Monday, February 24, 2014

Please sign this petition opposing huge National Monument in Dona Ana County



The controversy around a National Monument in Dona Ana County has moved from local to national input.  Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell came to Las Cruces a few weeks ago for a listening session on the 500,000 acre Organ Mts-Desert Peaks National Monument.  The environmental supporters had ample time to get notices out to rally support for the large national monument.  Supporters of a smaller national monument for just the Organ Mountains had only 2 days to notify the local citizens of the meeting.  The Sun News did not report about the meeting until the day of the meeting.  Buses were used to bring supporters from Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Silver City and El Paso. Consequently, the room was packed to over capacity with monument supporters and the Secretary may have left with a false impression that the majority of the local people were in favor of a large national monument.

I have been skeptical of on line petitions until I received two from Senator Tom Udall, one asking for my signature on his petition in support of his bill S 1805 and the other on climate change.  He will be using an online petition to generate support for his bill and or recommending to Secretary Jewell and President Obama he sign a Presidential Proclamation designating one fourth of Dona Ana County as a National Monument.

I have developed an online petition for those opposed to a large national monument to make it known to the President, Secretary Jewell and as well as Senators Udall and Heinrich that there is not a consensus in favor of  the 500,000 acre national monument.

 
It is important that you sign the petition and pass the link on to your contacts for their signature.  Together, we can stop this major land grab.

Jerry G. Schickedanz, Chairman
Western Heritage Alliance

5 comments:

Hemingway said...

Dr. Jerry Schickedanz is an outspoken critic of wilderness. He wrongly and sarcastically described the typical visitor to the Organ Mountain as " a white male in the upper-income bracket. This typical wilderness visitor has the time,the means and the energy to pack into or have some outfitter haul their gear from spot to spot so they can sit and contemplate the wonder of it all." His arguments about the ranchers, border security and flood control are without merit in his opposition to the National Monument. This petition is bogus!

Frank DuBois said...

Go, Jerry, Go! You've got Greg very upset.

Walleaner said...

I have said in the past that the "typical wilderness visitor..." The Organ Mountains are not and never will be Wilderness, they are just a pretty place.

Anonymous said...

Our open spaces attract many people and businesses to the area that contribute a lot to our local economy. Anti-National Monument people would have us develop like Phoenix where there is sprawl all over the place. Just look at the Phoenix aerial photo. President Obama needs to establish the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument. We don't want to become another Phoenix in the future.Ranching would be dead as a doornail.
Preserve our open spaces from unnecessary development.
http://3scape.com/photo/6130/Aerial-view-of-Phoenix-urban-sprawl.jpg

Anonymous said...

How can you describe the BLM land as a land grab just because it is going to be a National Monument - no logic.