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Padre Island
Padre Island National Seashore is not only home to several endangered
species like the Piping Plover and the Kemp's ridley sea turtle, it's also a
place where millions of Americans go to enjoy the beauty of the world's
longest undeveloped barrier island in the world. People come here to watch
birds and other animals, fish from the beach, play in the dunes, and seek
inspiration. Unfortunately, when Senator Ralph Yarbrough ushered Congress to
approve Padre Island National Seashore in the 1960s, he was unable to secure
the mineral rights for the park.
But now BNP Petroleum threatens this paradise with an aggressive
gas-drilling program over the next thirty years. This thirty year drilling
campaign will require forty 18-wheeler trucks per day for each of the twenty
proposed drilling sites. But, there's only enough natural gas under the
park to supply America's energy needs for one day. And 70% of the investors
for the drilling are in Japan, Australia, and Canada. Why is the Bush
Administration allowing our pristine island paradise to be desecrated by
foreign investors? There's a better way to strengthen the local economy and
protect our national seashore for all Americans: stop the drilling. The
Bush administration can put an end to the drilling on Padre Island National
Seashore and protect it forever. President Bush bought the gas rights on Big
Cypress National Preserve in his brother's state of Florida. He can do the
same for Padre. Learn More>>
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Ecoregions
The Critical Ecoregions Program offers a practical, long-term strategy
to buttress the "web of life" on Earth. Region by region, the Sierra
Club is developing multifaceted plans for every major land and water
system in the United States and Canada, home to most of the Sierra
Club's 600,000 members. Tailored to the particular needs of each
ecosystem, these 21 regional plans will help achieve our global
vision: to restore the ecological health of the planet through concrete
local action. Learn
more at the Sierra Club national site.
- Interior Highlands: From the ridgelands just south of
Illinois, through Missouri to the mountains of south-central Oklahoma
and Arkansas, the Interior Highlands are America's biological
crossroads, where species from the arid West mingle with those
of the humid Southeast. Learn
more at the Sierra Club national site.
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Marine Wildlife and Habitat
Our planet is over 70 percent water - all but 3 percent of it is
salt water. This vast ocean harbors a rich diversity of habitats
and species and is our last wilderness frontier and public trust.
Yet almost no area of the ocean is off-limits to human use and abuse,
including extraction of living and non-living resources, pollution,
and habitat destruction.
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Species and Habitat
The Endangered Species Act works. Since the law was enacted in 1973,
we have saved many species from extinction, including the bald eagle,
the lady slipper orchid, humpback whale and many other animals and
plants unique to America. Unfortunately, while we have won isolated
battles, we are losing the war. We are losing species at a rate
not seen since the dinosaurs disappeared 65 million years ago. The
number one cause is the destruction and degradation of habitat.
Learn
more at the Sierra Club national site.
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Wildlands Legislation
Coming soon... if you have comments or suggestions about what you'd
like to see here, let
us know!
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Wildlands: Chapter Issues
- Wide Open Spaces in Texas: Learn
more at the Lone Star Chapter website.
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More Resources:
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