Dear John,
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Stop corporations from destroying "The Amazon of America." Donate to Friends of the Earth today!
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The Tongass National Forest in Alaska is the largest and most pristine forest in the country -- and the largest remaining temperate rainforest in the world. It is a sweeping expanse of rugged wilderness unlike anything else. But Big Timber wants to begin clear-cutting it as soon as this fall. We need to act quickly to save the Tongass Forest! Rush a $10 donation to Friends of the Earth.
Towering conifers up to 1,000 years old, wearing long beards of lichen and moss. Ice-fields and mighty glaciers. Snow-capped mountain peaks. Rivers and fjords flowing among thousands of islands. This is the Tongass National Forest.
Often called “The Amazon of America,” the Tongass is a national treasure, a mix of forest and waterways covering most of Alaska’s southern panhandle. The ancient, old-growth forest, usually dripping with rain, echoes with the sounds of wildlife -- Sitka blacktail deer, wolves, black and brown bears, moose, and mountain goats. The waterways shelter porpoises, seals, minke and killer whales, sea otters, and an abundance of fish, including all five species of pacific salmon. More bald eagles live in this region than in any other place in the world.
With these resources as the foundation of their ways of life, the forest has been home to the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people for over 10,000 years. All this is now under threat, as the United States Forest Service is pushing to open the forest up to logging and industrial development.
Stop corporations from destroying the Tongass Forest: Donate $10 or more now!
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Big Timber and their cronies in government plan to remove critical protections from the forest by the end of this autumn. This would enable them to build new roads in pristine stretches that have never seen industrial development, and begin logging the Tongass’ old growth.
When our forests burn or are clear-cut, wildlife, communities and the climate suffer. Most of the last remaining wild salmon population and bald eagles in the Tongass are under threat. And our forests are a critical line of defense against the climate crisis -- the Tongass alone stores more than 10% of all carbon consumed by America’s national forests. That’s why they call it “the lungs of the country.”
The only ones who benefit from destroying our forests are giant corporations. The timber and mining industries want to clear-cut the Tongass to increase their profits. TransCanada wants to cut through Canada’s boreal forests to build the Keystone XL Pipeline. And the big agribusiness companies linked to the Amazon fires have financial backing from Wall Street giants like BlackRock.
Their plan is dangerous and immoral. It will devastate local economies like tourism and fishing. It will decimate the sacred lands of local Indigenous communities. It will crush the habitats of wildlife that calls the Tongass home. And it will neutralize one of our best defenses against climate change. We can’t let any of that happen.
Together, we can stop the destruction of our forests. But we’re running out of time -- and we need your help.
Help fight the destruction of our forests and the communities and wildlife that inhabit them: Donate $10 or more before it’s too late!
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Right now, the West is up in flames. Tens of millions of Americans are faced with evacuation, risk to their lives, severe air quality issues, and other impacts from the fires.
In a world of increasing climate impacts, our wild places are among our most important defenses against climate change. Communities across the country are paying a high price for politicians who side with polluters rather than people. We need to stand up against those who are trying to roll back environmental protections and make these crises worse, from Alaska’s Tongass Forest and Arctic Refuge, to the Gulf Coast.
We’re going up against huge corporations and their powerful cronies in the government -- a daunting task. But with Friends of the Earth members like you at our side, I know we can win this fight and protect our climate and wild places. We have a comprehensive plan to safeguard our public lands, prevent climate chaos, and support communities on the front lines of this fight:
- We’ve sent thousands of comments to the USDA demanding that it protect the Tongass from mining and logging. This same strategy stopped the destruction of several of our national monuments in recent years.
- We’ve launched lawsuits to protect some of America’s most iconic wild spaces and public lands, and the communities and species that rely on them. This includes, most recently, the Arctic Refuge.
- We’re pushing Members of Congress to go on the record taking strong stances against fossil fuel projects. Now, we’re building support for a broader approach to phasing out fossil fuels and reining in Big Industry once and for all.
When we work together, we can move mountains. But we’re running out of time to prevent the worst impacts of climate chaos. We’ve got to act fast, before our most iconic wild places and the biodiversity they support disappear forever -- and communities around the world are left with poisoned air, polluted water, scarred land, and an unlivable planet.
Make a generous contribution to Friends of the Earth and help protect our forests, climate, and communities from Big Ag and Big Oil.
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Standing with you,
Nicole Ghio,
Senior fossil fuels program manager,
Friends of the Earth
