BODIE
Most of us Desert Peakers have at some time or other enjoyed a walk through Bodie, the picturesque ghost town located just north of the Mammoth Lakes. The National Park Service listed Bodie as a "priority one" endangered National Historic Landmark in a report to Congress last year and recommended protection of the area.
Representative Lehman has introduced a bill aimed at preserving this landmark by withdrawing 6,000 acres of public lands around the park from further mineral exploitation. (Current mineral rights would not be affected.)
If you'd like to thank Representative Lehman for his interest in protecting this area, you can write him at the House Office Building, Washington D.C., 20515.
CALIFORNIA DESERT PROTECTION ACT
Opposers outnumbered supporters 10 to 1 at the Cranston/Seymour hearing April 4 in Palm Desert. The bill now goes to the Senate Committee on Lands and Parks, lead by Senator Dale Bumpers. Should the bill pass the full senate, President Bush is expected to veto it.
Your views on this bill (S21) can be sent to Senator Bumpers, 308 Dirkson Senate Office Building, Washington D. C., 20510.
WARD VALLEY
"In the beginning, the Great Spirit, Mutavilya, put the Indian people on the earth to preserve the land, animals and people. To prove that this spirit is still alive, the Spirit Runners will be running to oppose the building of a nuclear waste dump in Ward Valley."
- Steve Lopez, Ft. Mojave Indian Tribe. The above mentioned run through Ward Valley to the Old Woman Mountains took place May 16-17 in an effort by the Indians to bring attention to what they consider a serious threat to their homeland. There are at least five tribes living along the Colorado River near the proposed Ward Valley nuclear dump site who feel this threat directly.
I can't help but wonder how our viewpoints might shift if this plan were being played out in our own back yard. Then again, particularly for those of us who frequently visit the desert to enjoy the clean air and the freedom from urban pollution, perhaps it iS our own back yard.
Philip Klasky has written an article for the San Francisco Examiner which lays out the current strategy of the nuclear industry to get this site opened. We have reprinted this article in its entirety.
Pat Acheson