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Act Now: BLM Approves Plan for Road Construction through Furnace Creek and White Mountains

Last fall, along with thousands of other conservationists, you wrote the Bureau of Land Management asking it to protect the White Mountains and the fragile riparian ecosystem of Furnace Creek from off-road vehicle damage and road construction.  We need you to speak out once more to protect these special places.

Despite overwhelming public opposition to the plan to develop this unique oasis into a road, the Bureau of Land Management has approved a proposal to construct a new road through the heart of Furnace Creek. This new road would cut across the White Mountains Wilderness Study Area and invite motorized vehicles into other wilderness-quality lands of the White Mountains.

We can still fight this, but we need your help. Right now your voice is more important than ever if we are to protect Furnace Creek.

You can help protest the decision by telling the BLM to repeal the road-construction plan.  It will take mere minutes and the cost of a stamp for you to have a voice in fighting for lasting protection of the creek and its wilderness.

Furnace Creek is a rare desert wetland in the White Mountains, America's largest desert mountain range.  The creek's riparian ecosystem of cottonwoods and willows provides potential habitat to endangered southwestern willow flycatchers and other rare and imperiled species, including the Panamint alligator lizard and the Mono Basin sage grouse.

This endangered creek and the wildlife that depends on it need your help. So please take a moment to mail the sample letter to the address below. The deadline for all protest letters is June 8th, 2007.

Please note that the BLM will take your concerns more seriously if you include a few sentences expressing your personal opinion or experiences in the White Mountains, Furnace Creek, or with wilderness and desert ecosystems or off-road vehicles in general.

Contact the BLM to protest the decision to open Furnace Creek to off-road vehicle use. 

Please mail a personalized letter or the attached sample letter below to the following address:

U.S. Department of the Interior
Director, Bureau of Land Management (210)
Attn: Brenda Williams
P.O. Box 66538
Washington, D.C. 20035
Telephone: (202) 452-5045

Questions? Contact Chris Kassar, Wildlife Biologist, Center for Biological Diversity, ckassar@biologicaldiversity.org.

More Furnace Creek information and photos: http://www.friendsoftheinyo.org" target=_blank>www.friendsoftheinyo.org (under News & Issues).

Read the Finding of No Significant Impact & see more pictures at: http://www.endangeredearth.org/orv/" target=_blank>www.endangeredearth.org/orv/.