Last Friday, the Sierra Club presented the Obama administration with its vision for how America’s public lands should be managed as they face the greatest threat in their history — climate change. The administration has hosted a series of public hearings around the country to give Americans a chance to weigh in on the future of our wildlife and wild places. As part of that process, the Sierra Club encouraged citizens to contact the Obama administration, and the organization presented leaders with a 28-page vision plan, titled Protecting America’s Great Outdoors: Sierra Club’s Vision. Read the report here.
“Today, America’s wild legacy faces its biggest challenge. Global warming is stressing wildlife like grizzly bears and lynx and threatening habitat with forest fires and drought,” said Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune. “Fortunately, our leaders can take steps to protect our public lands and wildlife from the worst impacts of climate change.”
The Sierra Club’s recommendations focus on protecting public lands and wildlife from the worst impacts of climate change. Part of this effort includes limiting outside stresses like irresponsible oil and gas development, off-road vehicle abuse, and logging, which will make it even harder for wildlife to survive global warming. The Sierra Club plan also recommends identifying and protecting key corridors that allow wildlife to migrate and adapt to changing habitat.
Other specific recommendations include:
- Designating the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as a National Monument.
- Putting our public lands to work fighting climate change by protecting our older, carbon rich forests.
- Helping reconnect Americans and youth to the great outdoors by removing barriers and providing incentives and safe access to the natural world.
“As wildlife like grizzly bears face diminishing food as a result of climate change, they will need to migrate safely to new habitat. Protecting corridors will help ensure their survival,” Brune said. “America’s forests and wetlands don’t just provide a source of inspiration, recreation, tourism and jobs. They also play an important role in fighting climate change. Protecting key public lands is one of the most important things we can do to reduce global warming pollution.”
These recommendations are focal points of the Sierra Club’s Resilient Habitats campaign, which aims to protect wildlife and wild places from the worst impacts of climate change. For more information about the Resilient Habitats campaign, visit www.sierraclub.org/habitat.
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