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Earth Day Turns 50 on April 22 © Kevin Mcneal America’s Wilderness MEMBER NEWSLETTER • WINTER 2019-2020 • VOL. XXII, NO. 1 • WWW.WILDERNESS.ORG Earth Day Turns 50 on April 22 © Kevin McNeal Mount Rainier National Park, Washington A half-century ago, on April 22, 1970, Earth Day erupted Earth Day 2020 gives us an opportunity into the national consciousness, bringing unprecedented to generate bold action on climate attention to the importance of protecting the planet that sustains us. More than just a one-day demonstration, and leave an impact as powerful and that first Earth Day awakened a sense of urgency about enduring as Earth Day 1970. the health of our environment and ignited a demand for change that altered the course of history. to the streets to voice their disgust over dirty air and water and to demand a new set of priorities for a livable planet. Former Wilderness Society leader Gaylord Nelson conceived the idea for a national day to focus on the Earth Day changed the world. It motivated political environment while he was serving as a U.S. Senator from leaders of every stripe to work together to pass 28 critical Wisconsin. Under his leadership, 20 million Americans took environmental laws in the decade that followed, including continued on page 3 WHAT YOU THE FORESTS YOU SAVE 13 DAYS IN THE YOUR 2 CAN DO 4 WILL HELP SAVE US 6 THE ARCTIC REFUGE 7 IMPACT EARTH DAY TURNS 50 ON APRIL 22 continued from page 1 the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species which wildlife and natural systems can thrive, and most Acts. These landmark laws inspired other nations to take critically, they contain some of the most productive similar steps to address their environmental problems. carbon-trapping forests on Earth. Earth Day is now observed globally by more than a billion people in 193 countries each year. Make Earth Day While substantial progress has been made since 1970, assaults on the hard-won environmental laws protecting Every Day with a our air, water, wildlife and land continue. In addition, Monthly Gift! humanity is challenged to confront the new crises of climate change and accelerating species loss. Fortunately, Become a Friend of Wilderness and your tax- deductible monthly donations will protect and the way in which we manage public lands can have a big preserve wilderness all year long! Dear Public Lands Champion, impact on both challenges. Visit wilderness.org/monthly to sign up today. The science is clear. Climate change and widespread By transitioning away from extraction of coal, oil and species loss are unfolding much more rapidly than © Bob Wick, BLM Headwaters Forest Reserve, California natural gas on public lands in favor of renewable energy, expected. Inspired by the movement sparked by we can reduce national greenhouse gas emissions Thanks to you, The Wilderness Society is working to the first Earth Day 50 years ago, now is the time to (the prime driver of climate change) by more than 20 make sure large, interconnected wildlands are protected, press our leaders to act. Connect With Us percent. In addition, public lands have the potential to defended and part of the solution to the problems we face. Like us on Facebook Here in the United States, the public lands you be an essential safeguard against the worst impacts of /TheWildernessSociety love—and have worked so hard to protect—provide these crises because they provide both vital habitat in Whether you took part in the first Earth Day 50 years ago, important opportunities to decisively address the Follow us on Twitter or you are new to the modern environmental movement climate and extinction crises. @Wilderness Looking back on 50 years of Earth Day, it inspired, all of us have a role to play right now. Earth Day we are proud of the landmark laws put in place to address our biggest 2020 gives us an opportunity to generate bold action on Follow us on Instagram environmental issues. Together, we will But to seize these opportunities, we must come continue to defend these bedrock laws climate and leave an impact as powerful and enduring as wildernesssociety together. We must listen to and work with the against any threat. Earth Day 1970. communities that are bearing the worst impacts Sign up for breaking wilderness of the climate crisis. We must identify and protect news and alerts the most important wildlands to help nature and www.wilderness.org/alert communities adapt. And we must replace fossil fuel development on public lands with carefully sited, clean, renewable energy. PRINTER PLEASE America’s Wilderness is UPDATE published four times a Because of you—and shoulder-to-shoulder with year by The Wilderness you—we will help our nation harness the full Society. potential of public lands to ensure a livable world for PRESIDENT: future generations. Jamie Williams DESIGN: Thank you for your vision, foresight and generosity! Owen Design Co. Questions or comments? Please contact The Wilderness Society meets Carolyn Stevens at all standards as [email protected] Jamie Williams set forth by the Better Business President Bureau/Wise Giving Alliance. 2 www.wilderness.org 1-800-THE-WILD © Carla Ruas 1-800-THE-WILD www.wilderness.org 3 Wild Places The Forests You Save Will Help Save Us In the 1930s, the rapid growth of roads Now, the wildlands we have saved will help dissecting the nation’s wild forests save us. Wild forests, in particular, offer some inspired a small group of scientists and of humanity’s best opportunities to slow two conservationists to launch The Wilderness escalating crises: climate change and mass Society. Over the course of our 85-year extinction. Forests provide essential habitat to history, many passionate individuals, thousands of species of animals and plants—so including you, have followed in the footsteps to the extent that we connect wild forests on © Mason Cummings © Mason Cummings Our work to protect forests nationwide is crucial to fighting the climate crisis and impending mass extinction. Pictured here are the Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina and of these conservation pioneers. Together we a large scale, we will create opportunities for the Santa Fe National Forest in New Mexico. have worked to protect hundreds of millions hundreds of species to migrate as their habitats of acres of wilderness, as well as beloved change. And that freedom to move will help Every 15 to 20 years, a golden But the Trump administration has set the environmental impacts of national forests, parks, wildlife refuges and them survive. Forests also reduce harmful opportunity to protect the wildest its sights on U.S National Forests by development projects on federal monuments across America. emissions by taking some of the carbon from the places in a national forest comes entertaining a request from the state public lands. Furthermore, it gives atmosphere and storing it. when the U.S. Forest Service revises of Alaska to open currently protected the public a voice in deciding its management plan. Thanks to wild portions of the Tongass National whether logging, roadbuilding, oil you, our scientists and conservation Forest to logging. If building roads and gas drilling, mining, power line staff are partnering with key regional and cutting timber in 9.2 million construction and other projects stakeholders to press for greater acres of ancient forest in the Tongass should be allowed on lands that are wildlands protection through this are permitted, a precedent will be meant to benefit everyone. planning process for 30 national set that threatens the wild heart of forests, including: every national forest. Thanks to you, If finalized, the administration’s The Wilderness Society’s regional proposed changes to NEPA will open • The Nantahala and Pisgah in North conservationists in Alaska and our the way for more destruction of the Carolina, which together contain national forest defense team have nation’s natural heritage for the short- 240 miles of the Appalachian Trail; organized and unleashed a major term gain of a few private logging, campaign to fight against logging the mining and oil and gas companies. • The Helena-Lewis and Clark in pristine, old-growth sections of the Montana, which is vital to keep Tongass. We are fully prepared to Your support enables our top-notch wildlands connected in the “Crown take this fight to court if necessary. legal defense team to lead the court of the Continent,” the largest area of battle to keep NEPA intact and intact wildlands in the lower 48 states; The Trump administration is also ensure that it continues to apply to all trying to harm national forests by federal lands. The Wilderness Society is fighting • Sequoia, which has the largest gutting the National Environmental against logging in the pristine, old-growth sections of the Tongass concentration of giant sequoia Policy Act, a law that dates back For more information on the fight National Forest in Alaska. groves in the world and contains the to the Nixon administration. to save America’s wild national © Howie Garber southern-most section of the Pacific Known as NEPA, this important forests and additional actions you Crest Trail in the Sierra Nevada decision-making tool requires can take, please visit mountains. the U.S. government to disclose www.wilderness.org/forests. 4 www.wilderness.org 1-800-THE-WILD 1-800-THE-WILD www.wilderness.org 5 Wilderness and You Your Support in Action Mason Cummings, Through your fight for public lands, photographer and videographer for The Your impact will endure Wilderness Society, has spent years venturing You are making important gains for public lands, even as • Legislation to designate more than 75 percent of the the Trump administration works to open them to a radical 1.6 million-acre Desert National Wildlife Refuge in deep into the wilderness expansion of coal, oil, natural gas, mineral and timber Nevada as wilderness has been introduced by Senator and capturing images that extraction.
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