Carrizo Plain National Monument: Oil or wildflowers?
Last spring’s wildflower “super bloom” at California’s Carrizo Plain National Monument was pretty spectacular. Thousands of wildflowers burst across the plain, thrilling visitors with a gorgeous eruption of color.1
But now Carrizo’s natural beauty is at risk. The Trump administration has just approved a new oil well and pipeline on these protected public lands.2 It’s up to us to safeguard the natural beauty of these lands for future generations.
The Threat to Carrizo National Plain National Monument
Carrizo Plain National Monument isn’t just for wildflowers and the people who love them either. San Joaquin kit foxes live here.3 Only an estimated 7,000 kit foxes remained in 1990. And kit foxes continue to lose habitat to development within their central California range.4
Increased oil and gas drilling on the plain could threaten fox dens and mar the beauty of this spectacular place. And, while the current drilling proposal deals with just one oil platform, local advocates fear that it could open the door to even more drilling in Carrizo.
How You Can Help
We should be protecting our precious public lands and looking to a cleaner, greener future — not doubling down on more dirty, destructive drilling that wrecks great wild places like Carrizo.
Please take a stand for Carrizo Plain National Monument. Add your name now.
1. David Williams, “California desert’s wildflower ‘super bloom’ delights nature lovers,” CNN, March 9, 2017.
2. Monica Vaughan, “Trump administration approves oil drilling, pipeline in Carrizo Plain National Monument,” The San Luis Obispo Times, April 20, 2018.
3. Monica Vaughan, “Trump administration approves oil drilling, pipeline in Carrizo Plain National Monument,” The San Luis Obispo Times, April 20, 2018.
4. “Critically endangered species and beloved animals at risk,” CBS News, Accessed April 30, 2018.