Save Our National Parks

Yosemite is California’s irreplaceable treasure—home to Half Dome, Tuolumne Meadow and Yosemite Falls, as well as peregrine falcon, black bear, mountain lion and other wildlife. 

Unfortunately, mining companies can set up operations right outside Yosemite putting the park at risk. Worse, in order to separate gold and other metals from hard rock, the mining companies that want to set up shop near Yosemite plan to use cyanide—a chemical that’s so toxic that even tiny amounts can kill fish and other wildlife.

In the last five years, mining companies have staked 285 claims within 10 miles of Yosemite National Park—close enough that the cyanide and other toxic chemicals they use to separate ore from rock could run off into the Tuolumne River and the trails and wild lands that surround it—historically, mining wastes often escape into local waterways.

While our national parks themselves are protected, drilling, mining and logging on public lands and development on privately-held parcels of land within and adjacent to our national parks and wilderness areas threaten many of our most treasured places. Additionally, all of our parks face threats from chronic under-funding with many lacking the operating funds to ensure they'll be able to adequately protect the natural treasures found in the park and ensure their trails and facilities remain available for the millions of visitors they have each year. 

We can ensure the beauty of these parks are protected for future generations by ensuring Congress fully funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund and by enacting specific protections for ecologically sensitive areas adjacent to our national parks.