Target: Chuck Schumer, Majority Leader of the United States Senate
Goal: Pass the North American Grasslands Conservation Act to help protect and restore our grasslands.
North American grasslands—which are crucial components in global climate regulation and national food production, and which serve as a home to a biodiverse array of wildlife, native nations, and rural communities—are also one of the fastest disappearing biomes. In the United States, an estimated 5% of the original grasslands remain. Between the years of 2018 and 2019, over 2.6 million acres across the US and Canadian Great Plains were destroyed due to mounting pressures to convert these territories into agricultural production sites. To put this into perspective, in just one year, an area of grasslands even greater than the size of Yellowstone National Park was cleared. And, despite all of this, less than 10% of all the worlds’ grasslands are currently protected.
The North American Grasslands Conservation Act was recently introduced to the Senate which, if passed, would dedicate critical resources to the protection of our nation’s grasslands. In improving the health and management of our grasslands, this bill would also help support American ranchers, rural communities, and native nations, restore vital habitats for millions of birds, pollinators, and other wildlife, and help combat the effects of climate change by increasing carbon sequestration.
Sign this petition to encourage Senators to support the conservation of our eternally important grasslands.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Senator Schumer,
Grasslands are extremely important. Not only do these regions support our national economy, they also serve as a home for native nations and rural communities, provide habitat for millions of diverse plants and wildlife–including pollinators–, and help regulate global changes in climate through a process known as carbon sequestration. Yet, despite the many wonders of this biome , a mere 10% of all the worlds’ grasslands are currently federally protected. Grasslands are being destroyed at an alarming rate, cleared for human use as sites of agricultural production. An estimated 5% of the original Northern Great Plains exists today.
The North American Grasslands Conservation Act gives the grasslands–and us humans–a fighting chance. By dedicating precious resources towards the conservation of our nation’s grasslands we would be investing in our own economy, communities, wildlife, and climate. What could be wrong with that?
We are asking you, Mr. Schumer, to support the North American Grasslands Conservation Act. Our grasslands need to be protected.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Nom d’util
1212 Signatures