(Image source: External Alliance)
BREAKING: Senate places ‘For Sale’ signs on up to 300,000 acres of Olympic National Forest deemed eligible according to a new analysis of the budget bill. 5.4 million acres in Western Australia are generally considered eligible.
The Senate budget bill calls for the sale of more than 3 million acres of public lands Across the West it now directly targets Washington’s national forests and puts any public lands outside national parks, wilderness areas, or wild and scenic rivers at risk of being sold. A new analysis of the bill shows that up to 300,000 acres of Olympic National Forest would be eligible for such sales.
This is exactly what we have been warning about since day one and it is exactly why we are working so hard to pass Senator Murray and Representative Randall’s #WildOlympics Wilderness & Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. Because only those legal safeguards will truly and permanently protect our ancient forests and salmon streams from such parodies in the future. That’s why we have the endorsement of more than 800 businesses from the Olympic Peninsula and Hood Canal Region, tribes, local elected officials, faith leaders, athletes, conservation and outdoor recreation organizations and other community leaders.
But remember, with your help, we helped defeat a smaller version of this exact same provision in the House version of the budget. And through a combination of grassroots organizing, advocacy in the halls of Congress, and mobilizing key constituencies like our thousands. Athletes Supporters, we can overcome this too. However, it will take all of us working together over the next two weeks to win.
That’s why we’ve been so fiercely resisting these unprecedented attacks on our public lands, because we can’t stop and we only have two weeks to stop them.
We know we were opportunists. We know that we post everywhere all the time and that you might get bored of seeing our alerts. But that’s why we continue to urge people to contact their senators, sign our petition, and donate to our campaign. That’s because we’re incredibly effective, and with just one small process we’ve been able to punch above our weight for years. Our extensive network of athlete supporters is unparalleled compared to similar campaigns, and our powerful digital and social media campaigns have reached nearly 1 million Americans and generated more than 20,000 calls, emails and petition signatures to decision makers in just the past five months. But our success depends entirely on our fans rising to the challenge. We literally can’t win without you.
So, forgive us for asking again, but it’s nothing if we can sit on the sidelines now. Thank you all.
Take action:
1) Contact your Senators www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm and ask them to oppose every threat to public lands in the budget.
2) Sign WildOlympics.org/wild-olympics-petition/ to tell Congress that the Wild Olympics are not for sale.
3) WildOlympics.org/DONATE to fuel our fight and permanently protect the salmon streams of the Olympic Peninsula for our future.
More information at SportsmenForWildOlympics.org/threats/
sincerely,
John Owen, Campaign Director, Wild Olympics Campaign, Quilcene WA
