Late yesterday afternoon, the quiet solitude of the Eastern Sierra was interrupted as earthmoving equipment began the process of cutting 7 new roads into the pristine rangeland at the base of Mt. Whitney.
The heavy equipment was sent on Tuesday by a Los Angeles developer intent on constructing a luxury subdivision in this incredible landscape, beginning the process that will displace the Mule Deer, Brewer's Sparrow, Springsnail, Sagebrush Lizard and the hundreds of other species that call this land home.
And Mt. Whitney — the highest mountain in the continental United States, backdrop for innumerable John Wayne westerns, and recreational destination for millions — moves one step closer to becoming permanently marred by another luxury Sierra subdivision.
The threat of this subdivision moving forward, even as the lawsuit to halt the project heads toward a legally mandated negotiation session, has inspired this unusual appeal from us at The Sierra Fund.
The Sierra Fund has been working closely with the Save Round Valley Alliance and Sierra Watch to raise $60,000 to implement the campaign to save Mt. Whitney. With the help of some of you receiving this message, we have so far raised $46,000 towards this goal, allowing us to fund the lawsuit filed 10 days ago by those two organizations.
Despite achieving that milestone, there is only one way to stop road construction immediately.
The Save Round Valley Alliance — the unstaffed, grassroots organization fighting for reasonable development in the Eastern Sierra — must raise at least $10,000 TODAY to file a request with the court for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) that will stop the developer from continuing to cut new roads, excavate housing sites, and build water and sewer infrastructure on the property.
Because this is so important, we are making this appeal to you — family, friends, supporters and defenders of the Sierra Nevada — to be a part of the effort to save Mt. Whitney.
We're asking for your help TODAY with the following:
1. Click here to contribute on-line now so that the Save Round Valley Alliance can appeal to the court tomorrow to stop the road construction. Your tax-deductible contribution of $10,000, $1,000, $100 or $10 will be used for this effort immediatley.
2. Forward this email to three friends who share your love for the Sierra Nevada and our concern that a future of luxury subdivisions at Mt. Whitney, in the Eastern Sierra, and throughout the region must be challenged.
Mt. Whitney is an icon of the Sierra, and an irreplaceable and increasingly threatened resource for the entire nation. It's fate should not be determined by developers and land speculators from Los Angeles. Please join this effort today and contribute now.
For the Sierra —
/shawn
For questions about giving to this effort, please feel free to call me at 530.265.8454 extension 10.
