Dear National Park Advocate,

This is a time for unity, a time for healing... and a time to make sure we get things right.

Time and again, you've shown your love for America's national parks. Together with park advocates from all across the country, you've made incredible strides toward healthier parks and a more equitable environment. And amid the controversy of recent years, you've shown that national parks truly are America's common ground -- the places that unite us all.

With Joe Biden sworn in as our 46th president, park lovers like you are looking to the future. While President Biden has already issued Executive Orders to help fight climate change and pollution, national parks are still threatened by reckless development on their doorsteps.

If President Biden is serious about protecting national parks, he needs to address runaway energy development -- and that means halting the rush to drill near parks.

National parks like Carlsbad, Everglades, Chaco Culture and Hovenweep are deeply tied to their surrounding landscapes. The public lands near parks are part of the story of those parks -- they're the habitat for wildlife, the headwaters of rivers and the clear skies that keep parks healthy and strong.

And those lands belong to us all -- not to big energy corporations. Decisions about how to use those lands shouldn't be made based on profit.

But the last few years have seen a reckless push for more drilling near more parks. Public lands have been auctioned for as little as $1.50 per acre -- often without consulting nearby communities or allowing meaningful public input.

Those rushed and reckless auctions must not continue. Send your message now and tell President Biden that you want a temporary moratorium on new auctions for drilling near parks!

But just ending the rush to drill isn't enough. During the moratorium, the administration must take concrete actions to permanently protect parks, like:

- Supporting the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act to permanently protect lands surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park from future mineral leasing and development.

- Thoroughly assess the groundwater, air quality and impact of drilling on cave and karst features at Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

- Take inventory and protect the thousands of cultural sites surrounding Hovenweep National Monument, currently threatened by active and proposed drilling.

- Revoke the Trump-era updates to land use planning and review of lands to be offered for auction.

- Restore public participation in public lands decision through keystone laws like the National Environmental Policy Act.

- And ensure that the communities most impacted by pollution and industrial development are treated with justice and compassion.

Parks and their landscapes are irreplaceable parts of the American story. They're places of memory, unity and healing. President Biden must move quickly to make sure these critical protections are enacted during his first 100 days in office. Please send your message now!

Thank you for starting the year, and the new administration, with such an important mission.


Theresa Pierno
President & CEO

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