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A Strategy for Survival A Strategy for Survival The Sierra Club has long been recognized as the leader in the struggle to save our environment. Since 1892, we've been at the forefront of efforts to establish new national parks, wilderness areas, and other protected lands, to foster appreciation for the natural world, and to enact vital legislation to help preserve not only our wilds and wildlife, but the quality of our air, water, and public health. Yet a century of experience has taught us a powerful lesson: Our air, water, and land are inextricably linked. So, too, are political entities, from the states of the union to the nations of the world. Today, oil and gas development in the forests surrounding Yellowstone National Park threatens the health of the entire ecosystem; toxic emissions in Mexico contribute to pollution in the Great Lakes. Despite all our efforts, the biosphere itself--the "web of life" on which all of us depend--is in peril. It is no longer enough to treat problems and places in isolation from one another. Our future survival demands a comprehensive, integrated plan to save the global environment. That's why--at the dawn of our second century--the Sierra Club has created the Critical Ecoregions Program. Vision, Leadership, Grassroots Strength A key component of the Sierra Club Centennial Campaign, the Critical Ecoregions Program represents a major advance for the environmental movement. It provides what no other organization can--a grassroots-based, long-term strategy to protect, preserve, and restore the biological integrity of endangered ecosystems throughout the United States and Canada. Region by region, we're developing multifaceted plans for every major land and water system in these two countries, home to most of the Sierra Club's 500,000 members. Through a variety of means--coalition-building, lobbying, education, litigation, research, and more--Sierra Club volunteer activists, working in more than 60 regional chapters and hundreds of local groups, will strive to:
Tailored to the particular needs of each ecosystem, these 21 regional plans will also help advance the Sierra Club's global mission--to preserve the entire "web of life" on Earth for future generations. The Critical Ecoregions Program offers a framework for effective action here at home, and a model for action around the world. And only the Sierra Club has the vision, leadership, and grassroots strength to ensure that it succeeds. "Think Globally, Act Locally": Empowering Volunteer Activists As we move toward the 21st century, five broad global challenges are at the top of the Sierra Club's agenda: (1) preserving biological diversity and wilderness; (2) protecting our oceans and atmosphere; (3) ending the toxic threat; (4) stabilizing world population; and (5) building an environmentally sustainable economy. This shared vision guides the work of Sierra Club volunteers from the Southwest deserts to the Northern forests, from the Gulf of Alaska to the Florida Everglades. Acting locally and regionally--and in coordination with the efforts of Sierra Club staff and volunteers at the national and international levels--our grassroots activists can effectively begin to turn back the grave environmental threats facing us all. The Critical Ecoregions Program offers volunteers and doners alike the opportunity to make a tangible difference in the ecosystems they cherish. It recognizes that every ecosystem is a unique and vital component of life on the planet, and that each supports special wildlife, plants, and communities. And that each of us, wherever we may be, calls one of Earth's vital ecosystems home. Saving these places requires a comprehensive approach--one that aims not to treat isolated symptoms, but to restore the health of entire ecosystems. Preserving wilderness takes more than an act of Congress; stopping pollution takes more than controls on smokestack emissions. In order to save living systems, we need to address all of the threats, and with all of the resources at our disposal. Through the Critical Ecoregions Program, thousands of Sierra Club activists--in every corner of the United States and Canada--are doing just that. They know that the place to start restoring the ecological health of the planet--the land, air, water, and biological diversity that sustain life on Earth--is right here at home. And they know that only the Sierra Club has the vision, the experience, and the resources to enable them to succeed. The Sierra Club Difference For one hundred years, the Sierra Club has relied upon the extraordinary energy and commitment of our grassroots volunteers. Time and again we've proved that dedicated grassroots activists, sharing a common focus and backed by sufficient resources, can rise to most any challenge. Today we face global challenges of unprecedented magnitude. That's why we need the kind of comprehensive blueprint for change provided by the Critical Ecoregions Program. And why we need the unmatched leadership provided by today's Sierra Club. The Sierra Club is North America's largest, most effective grassroots environmental organization. Our multi-faceted approach to influencing policy at every level--an approach that combines education, litigation, lobbying, and involvement in electoral politics--makes us a powerful force for change. Our ability to mesh the efforts of professional staff and citizen volunteers--a vast network of activists whose reach extends worldwide--makes us unique in the environmental movement. Unflagging commitment. A comprehensive strategy. And an abiding faith in our grassroots activists. That's been the strength of the Sierra Club throughout its first century. We believe it will be the source of our success--and the success of the Critical Ecoregions Program--as we embark on our difficult journey through the next hundred years. Source: "The Sierra Club Critical Ecoregions Program," May 1993. Up to Top |
