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Please endorse Rep. Raúl Grijalva for Secretary of Interior

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> Big Wildlife just learned the Center for Biological Diversity is

> circulating a letter endorsing Arizona Congressman Raúl Grijalva for

> Secretary of the Interior (see letter below). *Big Wildlife

> wholeheartedly supports Rep. Grijalva as Interior Secretary and

> appreciates the Center taking a lead on this critical appointment

> Since a decision on the Interior Secretary post may be made by

> President-elect Obama as soon as _Monday, December _8, Big Wildlife

> urges you to add your organization to the letter below ASAP. *Rep.

> Grijalva has been a champion for endangered species, wildlife, and

> wildlands. Big Wildlife was especially grateful when Rep. Grijalva

> introduced the Bear Protection Act that would have extended important

> safeguards to bears. *We believe Rep. Grijalva would be an outstanding

> Interior Secretary.

>

> To sign on, simply send the following information to Brian Vincent at*

> brian <brian:

>

> YOUR NAME:

> TITLE:

> AFFILIATION:

> ADDRESS:

> PHONE:

> EMAIL:

>

> Brian will forward your information to the Center for Biological

> Diversity as soon as he receives it. Again, time if of the essence so

> please respond promptly. Our apologies for the short notice. Thanks.

>

> *LETTER RE: REP. GRIJALVA FOR SECRETARY OF INTERIOR WITH SIGNATORIES

> TO DATE*

>

> December 8, 2008

>

> President-elect Barack Obama

> Office of the President-elect

> 451 6th Street NW

> Washington, DC 20004

>

> Conservationists Support Raúl Grijalva for Secretary of the Interior

>

> Dear President-elect Obama:

>

> As you make appointments to your Cabinet, we encourage you to consider

> Congressman Raúl Grijalva for Secretary of the Interior. The new

> Secretary of the Interior must bring strong, focused leadership to the

> position in order to ameliorate the devastating effects of the Bush

> administration’s eight years of failed environmental policy. We

> strongly believe that Congressman Grijalva’s background and record

> show him to be a leader ready for this challenge.

>

> As Arizona’s congressional representative, Congressman Grijalva has

> shown a broad range of passion and expertise for conservation and

> management of public lands. He has highlighted the Bush

> administration’s attempts to undercut science in favor of industry

> interests and sought ways to work with agencies and environmental

> groups to better protect public lands. For this, Grijalva has gained

> respect in the environmental community for his clear and decisive

> positions on sometimes complicated issues.

>

> As a member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, Grijalva was

> responsible for leading one of the largest counties in the United

> States. With large urban areas, vast expanses of federal land, rapid

> population growth, a high density of endangered species, a shared

> border with Mexico, and an ethnically and politically diverse

> populace, Pima County is microcosm of the issues a Secretary of the

> Interior must be capable of managing. In this position, Grijalva

> demonstrated not only knowledge of the issues, but a natural ability

> to bring differing interests together to reach mutually acceptable

> agreement. He was a leader in the development, approval and funding

> of the precedent-setting Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan. Bringing

> federal, state and county governments together with conservationists,

> developers and scientists, Congressman Grijalva helped forge one of

> the most far sighted endangered species protection plans in the nation.

>

> One of the immediate tasks for the Secretary of the Interior will be

> to deal with growing national water problems. Management of drought

> and the ability of the Secretary to bring powerful, conflicting

> interests to the table will be essential, as evidenced by the recent

> crises in Georgia and Florida, the continuing controversy on the

> Klamath River, and the scientific consensus that the Colorado River is

> dangerously over-allocated. Grijalva has long been involved in

> drought management on the San Pedro, Santa Cruz and Colorado Rivers

> and is well-prepared to tackle these issues on a national level.

>

> Grijalva’s record of anticipating and working to address growing

> environmental problems will also be an important asset in the

> Secretary of the Interior position. Expanding forest fires, the

> melting of the Arctic, drought in the interior West and Southeast,

> loss of endangered species habitat, rangeland degradation, and

> permitting of coal mines, coal plants, and other traditional and

> alternative energy projects all point to global warming becoming the

> central issue for DOI lands and jurisdiction. Grijalva has been a

> leader in pressing Interior and other federal agencies to integrate

> global warming issues into their planning and permitting.

>

> Grijalva’s experience in key environmental Congressional caucuses has

> prepared him to lead the full range of agencies within the Department

> of the Interior. In addition to his chairmanship and work on public

> lands, he has worked closely with Native American communities ­ his

> district includes seven sovereign nations ­ and has served on the

> Subcommittee on Insular Affairs. Also, as a Representative from the

> arid southwest he is intimately familiar with the responsibilities of

> the Bureau of Reclamation.

>

> Further, Grijalva’s leadership in the labor and Hispanic communities

> has allowed him to move beyond the long-held false dichotomies of

> environment vs. jobs and species vs. rural communities to promote

> better management and use of public lands. This is especially

> important because Hispanics are the fastest growing users of public

> lands in the West. Their interests have been largely ignored to date,

> even when those interests are harmed by federal land development and

> extraction and access policies. The Interior will benefit from

> Grijalva’s ability to bring these interests to the table.

>

> Grijalva’s demonstrated keen knowledge of procedural issues regarding

> public lands will also be an asset to the Secretary of the Interior

> position. In 2008, he led efforts to stop damaging mining on BLM

> lands and other federal lands where the Secretary of the Interior, BLM

> and Minerals Management Services have permitting authorization. This

> was largely due to his innate ability to understand and compellingly

> explain how poorly planned mining threatens local communities and

> water supplies.

>

> In the last decade, central management issues on public lands ­

> including logging, ORVs, fire management, grazing, mining and water

> conservation ­ have changed from deeply rural issues to an urban

> interface. Grijalva’s experience in the major urban center of Tucson

> has provided a hands-on understanding of the new urban-edge dynamic

> and an appreciation of the resulting political constituencies that are

> emerging.

>

> The next Secretary of the Interior must have a nuanced understanding

> of the complex issues involved in protecting and stewarding our

> natural resources and lands. With the recent economic downturn, there

> will be calls for increased energy production at the risk of

> significant environmental destruction. We believe that Congressman

> Grijalva’s demonstrated strength in navigating these sensitive issues

> and his commitment to science-based decision-making will serve the

> Interior well as it moves beyond the Bush administration’s policies.

>

> As organizations dedicated to protecting imperiled animals, plants and

> our wild lands through sound science and enforcement of environmental

> laws, we regularly interact with federal agencies within the

> Department of the Interior. It is with this perspective that we

> heartily endorse Raúl Grijalva to be appointed as its Secretary.

>

> Sincerely,

>

>

> Craig C. Downer, President

> Andean Tapir Fund

> Minden, NV

>

> Elisabeth Jennings, Executive Director

> Animal Protection of New Mexico, Inc.

> Albuquerque, NM

>

> Karen Michael, Board Member

> Animal Defense League of Arizona

> Phoenix, AZ

>

> Roger Featherstone, Member

> Arizona Mining Reform Coalition

> Tucson, AZ

>

> Kevin Gaither-Banchoff, Executive Director

> Arizona Wilderness Coalition

> Tucson, AZ

>

> Brian Vincent, Communications Director

> Big Wildlife

> Williams, OR

>

> Erik Molvar, Executive Director

> Biodiversity Conservation Alliance

> Laramie, WY

>

> Vernon Masayesva, Executive Director

> Black Mesa Trust

> Kykotsmovi, AZ

>

> Mike Mease, Campaign Coordinator

> Buffalo Field Campaign

> West Yellowstone, MT

>

> Michael J. Painter, Coordinator

> Californians for Western Wilderness

> San Francisco, CA

>

> Donna Charpied, Policy Advocate

> Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice

> Desert Center, CA

>

> Josh Pollock, Executive Director

> Center for Native Ecosystems

> Denver, CO

>

> Karen Schambach, President

> Center for Sierra Nevada Conservation

> Georgetown, CA

>

> Larry Charpied, President

> Citizens for the Chuckwalla Valley

> Desert Center, CA

>

> Steve Brooks, Director

> The Clinch Coalition

> Nickelsville, Va.

>

> Sandy Buffett, Executive Director

> Conservation Voters New Mexico

> Santa Fe, NM

>

> Nick Ervin, President

> Desert Protective Council

> San Diego, CA

>

> Christina McVie, Science Director

> Desert Watch

> Tucson, AZ

>

> Rob Fisher, Executive Director

> ECO- The Ecological Conservation Organization

> Little Rock, AR

>

> Rick Erman, Member

> Friends of Anderson Mesa

> Phoenix, AZ

>

> Shiloh Walkosak, Executive Director

> Friends of Ironwood Forest

> Tucson, AZ

>

> Vivian Grant, President

> The Fund for Horses

> Houston, TX

>

> M.H. Salmon, Chairman

> Gila Conservation Coalition

> Silver City, NM

>

> Allyson Siwik, Executive Director

> Gila Resources Information Project

> Silver City, NM

>

> Bill Hedden, Executive Director

> Grand Canyon Trust

> Flagstaff, AZ

>

> Kelly Burke, Executive Director

> Grand Canyon Wildlands Council

> Flagstaff, AZ

>

> Robert Hoskins, Director

> Gravel Bar

> Crowheart, WY

>

> Veronica Egan, Executive Director

> Great Old Broads for Wilderness

> Durango, CO

>

> Karen Michael, Board Member

> Humane Voters of Arizona

> Phoenix, AZ

>

> Herbert Fibel, President

> Maricopa Audubon Society

> Phoenix, AZ

>

> Steve Capra, Executive Director

> New Mexico Wilderness Alliance

> Albuquerque, NM

>

> Regna Merritt, Executive Director

> Oregon Wild

> Portland, OR

>

> Daniel Patterson, Southwest Director

> Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility

> Tucson, AZ

>

> Terry Shepherd, Executive Director

> Red Rock Forests

> Moab, UT

>

> David R. Parsons, Vice-Chairman

> The Rewilding Institute

> Albuquerque, NM

>

> Steve Harris, Executive Director

> Rio Grande Restoration

> Embudo, NM

>

> Scott Groene, Executive Director

> Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance

> Salt Lake City, UT

>

> Kevin Bixby, Executive Director

> Southwest Environmental Center

> Las Cruces, NM

>

> Elisabeth Jennings, Executive Director

> The Animal Protection Voters

> Albuquerque, NM

>

> Dr. Paul Green, Executive Director

> Tucson Audubon

> Tucson, AZ

>

> Melanie Gasparich, Executive Director

> Upper Gila Watershed Alliance

> Gila, New Mexico

>

> Jon Marvel, Executive Director

> Western Watersheds Project

> Hailey, ID

>

> Don Hoffman, Board Director

> White Mountain Conservation League

> Pinetop, AZ

>

> John Horning, Executive Director

> WildEarth Guardians

> Santa Fe, NM

>

> Kim Vacariu, Western Director

> Wildlands Project

> Portal, AZ

>

> Scott Silver, Executive Director

> Wild Wilderness

> Bend, OR

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