Dear Anonymous,

Chaco Canyon, a desert wonder of huge natural and cultural significance, is at risk. The Trump administration plans to let oil and gas companies set up rigs near the park, threatening everything that makes this place special.

Submit your comment to oppose the plan today.

The remoteness of New Mexico's Chaco Culture National Historical Park has made it an International Dark Sky Park beloved by stargazers.

It's also a sanctuary for elk, bobcats, badgers, bats, lizards and other desert wildlife that thrive in the dark and away from development. And it's home to thousand-year-old ruins that are culturally significant to numerous tribes.1,2

And yet, oil rigs that spew methane and other air pollution -- and their concrete pads and roads brightly illuminated by work lights -- threaten to undo everything that makes this place special. A staggering 91 percent of the federal lands surrounding the park are already leased to fossil fuel companies.3

And a new Trump administration plan would industrialize this special place even further, filling the little undisturbed land that remains on Chaco Canyon's doorstep with rigs and pump jacks.4

Take action to oppose this destructive plan and save Chaco Canyon.

Last year, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill ending all future oil and gas leasing within a 10-mile radius of the park. It's a good start, but the Senate hasn't taken it up yet.

In the meantime, we need to raise the voice of every American who wants to see special places like Chaco Canyon protected forever. Add your voice to our call by making your public comment opposing the administration's ill-conceived plan today.

Submit your comment now.

Thank you for making it all possible,

Hannah Collazo
State Director

P.S. Our work to defend the environment can't stop and won't stop in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. We'll keep advocating on your behalf -- at a safe social distance -- for clean air, clean water, clean energy, wildlife and open spaces, and a livable climate.

1. "International Dark Sky Park," National Park Service, last accessed November 4, 2019.
2. "Chaco Culture," National Park Service, last accessed November 7, 2019.
3. Ernie Atencio and Paul Reed, "We can still save Chaco Canyon," Albuquerque Journal, September 9, 2019.
4. Ernie Atencio and Paul Reed, "We can still save Chaco Canyon," Albuquerque Journal, September 9, 2019.