The Ruby Mountains in winter. Home to water, wildlife, and exploration for everyone. Don't let it become an oil field. Photo courtesy Kurt Kuznicki.
The Trump Administration has proposed to open Nevada's precious Ruby Mountains to oil & gas exploration. Not only will this threaten fragile habitats, watersheds and recreation on your public lands, but there's little-to-no oil there (Nevada's geology just doesn't support it).
The Sierra Club is teaming up with Trout Unlimited, the National Wildlife Federation, the Center for Biological Diversity and Patagonia to bring attention to the threat, to gather public comment in support of protecting the Rubies, and to encourage our leaders to take action.
Take Action Now: Sign to support the Ruby Mountains...too precious to pollute.
Join us at one of the following events to learn more and add your voice to protect the Rubies:
- Jan 15th, Reno. 7pm-9pm. Patagonia Outlet, 130 S. Center St. Hosted by National Wildlife Federation and Sierra Club. RSVP here.
- Jan 16th, Las Vegas. 6pm-8pm. Clark County Public Library, 1401 E Flamingo Rd. Hosted by Sierra Club and Center for Biological Diversity. RSVP here.
- Jan 17th, Elko. 6pm-8pm. Dalling Hall, 600 Commercial St. Hosted by Trout Unlimited and National Wildlife Federation. (Call 775-848-7783 to RSVP)
Why are the Ruby Mountains valuable?
- The Ruby Mountains are Nevada’s crown jewel, "Nevada’s Swiss Alps,” one of the best known and most beloved wild places in the Silver State.
- The Rubies are a paradise for sportsmen, harboring the state’s largest mule deer herd—as many as 10,000 animals—and numerous world-class trout streams, including some with federally protected Lahontan cutthroat trout, Nevada’s state fish.
- The Rubies are a statewide destination for hiking, backpacking, and rock climbing, including the famous 35 mile long Ruby Crest Trail.
- Ruby Lakes National Wildlife Refuge is an internationally known migratory bird stopover, famed by both birders and hunters alike.
- The Ruby Mountains are a spiritually and culturally sacred landscape for the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone.
- The Rubies are the major economic driver for outdoor tourism in Elko County.
Leasing in the Ruby Mountains would destroy the values that make them so special:
- Oil exploration, drilling, and fracking entails widespread ground disturbance for road building and pad levelling, which would destroy areas that are currently pristine.
- Fracking is known to lead to ground and surface water contamination, potentially impacting fisheries and water sources needed by wildlife and people alike, including waters which belong by treaty to the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone.
- Widespread oil and gas development elsewhere in the West has led to catastrophic declines in mule deer herd sizes due to habitat and migratory corridor fragmentation.
- Oil production and consumption is a main driver of climate change, which threatens the delicate balance of all life on earth, including the plants and animals of the Ruby Mountains.
And the Rubies are just the tip of a bigger fight: the Trump Administration proposes opening more than 900,000 acres of your public lands in Nevada to oil & gas drilling. Read this Nevada Indy article to learn more.