Don't Trash Joshua Tree with the Eagle Mountain Landfill
There is no better way to celebrate Joshua Tree National Park's 75th anniversary than to close the door on the proposed Eagle Mountain Landfill once and for all!
The proposed landfill would be the nation's largest dump and would be surrounded on three sides by Joshua Tree National Park wilderness. If allowed to proceed, this project would harm wilderness canyons, iconic and threatened species like golden eagles, Gambel's quail, desert bighorn sheep and desert tortoise, air and water quality, and the quality of life for gateway communities.
National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) and its allies have won legal battles to stop the dump. Yet the developers are still trying to push through this misguided project. The Department of the Interior must step in and stop the landfill.
Tell Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar that Joshua Tree's 75th anniversary is the perfect occasion to protect one of America's favorite National Parks from the irreversible negative effects of inappropriate development. Let him know that we must not trash our national treasure.
Dear Secretary Salazar,
Thank you for protecting our nation's natural heritage and connecting youth and new audiences to America's great outdoors.
Please help protect one of America’s national treasures by opposing the Eagle Mountain Landfill. The proposed landfill would be located adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park, one of America's favorite national parks. The dump would be the nation's largest landfill and would be surrounded by national park wilderness, causing irreversible harm to the park's wildlife, water quality and air quality. It would also bring negative social and economic impacts to gateway communities. Joshua Tree National Park attracts 1.4 million visitors per year who spent more than $32 million in gateway communities in 2009. The park is an important economic engine for the California Desert, creating businesses, jobs and revenue for desert communities.
Despite major legal set-backs and millions of dollars in damage to a rail-line critical to the project, the developers continue to pursue this harmful project. The health and legacy of Joshua Tree National Park should not be compromised, especially in light of the millions of people who care deeply for it. Currently, there is no need for this landfill and better alternatives have already been developed.
The Eagle Mountain landfill would also harm sensitive species like the federally-threatened desert tortoise, which we appreciate the Department has worked so hard to protect at considerable expense. More than one hundred thousand caring citizens have already emailed, written, called and sent petitions to oppose this project. The American people have made their voices heard. Let's celebrate Joshua Tree's 75th Anniversary by closing the door on the Eagle Mountain Landfill once and for all!
