Media Contacts:
Brian O’Donnell, Executive Director, Conservation Lands Foundation, 970-903-0276; Brian@conservationlands.org
Meghan Kissell, Director, Conservation Lands Foundation, 571-643-3526; Meghan@conservationlands.org

Veterans, Business Leaders and Conservationists Praise Obama’s National Monument Proclamation
Fort Ord Soldiers National Monument will honor military history, protect open space, and aid local economy

WASHINGTON, DC (April 20, 2012) – Business leaders, local elected officials, veterans and conservationists hailed President Obama’s proclamation today of the Fort Ord Soldiers National Monument. The monument, located in Monterey County, CA, permanently protects approximately 15,000 acres of public land, honoring our country’s rich military legacy while preserving some of the last open space and most important wildlife habitat in the region. The monument will also ensure that the public can continue to use this area for mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding and other activities for generations to come.

“We are grateful for the leadership of President Obama in establishing the Fort Ord Soldiers National Monument,” said Brian O’Donnell, Executive Director of the Conservation Lands Foundation. “This new national monument will safeguard some of our country’s rarest wildlife and plants and provide world-class opportunities for recreation. Future generations will experience and enjoy this national treasure, and honor the soldiers that served there.”

Fort Ord served as a training and deployment center from the beginning of World War I through Operation Desert Storm. Approximately 1.7 million soldiers trained at Fort Ord.

“Many of the soldiers who went through Basic and Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Ord lost their lives in service to our country. In memory of the soldiers who did not return home to their family and friends, I would like to thank President Obama for honoring them for answering our Nation’s call and for recognizing their contributions and sacrifices in war,” said Gordon Smith, Vietnam Veteran and past commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 5888, Santa Cruz.

The public lands of this former military base support a unique range of plant and animal communities. The rare Central Coast Maritime chaparral ecosystem is home to plants that depend on Fort Ord for their survival. The area also supports a range of wildlife including mountain lions, black-tailed deer, golden eagles and the California black legless lizard.

The open space at Fort Ord provides opportunities for an array of outdoor activities, including mountain biking, hiking and horseback riding. It also attracts nationally recognized outdoor events like the Sea Otter Classic, the largest biking event in the country.

“Establishing the Fort Ord Soldiers National Monument assures that our members and customers will continue to have access to some beautiful recreational lands, as well as to lands with a unique tie to U.S. and California history,” said Sally Jewell, CEO of Recreational Equipment, Inc. REI has a store adjacent to the new Monument. “Outdoor recreation, of course, is a very important part of California’s and the Monterey region’s economy. This designation further enhances the local quality of life and creates another draw for the region.”

The Fort Ord Soldiers National Monument becomes the most recent addition to the National Conservation Lands, the 27-million acre collection of the most ecologically, culturally and historically significant public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management. These lands include National Conservation Areas, National Monuments, Wilderness Areas, Wild and Scenic Rivers and National Scenic and Historic Trails.

President Obama proclaimed Fort Ord Soldiers National Monument using his authority under the Antiquities Act. A wide range of citizens, elected officials, local businesses and recreation and conservation organizations throughout Monterey County enthusiastically supported a conservation designation for the area and petitioned the President to use his authority to protect the area as a national monument.

Sixteen presidents of both parties have used the Antiquities Act to protect some of America’s most important places from the Grand Canyon to the Statue of Liberty. President George W. Bush designated the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument in 2008. In November, President Obama designated the Fort Monroe National Monument at the request of the Hampton, Virginia community.

“The protection of our natural and cultural heritage is essential to providing people with an opportunity to experience the outdoors. It is great to see President Obama take this action in response to the tremendous community support for protecting Fort Ord,” said O’Donnell.

Photos, video footage and additional background materials including letters and resolutions of support are available at www.FortOrdSoldiersNationalMonument.org.

An amendment is being added to the bill to gut the Antiquities Act.  This terrible amendment is being offered by Rep. Virginia Foxx from North Carolina and would take away the President’s ability to protect sensitive cultural and natural areas.  This runs counter to more than a century of bipartisan Presidential proclamations that protected some of our country’s finest cultural and natural areas.

We are asking you to take immediate action in the following ways:

Call and email your representative in Congress and tell them to vote against the HR 4089 because:

•  It rolls back a century of American conservation by taking away the President’s ability to protect sensitive cultural areas.
• This is a “Drill in the Parks” bill because it will allow oil and gas development in already protected areas cherished by Americans.
• It opens up areas already protected to off road vehicle abuse and new road construction.

Contact info for your representative can be found by clicking the state link below.  It takes 5-minutes and can make a huge difference!

Arizona

California

Colorado

Idaho

Montana

New Mexico

Nevada

Oregon

Utah

Washington

If you have questions or need help, please contact John@conservationlands.org,  Danielle@conservationlands.org or Scott@conservationlands.org.

Thanks for your help and prompt attention to this threat.

(Photo courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

HR 4089, with the misleading name of “Sportsmen’s Heritage Act,” is a bad bill written by people who want to open America’s Wilderness to off-road vehicles and make it harder for law enforcement officials whose job it is to keep recreational shooting available and safe. And despite its name, proponents of this bill apparently know next to nothing about hunting; it currently is moving through Congress and if passed would spoil the best hunting and fishing grounds available to sportsmen and women: Wilderness areas.

The bill is headed for the House Rules Committee on Monday afternoon, April 16. It has provisions that would allow widespread motorized access into Wilderness areas, and with additional poorly written language, could open Wilderness to development.  This means logging, mining, oil extraction, drilling, construction of new roads and many other inappropriate activities would be allowed on our country’s last parcels of untrammeled, unspoiled public lands.  Only 2.7 percent of land in the lower 48 states is protected as Wilderness, and this bill seeks to eliminate long-standing protections for those rare and valuable places.

The Wilderness Act was passed in 1964 to protect these natural lands and since then, Republicans and Democrats have led the way to protect 109 million acres of Wilderness—in our National Forests, National Parks, National Wildlife Refuges and, especially important to sportsmen and recreational shooters, on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Some of the best backcountry hunting and fishing in the world are found on BLM-managed wilderness areas, such as Nevada’s Calico Mountains Wilderness for chukar hunting, the Oregon Badlands Wilderness for mule deer, and Colorado’s Gunnison Gorge Wilderness for trout fishing. But this bill would allow development in these great places—development that would erode the very habitat people and wildlife need.

The legislation would also restrict public lands managers who are in charge of making recreational shooting available and safe on National Monuments.  Here again, sponsors of this bill miss the boat. HR 4089 does not support legitimate sportsmen and women who practice shooting on federal lands, but rather this bill unintentionally favors the side of vandals who shoot at Native American rock art, use Joshua trees for target practice and shoot up signs and historic buildings on public lands.

Just how would a new law allowing motorized vehicles, mining, logging, and oil and gas extraction in Wilderness areas contribute to sportsmen’s “heritage?”  It won’t. This bill would undermine the very experiences sportsmen seek out: world-class wildlife, habitat and fisheries; solitude and time to reconnect with nature; a chance to experience how people who came before us put food on the table; and so much more. Last we checked, “heritage” means knowing the traditions and values of your ancestors and passing the very best of them on to your descendants.  This bill would allow activities to take place on public land that will diminish or terminate a shared hunting and back country heritage. Unless the final goal is to leave your descendants with mere remnants of a sportsmen’s heritage, and not one they will be able to participate in.

We need to stop this bill in its tracks. Click here to see a list of members of Congress who are co-sponsoring this poorly named “Sportsmen’s Heritage Act.” The sportsmen’s community and its many supporters need to let them know this is not acceptable.  Write a letter to your local newspaper and explain why this bill must not move forward. Here are some bullet points to help you get started:

HR 4089 is a bad bill because:

• It will allow for the destruction of America’s pristine Wilderness Areas.
• Although named the “Sportsmen’s Heritage Act,” HR 4089 will actually spoil the best hunting and fishing grounds available.
• It will allow for widespread motorized access, construction of new roads, logging, mining and oil extraction in areas that are already protected.
• Many of these areas rightfully allow recreational shooting; this bill would force managers to support recreational shooting even in areas where it could be dangerous to the public, or lead to the destruction of natural and cultural resources
• HR 4089 is a bad bill.  Please take action to stop HR 4089.

The passage of the Omnibus Bill would not have happened without the dedicated work of Friends and Partner groups throughout the Nation who care about the future of our Nations public lands.  The protection and expansion of the National Conservation Lands is a testament to the power of the Friends Network.   

Take some time today to celebrate the National Conservation Lands and all the amazing National Monuments, National Conservation Areas, Wilderness and Rivers and Trails that make up this spectacular system.  Cheers!

Quotes Following the Passage of the Omnibus Bill-

• “This assures that our grandchildren will have the same opportunities that we’ve had, to explore and experience the Monument” said Mike Satter, president of Grand Staircase Escalante Partners, the supporting organization for Grand-Staircase Escalante National Monument.
• “Today’s passage of this major bill for our vast and beautiful country is a step forward in fulfilling the vision Teddy Roosevelt had for this land,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.
• The Omnibus Bill ”protects some of America’s greatest historic and cultural wonders, including some of the last places where people can experience the history and grandeur of the American West.”  Chris Soderstrom, Conservation Lands Policy Director

• A History of how the system was formed;
• An overview of the Budget;
• An overview of the 15-Year Strategic Plan and plans for implementation;
• Messaging and Communications Recommendations;
• Standards for Resource Management Plans;
• The Secretarial Order;
• The Difference between National Monuments and Conservation Areas; and
• Additional Resources.

The Handbook is meant to inform and guide anyone interested in the National Conservation Lands and their future. Click Here for a Copy   If you have any questions or to request a copy of the Handbook, please contact danielle@conservationlands.org   Enjoy!

The Loxahatchee River Historical Society has a long history with the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and an equally long history of accomplishments.  Founded in 1972 with the goal to preserve the area’s history and provide interpretive tours of the lighthouse when it was still under Coast Guard administration, the Society has been an active partner with the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse ever since. The Society was instrumental in the effort to build community support for the site’s becoming part of the BLM’s National Landscape Conservation System in 2008, at which time it was designated the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area (JILONA) by Congress.

Read the entire BLM Press Release>>

Read More about their efforts in a recent article in the Ruidoso News>>

Fort Ord has a rich and long history as a U.S. Army installation, with more than 1.5 million solders having served at Fort Ord from World War I to Desert Storm. The base closed its gates and became part of U.S. military history in 1994 opening up some of the last remaining open space in the Monterey Bay area.

The Fort Ord Public Lands, managed by BLM, support a beautiful and diverse group of plants and animals, including several plant and wildlife species that depend largely on Fort Ord for their survival. The area offers 86 miles of trail that are open for bicyclists (mountain and road), hikers, trail runners, horseback riders, wildlife/wildflower photographers, nature enthusiasts and search and rescue training.

At Friday’s meeting the community spoke with one voice in support of permanently protecting the public lands at Fort Ord as a national monument.

This historic action will protect critical wildlife habitats, keep drinking water for millions who live downstream clean and safe, and preserve the region’s awe-inspiring natural beauty, safeguarding tourism-related jobs.

Theodore Roosevelt designated the Grand Canyon as a national monument on January 11, 1908, declaring, “Let this great wonder of nature remain as it now is. You cannot improve on it. But what you can do is keep it for your children, your children’s children, and all who come after you, as the one great sight which every American should see.”

The reasons to protect this special place are as countless as the spectacular views. During the announcement, Secretary Salazar stated, “We have been entrusted to care for and protect our precious environmental and cultural resources, and we have chosen a responsible path that makes sense for this and future generations.”