feb 2, Brett Dunn, Oregon
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12:35 am PST, Feb 2, Nancy Antia, Argentina
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12:22 am PST, Feb 2, Mynhard Rudolph, New Zealand
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12:14 am PST, Feb 2, Alena Isaeva, Russian Federation
# 13,002:
6:41 am PST, Feb 1, Allison Jarnagin, Virginia
# 13,001:
4:12 am PST, Feb 1, Paritosh Pandey, India
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