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April 2009 Wild Lands Remain Wild Paws Up! To the U.S. Congress for passing legislation to protect more than 2 million acres of wilderness lands. In late March, Congress sent President Barack Obama the Omnibus Public Land Management Act, which aimed to give the “highest level of federal protections” to natural lands in several U.S. states, including in NHES’ own backyard: the Monongahela National Forest of West Virginia. On March 30 President Barack Obama signed the bill into law. In September 1964, President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed into law the Wilderness Act, protecting 9 million acres of land. Today, 45 years later, the Wilderness System comprises more than 106 million acres. The Wilderness Act is well known for its succinct and poetic definition of wilderness: “...an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” NHES applauds Congress and Obama for working to federally protect 2 million more acres of wild and historical lands in our nation. Source: www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/obama/chi-tc-nw-lands_0326mar26,0,178400.story www.nytimes.com/2009/03/26/science/earth/26land.html?ref=us # National Link Awareness Month Paws Up! To members of the House of Representatives for introducing H Res 191, designating May 2009 National Link Awareness Month. It is urgent that H Res 191 be voted on now so that May can be designated National Link Awareness Month. The bill is still in committee and time is running out. As many of you know, there is a strong link between animal cruelty and other forms of violence. By helping recognize this connection through National Link Awareness Month, more individuals and organizations will be able to identify the signs of cruelty, help protect animals from cruelty and abuse, and work to protect humans from the cycle of violence. Take Action: Please contact your representative today urging him or her to bring this resolution to the floor for a favorable vote now. Source: www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=hr111-191 # |
