Photo: Doug Steakley
In 2011, The Conservation Alliance provided funding to the California Wilderness Coalition in support of their efforts to permanently protect 21,000 acres on Beauty Mountain and the proposed Agua Tibia Wilderness, located in the Southern California Desert. The Beauty Mountain and Agua Tibia Wilderness Act would add over 7,796 acres to the existing Agua Tibia Wilderness and would expand the Beauty Mountain Wilderness by an additional 13,635 acres.
Last year, Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) introduced the Beauty Mountain and Agua Tibia Wilderness Act, but the bill is languishing in the US House of Representatives. If passed by the House, Representative Issa's bill would build on successful legislation passed in 2009 by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Representative Mary Bono Mack (R-CA) whose "California Desert and Mountain Heritage Act" established the Beauty Mountain Wilderness and enlarged the Agua Tibia Wilderness that was established in 1975.
Take action today by writing to Rep. Issa and letting him know just how important this bill is to you.
Copy and Paste the sample letter below and click here to send to Representative Issa. Feel free to add in your own personal stories and anecdotes about why Beauty Mountain and Agua Tibia are so important to protect.
Sample Letter
Dear Representative Issa,
Thank you so much for introducing the Beauty Mountain and Agua Tibia Wilderness Act. Your bill would bring much needed protections to these spectacular areas in San Diego County. The chaparral-draped slopes and valleys of Beauty Mountain and Agua Tibia provide homes to wildlife as well as hiking and horseback riding opportunities for locals and visitors. We need this bill!
Given the challenging climate in Congress and the future uncertainties that redistricting will bring, I hope that you are able to move the bill across the finish line in this Congress. Please let me know if I can help in any way to assist you with this important bill.
Thanks again for your leadership and vision for San Diego County's wild places.
About Beauty Mountain and the Agua Tibia
Characterized by deep canyons and rugged coastal sage scrub, Agua Tibia is enjoyed by thousands of hikers and equestrians each year who travel through the region via the rugged Cutca Trail. As its name implies, Beauty Mountain is a scenic jewel draped in chaparral, fascinating rock formations and oak woodlands. Both of these areas provide endless recreational opportunities as well as priceless habitat for endangered wildlife. Both areas serve as critical plant and wildlife corridors between Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and the coastal mountains of Riverside and San Diego counties.
Learn more at www.calwild.org