This email was forwarded from Laurie Weahkee, Sage Council law@sagecouncil.org

Protect the Petroglyphs!

Greetings!

SAGE Council would like to remind you to call Governor Richardson at 505-476-2200 and ask him to veto any money for roads through the Petroglyphs. He is contemplating giving $3.5 million for both the Paseo Del Norte and Unser Blvd.

Please call Governor Richardson (D-NM) before Wednesday February 25, at noon. His number is 505-476-2200.

"Hello, my name is __ and I'm from___ . I'd like to leave a message for Governor Richardson and ask him to line-item veto money for the roads though the Petroglyph National Monument."

BACKGROUND:

The Petroglyph National Monument was established in 1990 to protect the 25,000 Petroglyph markings that exist throughout the 17- mile long escarpment. The area was created with the support of local Pueblo leaders in hopes of protecting the area from being desecrated by vandalism and the encroaching development. Pueblo Governors are on record opposing any roads through the area because of the irreparable damage it would cause. The Petroglyph National Monument is a place of sacredness that deserves to be protected and respected to the fullest extent possible.

Recently, Governor Richardson created a "Reconciliation Committee" to try to mend the increasing tension occurring in the Albuquerque community. However, the effort to get these roads funded even before the committee convenes would damage any efforts to fairly end this 13 year struggle.

Also, in October of 2003, Albuquerque voters rejected the street bonds that would have funded these roads by a 55-45% margin. This effort to get the Governor to approve funding directly goes against the citizens' vote.

      SAGE Council

PS: Please let us know if you were able to call the Governor - we'd like to keep track of how many calls were generated. We can be reached at 505-260-4696. Thanks to those of you who've already made your calls!