I am writing to voice my support for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The president’s proposed budget includes a provision that mandates drilling and development in this one-of-a-kind Alaskan landscape.

The refuge is one of our nation’s most iconic and wild public lands. The tranquility and solitude that exists there can be found almost nowhere else on earth. For hunters, the refuge’s big game populations – including caribou, Dall sheep, grizzly bear and musk ox – are inspirational.

Sportsmen spend their whole lives hoping to encounter these species one day. Destroying this refuge would be a travesty for our nation, its native people and hunters and anglers.

President Trump courted the votes of America’s sportsmen throughout his campaign for president. He appealed to our value of Second Amendment rights and spoke directly to the rural communities where many of us live. However, his budget directly attacks the conservation values that so many of us hold dear. His budget would undermine our public lands – many of which are among our nation’s most spectacular areas for hunting and fishing.

I urge Sens. Gardner and Bennet to oppose this provision and take a stand for the sportsmen in our country who seek the ultimate backcountry adventure in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Tom Sykes

Dolores

Editor’s note: Tom Sykes is a San Juan National Forest “Habitat Watchman” volunteer and member of Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers.