Let's go Hopenhagen- PLEASE HELP!

Some of the most endangered communities that will be inevitably threatened by the rising waters caused by the climate crisis are small island communities in the South Pacific-- like Tuvalu, for example. As a member of the Powershift Rapid Response team, which works to "connect the action at the climate negotiations in Copenhagen," I am greatly concerned about maintaining solidarity with the international progress that could take place to benefit every island, peninsula, or landmass.

Please, take a minute to make a phone call to the President's Comment Line:
Can you call President Obama right now at 202-456-1111.

Keep your message concise, and for your pleasure, here is the script I read from, but feel free to express how you stand with Tuvalu and call for a legally binding 350ppm limit in your own wonderful words.

"Hello, my name is ______. I'm live in ________/ I'm a student at __________. President Obama, over 500 youth in Copenhagen and thousands of youth back home are calling on you to ensure the future of small island nations like Tuvalu and the future of all generations. The US must play a lead role in securing a legally binding, scientific based deal that limits carbon pollution to 350ppm."

Tuvalu, a small island nation in the Pacific Ocean, called for an open conversation about a legally binding deal. Despite the request only being for the start of a conversation, several larger countries blocked the idea. Tuvalu is calling for a legally binding deal and has repeatedly called for a return to 350ppm carbon. We need to stand with Tuvalu. The Rapid Response Team is working to call President Obama right now. Can you call the White House to show your support for Tuvalu and a legally binding limit of 350ppm CO2 for a safe climate future. President Obama needs to lead, and we need to ask him to do this.

Thanks,
Ty

The Light in Sight...

Nearing the end of my last Fall semester at Whittier, counting the days until the best holiday gift of all: a road trip with mom from Northern California to Flagstaff.

Narrowing down ideas for pit stops... I think we're either going to check out the lava beds, joshua trees, and petroglyphs at Mojave National Preserve if Yosemite is too chilly/snowy/closed. (Mitchell Caverns below)VallesCaldera.com has a great collection of must-see parks, and their Mojave photo (below) has me sold on the idea of trekking down some lava tubes, checking out some cheesy tefoni, and walking amongst the hoodoos.

They say:

"Singing sand dunes, volcanic cinder cones, Joshua Tree forests, and carpets of wildflowers are all found at this 1,534,819-acre preserve that protects a massive swath of the Mojave Desert of Southern California. A visit to its canyons, mountains and mesas will reveal long-abandoned mines, homesteads, rock-walled military outposts, and a historic railroad depot.

The preserve was created by an act of Congress — the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 — which also elevated Southern California’s Joshua Tree and Death Valley National Monuments to national park status. Prior to this act, the area was administered as the East Mojave National Scenic Area, under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management.

537,250 people visited the Preserve in 2006."

<-- Petroglyph Point by ex-magician on flickr

Meanwhile, I'm constructing my list of future visits since my finals are winding down and my senior project seems close to possible to complete by April...

Tyler's National Park/Geological Sites Bucket List (in no particular order)

• Grand Tetons & Yellowstone, WY
• Canyon de Chelley, AZ
• Shiprock, NM
• Carlsbad Caverns, NM
• Hopi Buttes, AZ
• Chaco Culture National Historic Park, NM
  
• Valles Caldera, NM
• Bryce Canyon, UT
  
• Priest Lake, ID
  
• Yosemite, CA
  
• Desert Valley, CA
• Channel Islands, CA
  
• Monument Valley, AZ
• Muir Woods, CA
• Redwood National/State Parks, CA
• Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, CA
• Volcanoes National Park, HI
• Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, AK
• Craters of the Moon National Landmark & Preserve, ID
• Glacier Bay National Park, AK
• Jean Lafitte Historical Park & Preserve, LA
• Grand Canyon North Rim & Vulcan's Throne, AZ
  
• Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
• Sequoia & Kings Canyon, CA
• Joshua Tree, CA
• Lassen Vocanic National Park, CA
• Devils Postpile, CA
• Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, AK
• Cathedral Valley, UT
• Zion National Park, UT
  
• Devil's Playground, UT
• Fremont Indian State Park/Castle Rock, UT
• Kaniakapupu, HI
• Badlands National Park, SD
• Fort Rock, OR
• Mt. Vesuvius National Park, Italy
  

Already Visited

• Sunset National Crater, AZ
• Petrified National Forest, AZ
• Grand Canyon (South Rim), AZ
• Cabrillo National Monument, CA
• Big Rock Candy Mountain, UT
• Red Rock Canyon, NV
• Tonto Natural Bridge, AZ
• Wutpatki, AZ
• Painted Desert, AZ
• Carson National Park, NM (the search for epic fairy crosses)
• White River National Forest, CO
• Petroglyph National Monument, CA
• Pu'u o Mahuka Heiau State Historic & Religious Site, HI
• James Campell National Wildlife Refuge, Haleiwa, HI

To be continued...