Thousands of People Speak Out Against Oil & Gas Leasing Near Great Sand Dunes National Park

DENVER, CO -- After just 15 days, today marks the close of the public comment period on a proposal by the Department of the Interior to open public lands near Great Sand Dunes National Park and the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness to destructive drilling, mining and fracking. The proposal is part of a nationwide effort by Interior Secretary Zinke to sell out public lands to the oil and gas industry. All of the parcels set to be auctioned off by Sec. Zinke are within eight miles of the national park and wilderness, threatening the dark night skies, wildlife, cultural values and burgeoning outdoor economy of the region. Despite the shortened time frame for public input, more than 2,500 people submitted comments opposing leasing these lands.

In response, Kimberley Pope, Sierra Club Our Wild America organizer in Colorado, issued the following statement:

“If these lands are auctioned off, it will create a patchwork of irreversible destruction across our public lands and important ancestral lands of multiple Native American Tribes and Hispano settlers. We should not be sacrificing these places, the wildlife there, history and opportunities to an outdated vision of energy independence.

“We have an obligation to leave great natural places for others to experience. This sale will not go unnoticed. Sierra Club will work with local communities every step of the way in making sure corporate polluters don’t get their hands on lands next to Great Sand Dunes National Park and the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness.”