Friend, trees older than Colorado are on the chopping block. Logging may soon spread into formerly untouched forests across the country.

It's so important that we go into the year ahead with the resources that we need to defend our public lands -- that's why we've extended our Fiscal Year-End Drive matching gift offer for just one more day.

If you donate before midnight tonight, your gift will be matched dollar for dollar up to $25,000 nationwide, thanks to a group of generous donors. Double your impact by donating today.

And this isn't just about defending our public lands. There are too many critical issues facing our environment for us to go into the year ahead without the resources we need to win.

We need more state and local action on climate change.

We need to put wildlife over waste by banning the worst single-use plastics.

We need to save bees from deadly neonics.

But Friend, we can't do any of this without you. Donate today -- a gift of any amount will make a difference -- and your gift will be matched up to $25,000 nationwide.

Thank you,

Jeanne Bassett
Senior Associate

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Environment Colorado <[email protected]>
Date: Sat, Jun 29, 2019
Subject: ALERT: Thousand-year-old trees are on the chopping block
To: Friend <[email protected]>

Friend,

The Tongass National Forest, with its glacier-fed streams and abundant wildlife, is as pristine a wilderness as still exists in our country. But in March, the U.S. Forest Service approved the largest sale of timber from the Tongass in the last 30 years.1

The Roadless Area Conservation Rule has kept the logging industry away from the Tongass for years. But now they're trying to open up even more old growth trees to logging by exempting the Tongass from the Roadless Rule's protection.2

At Environment Colorado, we know our country's wildest places are worth defending. With your support, we can protect forests and codify the Roadless Rule that will keep them wild.

Our goal: Raise $35,000 by midnight tomorrow to protect old growth trees in Tongass National Forest and wild places all over the country. Donate today -- a gift of any amount will make a difference -- and your gift will be matched up to $25,000 nationwide.

Right now, it's more important than ever to make the Roadless Rule law. By codifying the Roadless Rule this way, we can prevent the Forest Service from exempting any forest from its protection.

And it's not just the Tongass at stake: Utah requested an exemption from the Roadless Rule, too.3 Logging may spread into formerly untouched forests across the country if we can't ensure permanent protection soon.

Will you stand with the Tongass and donate today to support all of Environment Colorado's work to protect the environment?

Trees older than Colorado tower in the heart of the Tongass. The venerable hemlocks and spruces preside over an ecosystem that supports moose, deer, bears, bald eagles and much more.4

The good news is that public support is on our side. When the Forest Service collected public comments on the plan to exempt the Tongass from the Roadless Rule, more than 140,000 people -- including Environment Colorado supporters -- spoke up. The vast majority of these comments were in favor of keeping the Tongass protected.5

The Forest Service and logging companies have set their sights on Tongass first, but you can bet that they won't stop there. That's why we're working hard to connect scientists, conservation experts and caring advocates like you with members of Congress and the Forest Service so they know that we will hold them accountable for destroying our nation's oldest forests.

Will you join this team of dedicated supporters who believe that these ancient forests deserve to be protected?

Donate by the June 30 midnight deadline and your gift will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $25,000 nationwide. Help us keep the Tongass wild and support all of our vital environmental campaigns.

Thank you,

Jeanne Bassett
Senior Associate

1. Yereth Rosen, "Logging plan for Alaska's Tongass National Forest challenged in court," Reuters, May 7, 2019.
2. "Alaska Roadless Rule," United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, last accessed May 20, 2019.
3. Amy Joi O'Donoghue, "Utah wants roadless rule amended," Deseret News, October 24, 2018.
4. Brendan Jones, "Trees older than America: a primeval Alaskan forest is at risk in the Trump era," The Guardian, March 22, 2018.
5. Elizabeth Jenkins, "Of 140,000 comments, most favor keeping the Tongass Forest Roadless Rule," Alaska Public Radio, February 11, 2019.