Dear National Park Advocate,

America's public lands are facing a crisis of leadership.

Last week, President Trump withdrew his nomination of William Perry Pendley to lead the Bureau of Land Management. Perry had been widely opposed over his long track record of pushing for more mining and drilling on public lands.

But Pendley isn't gone. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt says that Pendley will continue "exercising the authority" of the Director of the Bureau of Land Management.

That's unacceptable. Pendley was too controversial for the Senate to consider or the president to support. Bernhardt needs to replace Pendley immediately with a competent acting director.

Tell Secretary Bernhardt: Public lands need real leadership. Name a new acting director for the Bureau of Land Management right away!

The Bureau of Land Management manages almost 250 million acres of public land -- that's one-eighth of the entire United States. What's more, the Bureau makes crucial decisions about which lands are auctioned off to developers like oil, gas and mining companies. Many of those auctioned lands surround national parks. After the National Park Service itself, the Bureau of Land Management might have more direct impact on national parks than any other government agency.

The Bureau needs a permanent, Senate-confirmed leader. Until then, its acting director shouldn't be someone that was too controversial to even get a nomination hearing.

Send your message to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt now. Tell him that America's parks and public lands are too important to entrust to William Perry Pendley. The Bureau of Land Management needs real leadership right away.

Thank you for everything you do for America's parks and public lands,


Ani Kame'enui
Deputy Vice President, Government Affairs

Photo: Arches National Park
© Ian Shive | Tandem Stills + Motion