Gravestone Preservation & Restoration Information
to Help Promote Restoring Historic Cemeteries
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NewsUpdate: OIL LEASES FOR NINE MILE CANYON CANCELLED!
Yesterday, Secretary of the Interior Kenneth Salazar CANCELLED 77 LEASES for oil and gas development thereby protecting (for the moment) OVER 100,000 acres of Utah wilderness. As you may know, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and our coalition partners have been fighting since 2004 to protect America’s ancient natural landscape, our nation’s longest collection of prehistoric rock art, and our irreplaceable heritage. This action represents a huge victory in our efforts to save historic places on public lands. THIS VICTORY WAS IN PART BECAUSE OF ACTIONS TAKEN BY SUPPORTERS LIKE YOU. However, THE FIGHT IS NOT OVER to preserve special places like Nine Mile Canyon in Utah for future generations. Senate Bill 22, the Public Land Management Act, is up for a vote in the House of Representatives after passing in the Senate on January 15th. WE NEED YOUR HELP in making sure that this bill is signed into law to recognize and protect 26 MILLION ACRES of conservation lands that include sites associated with the expeditions of Lewis and Clark, Canyons of the Ancients, Old Spanish National Historic Trails -- some of our most precious and unique places of national and natural heritage. TAKE ACTION NOW -- Contact your Representative in the House to make sure they know the importance of passing the Public Land Management Act, which also includes important provisions regarding funding for Save America’s Treasures and Preserve America. We are obligated as stewards of these lands to protect and preserve them for the future. PLEASE TAKE ACTION TODAY Your support on this issue is imperative to saving these lands. Help Protect Nine Mile CanyonOne of the world's largest collections of prehistoric rock art threatened!
A massive proposed oil and gas development project would cause irreparable damage to Nine Mile Canyon in Utah, home to one of the most important and extensive collections of prehistoric rock art panels in the world. Nicknamed the “world's longest art gallery” because of its more than 10,000 individual petroglyphs and pictographs made primarily by the Fremont and Ute Indian cultures, the Canyon was included on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's list of America's Eleven Most Endangered Historic Places in 2004. The National Trust is urging citizens around the world to speak out about the harm that will result from this new development proposal if it is allowed to move forward as planned. The project would increase truck traffic inside the Canyon by 416% causing enormous amounts of dust, chemical dust suppressants and vehicle exhaust to accumulate on and irreparably harm this international treasure.
A recently released study shows a direct link between truck traffic in the Canyon and the deterioration of the rock art panels, due to a build up of dust and harmful chemicals used to control dust on the road. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which manages much of the land in and around Nine Mile Canyon, needs to recognize the findings of this study and present plans for a new access road to the exploration site, rather than continuing to rely on the narrow dirt roads that run through Nine Mile Canyon. What You Can Do:
Let BLM know that it is imperative for them to protect the thousands of prehistoric petroglyphs and pictographs in Nine Mile Canyon. Tell BLM that it is unacceptable to allow these international treasures to be damaged by the dust and chemicals and exhaust generated by current and proposed truck traffic in Nine Mile Canyon. Ask BLM to perform a detailed evaluation of alternative routes that trucks could use to access the project area instead of the existing dirt roads in Nine Mile Canyon and its narrow side canyons. Encourage BLM to fulfill its role as the steward of the world's longest art gallery and save our shared heritage for future generations. Please visit our website for more information, or get information from the BLM and the Draft Environmental Impact Study here. National Trust for Historic Preservation Action Alert |
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