A long blanket of shimmering golden grasslands, framed on each side by the stark ridges of the Caliente and Temblor mountains, make up the 250,000-acre Carrizo Plain National Monument. This wildland is home to the greatest concentration of endangered species in California, including the California condor and the San Joaquin kit fox, and pronghorn antelope bound through the tall grass. At its heart rises Painted Rock, a 55-foot tall sacred rock formation spectacularly adorned by the prehistoric Chumash people.

Despite its designation as a national monument, this pocket of Eden isn’t safe from the ravages of oil and gas drilling. A company called Vintage Production plans to explore for oil reserves in the plain, using giant thumper trucks to send disruptive shock waves deep into the earth. These trucks and their waves could run right through habitat for the endangered kit fox and other key species. The road building and drilling that accompany oil extraction would cause irreparable damage to the fragile plain.

Opening this national monument to Big Oil could prove disastrous for the kit fox and other rare California wildlife. Vintage has been responsible for nearly a dozen oil spills over the past few years, including one near the Sespe Condor Sanctuary. NRDC is fighting to keep the Carrizo Plain off-limits to oil companies.