The Lower 48’s largest national wildlife refuge, just beyond the lights of the Las Vegas Strip, is being destroyed by Congress as you read this. Act now to save it.
For years, the Air Force (which already controls 53% of the Refuge) has been proposing to expand military operations over even more. The Refuge appeared to dodge a bullet on July 11, when the Senate Armed Services Committee denied the military’s request to expand, allowing only a 20-year extension of the military’s lease of our public lands -- status quo -- in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Then Utah Congressman Rob Bishop (Boo! Hiss!) quietly introduced this amendment to the House’s version of the NDAA, which would give the Air Force primary authority over 850,000 acres of the Desert Refuge -- effectively ending its status as a refuge. The House Armed Services Committee passed the amendment on July 1, without notifying or consulting any member of Nevada’s congressional delegation. Nevada got rolled.
The full House of Representatives is scheduled to vote to approve the NDAA the week of July 27.
This sneaky move is an insult to all Nevadans and our congressional delegation, who are working hard to strip this amendment.
Four things you can do right now to save the Desert Refuge:
1. Call the House leaders below. Tell them to strip Bishop’s bighorn sheep-bombing amendment from the NDAA immediately.
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee; (202) 225-2435
Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), Chair of the House Armed Services Committee; (202) 225-8901
Rep. James McGovern (D-MA), Chair of the House Rules Committee; (202) 225-6101
Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), member of House Armed Service Committee; (202) 225-4065
Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA), Chair, HASC Readiness Subcommittee; (202) 225-1880
3. Send this message of support to Nevada's Senators and Representatives (for Nevadans only). They need to know Nevadans are outrages
4. Share this alert with your contacts. We need to overwhelming the dirty DC politics at play.
5. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper, decrying this dangerous amendment.
For Nevadans
For Nevada’s public lands and wildlife
For Nevada’s indigenous tribes and their ancestral homelands
#DontBombstheBighorn