Tell Secretary Zinke: Honor Tribal sovereignty, stop the trophy hunts!

The decision to remove Endangered Species protections from Greater Yellowstone grizzlies was clearly a bad one -- based on bad science, and shortsightedness about the continued challenges the bears face.

Hundreds of thousands of emails and phone calls from scientists, wildlife photographers, conservationists and wildlife lovers have been ignored. Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, three states notoriously hostile to carnivores, now control their future -- Wyoming and Idaho have trophy hunts scheduled to start on September 1.

And perhaps worst of all, the Department of Interior has never honored Tribal Nations’ call for consultation on management of the Greater Yellowstone grizzly -- a process required by federal law.

Sec. Zinke is certainly aware of this responsibility. He even committed, in Congressional testimony, to consult with Tribes before the delisting, citing a moral and legal responsibility to do so -- only to delist the bears literally hours later.

Demand respect for Tribal sovereignty and wildlife! Tell Zinke: Reinstate grizzly protections, stop the trophy hunt and consult with Tribes now!

- Sierra Club 

Tell the Trump administration: No mining at Yellowstone

Proposed mine uphill from Yellowstone River

The petition to Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke reads: "Do not allow mining in or around Yellowstone National Park." Add your name:

Yellowstone National Park is facing one of its biggest threats since it was established nearly 150 years ago. Right now, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke is considering whether to open up more than 30,000 acres of public lands at the northern gateway of America's oldest and most iconic national park to aggressive gold, silver and other mineral extraction.1 If Zinke refuses to ban mining by companies looking to exploit Yellowstone's natural resources, it could spell disaster for the environment and tourism and destroy one of our country's most precious landmarks. A decision by Zinke is expected this fall but could come any day now. We must urge him to ban mining in and around Yellowstone immediately. Tell Sec. Zinke: No mining at Yellowstone National Park. Click here to sign the petition. Mining operations in Paradise Valley, the region just north of Yellowstone, would be an economic and environmental disaster. The national park is a major driver of the local tourist economy, and this proposed drilling and mining plan would produce massive amounts of pollution and could destroy the "wild areas populated by grizzly bears, bighorn sheep and other wildlife and harm streams that drain into the Yellowstone River, a popular trout fishing destination that draws anglers from around the world."2 In 2016, President Obama's then-Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced a two-year moratorium on mining in the region to allow for the federal government to conduct an environmental assessment to determine if the agency should propose a longer ban, adding that "Yellowstone is more valuable than gold."3 After the assessment and huge public outcry, the Forest Service recently recommended a 20-year ban on mining in the region - the maximum allowed without congressional action - that will give Congress time to pass a permanent ban on Yellowstone mining.4 But this recommendation hinges on Sec. Zinke's final approval. This is a fight that we can win. Zinke suggested that he supports a ban on mining in this region, both as a congressman and administration official, but he has yet to act. We must ramp up public pressure before Zinke reverses course and urge him to ban mining at Yellowstone. Tell Sec. Zinke: No mining at Yellowstone National Park. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/yellowstone_mining?t=7&akid=28978%2E3130208%2EvbBDkh - Josh Nelson, CREDO Action Add your name: National Parks Conservation Association, "The Gateway to Yellowstone Is No Place to Mine," accessed June 19, 2018. Matthew Brown, "Interior secretary urges mining ban near Yellowstone," The Boston Globe, Aug. 29, 2017. Michael Wright, "Obama administration blocks new mining claims on 30,000 acres in Paradise Valley," Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Nov. 21, 2016. Sam Schipani, "New Mining Ban Around Yellowstone Moves Forward," Sierra, April 3, 2018.