The year 2014 is the 50th anniversary of the landmark Wilderness Act, the law that created a new designation for public lands that retain their "primeval character and influence."
But, in the past four years, Congress hasn't protected ANY new wilderness zones. Since 2009, no new protected wilderness zones have been dedicated in the United States.
If this critical anniversary goes by without Congress doing its duty to protect our wilderness, it will be a shameful showing of this Congress that is already lamented for its lack of action and progress.
The 2010 and 2011 Congressional session was the first Congress to not name a new protected wilderness zone since the law was passed.
The lack of new designations "speaks to the broader dysfunction of Congress," Paul Spitler, director of wilderness campaigns at the Wilderness Society, told Huffington Post. "They seem to have lost the ability to compromise and move forward."
More than 110 million acres of the United States are currently designated as wilderness. For most of its history, conservation in Congress has been a bipartisan effort. Lawmakers would propose new areas for protection in their home state or district, and their colleagues would approve it. Conservation advocates say that has broken down in recent years.
Among the potential candidates Congress hasn't named as protected zones are Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan (from Rep. Dan Benishek) or the 22,000-acre expansion of Washington State's Alpine Lakes (from Rep. Dave Reichert). Both are stuck in committee.
Congress needs to prove it is worth more than the Do Nothing Congress, which it seems to be battling history to do less than.
Tell Congress that enough is enough, it's time to put politics aside and protect our wilderness zones again!
Dear Sirs,
We the undersigned ask that you consider putting partisan politics aside in order to protect our wilderness zones.
The year 2014 is the 50th anniversary of the landmark Wilderness Act, the law that created a new designation for public lands that retain their "primeval character and influence."
But, in the past four years, Congress hasn't protected ANY new wilderness zones. Since 2009, no new protected wilderness zones have been dedicated in the United States.
If this critical anniversary goes by without Congress doing its duty to protect our wilderness, it will be a shameful showing of this Congress that is already lamented for its lack of action and progress.
The 2010 and 2011 Congressional session was the first Congress to not name a new protected wilderness zone since the law was passed.
The lack of new designations "speaks to the broader dysfunction of Congress," Paul Spitler, director of wilderness campaigns at the Wilderness Society, told Huffington Post. "They seem to have lost the ability to compromise and move forward."
More than 110 million acres of the United States are currently designated as wilderness. For most of its history, conservation in Congress has been a bipartisan effort. Lawmakers would propose new areas for protection in their home state or district, and their colleagues would approve it. Conservation advocates say that has broken down in recent years.
Among the potential candidates Congress hasn't named as protected zones are Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan (from Rep. Dan Benishek) or the 22,000-acre expansion of Washington State's Alpine Lakes (from Rep. Dave Reichert). Both are stuck in committee.
It's time to put politics aside and protect our wilderness zones again!
