The Grand Canyon is one of our greatest national treasures, but a new “gold rush” has created a disturbing trend.  Since 2003, 800 new hardrock mining claims have been staked along the edge of the canyon.  With cyanide and sulfuric acid regularly used to mine these minerals, the Grand Canyon could become a toxic waste site.

By passing H.R. 2262, the House took the first step to protect the Grand Canyon and other treasured lands from this trend expanding in the future.  Please call your senators and ask them to take the next step by including the same strong land protections for national parks and our last wild national forests in the Senate version of the bill.

You can reach your senator at 202-224-3121. If you don't know who your two senators are, that's OK. Just tell the operator your state, and they will connect you.

Here's a sample message you can leave: "Hello, my name is ____ and I live in _____. I'm calling to urge Sen. _____ to encourage Senators Bingaman and Domenici to follow the House’s lead and include strong protections for our treasured lands in the Senate version of The Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2007 (H.R. 2262).”

Then, please report your call below so we can keep track of how many are being made.