-June 27. 2014- Recently, North Fork Valley residents had the opportunity for an aerial tour of the valley–courtesy of our wonderful partners at EcoFlight–that highlighted the need to protect the valley’s public lands from the risks, threats, and hazards of irresponsible oil and gas development.

Check out the video from the overflight below, and you can click here to view more pictures from the flight.

We continue to await the BLM’s forthcoming new Resource Management Plan, which is now scheduled to be released for public comment in October, and prepare to urge the BLM to adopt the North Fork Alternative Plan.  The North Fork Alternative Plan sets out to adapt existing BLM management tools to the North Fork, and to craft a framework for oil and gas leasing and development that is highly protective of the North Fork’s important features and resources and existing economy based on organic agriculture and tourism.

In the meantime, Citizens for a Healthy Community and our partners also continue to make the case that the North Fork’s public lands deserve permanent protection from risky oil and gas development through an Act of Congress.

Valley residents were able to see from the air how the public lands lie above–and are intertwined with–private lands including farms, orchards, and vineyards, which highlights why protection of the public lands here is so vitally important.  Thanks so much to our conservation partners at EcoFlight for again offering this amazing opportunity!