Another Box NPS Will Check Off Because The Decision Was Made Before We Even Knew About It

November 28, 2007

Jonathan Putnam
Office of International Affairs
National Park Service
1201 Eye Street, NW (0050)
Washington DC 20005

Re: White Sands National Monument/World Heritage Site

Mr. Putnam:

Attached you will find five letters with signatures of Otero County residents who oppose the listing of White Sands National Monument (WSNM) as a World Heritage Site. These signatures were received at an Eagle Forum meeting yesterday in Alamogordo. Opponents have already tendered over 1,200 signatures to the Otero County Commission.

I am sure you are aware that the Commission passed a resolution and an ordinance prohibiting World Heritage Sites in Otero County. You should be aware that National Park Service employees violated other county ordinances in their planning and generation of the Application. This is all public information available on Otero County’s website.

Otero County residents elected our county commissioners to represent the will of their constituencies and that is exactly what the commission has done. This is what our form of government, a representational republic, is all about.

Mr. Putnam, I believe you have the discretion to make the decision that will remove WSNM from any consideration as a World Heritage Site unless and until the residents of Otero County amend or repeal their prohibition of such designations. In the interest of Otero County and indeed, our form of government, I ask you to do just so. This action would go a long way to restore trust of the National Park Service which is sorely lacking.

If you care to know other valid reasons to not consider WSNM for World Heritage Site designation, I invite you to view http://oteroresidentsforum.blogspot.com/. This site has generated much interest locally and internationally as shown on the map. We will continue to voice our strong opposition to an unnecessary and ill-conceived and illegal action by National Park Service employees.

If you have any questions, please contact me.

Janet T. White
P.O. Box 49
Alamogordo, NM 88311-0049

Letters to Putnam and Pearce Address Buffer Zones

The letters at the bottom of the page have been modified to point out to Congressman Pearce and Mr. Putnam that White Sands National Monument’s Application did not include any references to buffer zones although answers to questions about buffer zones are required by the Guidelines even if no buffer zone is anticipated.

If you have already printed up the prior letters, that is fine. These are basically the same with added detail.

More Jonathan Putnam

http://www.nps.gov/oia/topics/sisterparks/listsisterparks.htm NPS Sister Park Program, Office on International Affairs referenced in Putnam article below.

http://anpr.org/intl.htm Putnam Article: International Activities Span the Globe, Ranger Magazine

http://www.nps.gov/oia/topics/flight.htm Park Flight Migratory Bird Program, NPS-OIA, linked to:
Partners in Flight
North American Bird Conservation Initiative
Bird Identification Center
Neotropical Migratory Birds (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Site)
Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center
Globally Important Bird Areas in the United States
Audubon Important Bird Areas Program
International Migratory Bird Day
Redwood Sciences Laboratory, USDA Forest Service
Institute for Bird Populations
Point Reyes Bird Observatory
Bird Studies Canada
The Nature Conservancy Migratory Bird Program
BirdLife International
American Bird Conservatory
Migratory Bird Conservancy

http://www.usaid.gov/locations/latin_america_caribbean/environment/pip_site.pdf (Nature Conservancy list of places in peril)

http://www.nps.gov/bibe/naturescience/mab.htm (Chihuahuan Desert Biosphere Reserve)

Jonathan Putnam: National Park Service, Dept. of Interior

Click on the Title to read cut and paste article from:

http://www.epa.gov/ocempage/gneb/minutes/may_05_washington_mtg_6.htm
Due to length of article on Mr. Putnam, the text is posted in the comment section of this post. The text is from:

U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
Cooperative Environmental Managemen
The Good Neighbor Environmental Board Meeting
Radisson Hotel, Phillips Conference Room
Washington, DC 20037

May 10, 2005