Top 5 American Treasures to Protect in 2012

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Beauty Mountain and Agua Tibia in California

The existing Beauty Mountain and Agua Tibia Wilderness Areas are made up of more than 30,000 acres of rock formations, chaparral, canyons, and unique wildlife habitat in Riverside County. Their proximity to San Diego makes their natural beauty accessible to the growing, diverse population of the city. It is a favorite area of day hikers, equestrians, and other outdoor recreation enthusiasts.

Protecting the Beauty Mountain and Agua Tibia areas has bipartisan support. In fact, on the very first day of the 112th Congress, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) introduced the Beauty Mountain and Agua Tibia Act (H.R. 41) to expand both wilderness areas by a total of 21,000 acres. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced companion legislation (S. 1574) in the Senate in September 2011.

Conclusion

Both Congress and the Obama administration have ample opportunity for the remainder of 2012 to protect some of America’s best places. All of the areas outlined above have local—and frequently bipartisan—support. It’s time for policymakers to take the next step and ensure that these special places are preserved for future generations to enjoy and appreciate.

This post was originally published by the Center for American Progress.

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Photo from andrew c mace via flickr

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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Kathy P.

3:33PM PDT on Aug 15, 2012

thanks. beautiful

August 15
send a green star

Ernie M.

2:15PM PDT on Apr 23, 2012

it is a shame nothing east of the rockies were mentioned. There is a chain of mountains the Appalachian that need protected from mountain top removal. by doung that we save a lot of waterways also.I think part of the smookies are indanger also.

April 23
send a green star

Grace A.

11:12AM PDT on Apr 23, 2012

Save our agriculture--mitigate global warming--with "artificial trees" to collect CO2 from air and Enhanced Geothermal Systems to sequester the CO2 long term.

Loo S.

2:46AM PDT on Apr 23, 2012

thanks for sharing

Ron B.

3:22PM PDT on Apr 22, 2012

Excellent! I especially hope that Alpine Lakes will be expanded.

April 22
send a green star

Rob W.

1:22PM PDT on Apr 22, 2012

All great ....though what about the Mustangs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
An all time American Treasure to Protect in any year....including 2012

Colum N.

12:24PM PDT on Apr 22, 2012

Corporate governance = corporate dream

Jane W.

11:50AM PDT on Apr 22, 2012

Surely there must be unexploded ordinance on a former army base?
Does not sound like a destination place for this biker.

Dale M.

11:39AM PDT on Apr 22, 2012

There are a lot of places in the US that need to be preserved. Unfortunately, the Republicans don't seem to see it that way. There is a bill, called "The Sportsmens Bill" that would open up public lands for mining and drilling. Lands that were not previously open for these operations would be open. This includes the Grand Canyon and other areas that we cherish. This would involve clearing a huge area of trees for both the operations site and roads so that heavy machinery and trucks could have access. You can call your Congressmen and Senators, put a letter to the editor in the newspaper and sign petitions. Apathy is the practice of doing nothing. After apathy comes the state of pathetic. If this goes thru, we'll have to change the title of the song "America the ?"

Tanja Z.

6:09AM PDT on Apr 22, 2012

thank you for posting