Dear John,
Our wild places and cultural sites are under attack! Trump’s Bureau of Land Management plans to hand over lands near Chaco Canyon in New Mexico to Big Oil and Gas.
Chaco is a designated World Heritage Site. It’s the ancestral home to many Southwest Indigenous nations. And it must be protected, not sold off to the fossil fuel industry.
But Congress is fighting back. It’s advancing a bill that could protect Chaco Canyon from all future fossil fuel attacks. We need your help to stop Trump from destroying our cultural and natural heritage!
Tell Congress: Protect Chaco Canyon from Trump’s attacks!
The ancient rock engravings, uncannily straight roads, and the ruins of 35 houses in the area around Chaco Canyon have been standing for more than 1,000 years. And the Pueblo and Navajo people, who have cultural affiliation with the Chaco, consider these relics to have spiritual significance.
Fossil fuel extraction would endanger the massive stone buildings, which were made with techniques unique for their time, and the rock engravings that represent a form of communication and beautiful art.
Moreover, the fracking technique used in Big Oil and Gas projects will be devasting to the health of local communities. Extracted fracking wastewater can be radioactive, and its disposal through injection wells has proven to increase earthquakes. And the people in the area already suffer from poor air quality due to nearby drilling projects.
We can’t let Big Oil destroy these valuable historic artifacts of an ancient culture just so it can increase its profits.
Fight Trump’s attacks on Chaco Canyon: Tell Congress to protect our national landmarks!
In short, selling off Chaco Canyon will further target Indigenous communities' resources and sacred sites, pose a safety and health threat to the people who live on the surrounding land, and alter the quality and nature of this pristine landscape forever.
We must stop the oil and gas activity around Chaco Canyon in order to protect New Mexico’s and our nation’s unique history and landscapes. It’s also imperative to maintaining the Indigenous culture memorialized on these lands.
For more than 10 years, environmentalists nationwide have been fighting the fossil fuel industry to preserve Chaco Canyon. Together, engaged Friends of the Earth members like you have helped protect the region, but there is still more to do to protect Chaco for good. Can we count on your support?
Help send 30,000 comments to Congress: Tell your legislators to protect Chaco Canyon now!
Standing with you,
Nicole Ghio,
Senior fossil fuels program manager,
Friends of the Earth
