El Dorado Progressives, along with the El Dorado Chapter of the California Native Plant Society (EDC CNPS) and the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), hosted a workshop July 20th in Cameron Park on "Defending Our Public Lands," led by CBD's Public Lands Campaigner Ryan Beam.
Over 50 people attended the workshop, which included an overview of what constitutes "public land," what threats they face from the present administration and Congress in Washington DC, and particularly, what the role of Dist. 4 Congressional Rep. Tom McClintock is.
McClintock has been named "Public Lands Enemy #14" in CBD's Public Lands Enemies report. Indicative of making this list, McClintock recently introduced legislation to allow bikes and other mechanized transport into designated "foot only" wilderness areas.
As stated in the CBD report: "Despite the irreplaceable value these places hold, in recent years, a concerted effort has been driven forward by certain senators and U.S. representatives to seize, dismantle, destroy, and privatize our public lands. These lawmakers are backed by fossil fuel corporations and other extractive industries that already squeeze massive profits out of America’s public lands and only want more."
CBD is spearheading an ongoing campaign aimed at blunting these GOP-led efforts by asking people to send letters to the editor and opinion articles to local newspapers and to also send targeted letters and petitions expressing strong opposition to McClintock and the other "Dirty 15.” At this time, Sequoia National Monument is facing an immediate threat, with the boards of supervisors of two California counties siding with Trump and McClintock and proposing a two-thirds reduction in acreage for the monument. By shrinking it to less than 100,000 acres, approximately 200,000 acres of "big trees" would be made available to timber sales.
Other national monuments "under review" by Trump appointee Secretary of the Interior Zinke include Giant Sequoia, Bears Ears, Carrizo Plain, Basin and Range, Mojave Trails, and more. With almost half of El Dorado County being public lands, we have a lot at stake here in the foothills and mountains of El Dorado County. We all partake of their beauty and abundant resources for recreation, hunting and fishing, our livelihoods, the all-important water provision and protection, and natural habitat for native plants and animals. Our public lands are neither Red nor Blue, but an important legacy ALL of us share.
To become involved in the effort to protect and defend our public lands, sign-up with EDP's Environmental Working Group (contact: Frank Baker, fbhikku@gmail.com) and/or the CBD action network (http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/action/ or PublicLandsWorkshop@gmail.com).