For Bats, the Future Is Spooky

When Congress returns for the "lame duck" session following the November elections we may have our best (and perhaps last for a long time) opportunity to pass important legislation protecting our public lands. One bill that should be a priority for passage is the California Desert Protection Act of 2010 (S.2921). Introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein, the bill would create a new national monument in the California desert that would connect Joshua Tree National Park with the Mojave National Preserve, protecting some of the most pristine, ecologically important and beautiful desert lands in the world.

Unfortunately, the Department of the Interior is considering allowing industrial-scale energy development in some of these places. While a rapid transition to renewable energy is essential if we are to address global warming, we need not destroy pristine public lands and endangered species habitat to do so, as hundreds of thousands of acres of already degraded lands outside the proposed monument, which are better suited for energy development, have been identified.

Please take a moment and let your senator know that you strongly support Senator Feinstein's proposed monument and that the Senate should take up and pass S.2921 when it returns from the election recess.

Visit http://action.biologicaldiversity.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5072 to take action now.