I was reading some news yesterday and was pleased to run into an article by Jon Shumaker about the Sonoran Desert. It’s an informative and well-written article that summarizes the spectacular beauty of our protected public lands in southern Arizona, and the significant threats to those lands. The National Landscape Conservation System includes amazing areas in that desert, protected by the Sonoran Desert National Monument and Ironwood Forest National Monument; there are a bunch of other outstanding Conservation System units in that part of the country as well.

When Congress approves The National Landscape Conservation Act and sends it to President Obama for his signature, we will have the opportunity to spend more time thinking about what how we can all make the Conservation System better. This includes adding spectacular new landscapes to the System, providing for better management of the System and getting an appropriate budget that meets the System’s needs.  All this involves Congress to some extent or other.
 
Figure out how to get requests through Congress can be a daunting task.

Help has arrived.

What would be a great way for the Barack Obama Administration to get off to a great green start? According to The San Francisco Chronicle in a Jan. 2 editorial, the answer rests with signing legislation that would provide permanent recognition for the National Landscape Conservation System.