Big Cypress, the United States' first national preserve, protects over 700,000 acres of wetlands that allow the flow of clean water into the Everglades and critical estuaries along the Florida coast. It is home to hundreds of species including over 100 threatened and endangered animals and plants including the Florida Panther.

The land is sacred to the Miccosukee and Seminole tribes who continue to fight for the preservation of their homeland, way of life, and the environment amidst continued exploitation by the oil exploration and extraction industry.

Burnett Oil Company has been seeking approval for new permits to develop oil infrastructure that would allow the company to construct oil wells and access roads to facilitate new oil drilling in the Cypress wetlands. As of recently, the company has withdrawn said permits but plans to resubmit soon. Now is the time for action.

Still bearing scars from the company's previous exploitation of the land in 2017 and 2018, the effects of further oil development of Big Cypress include damage to wetlands (an important carbon sink), local wildlife, aquifers that provide clean drinking water, and cultural/educational resources and values. Not to mention the unequivocal contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, a problem that threatens the well being of countless species and billions of people all over the world including millions across coastal Florida.

For the sake of Florida's natural environment and the affected communities, sign this petition to block these efforts by the Burnett Oil Company and keep the oil in the ground, now and always.

#StopCypressOil