Fajada Butte and wall, Chaco Culture National Historic Park, New Mexico (Mike Painter)
November 24, 2021
Dear CalUWild friends—
First of all, I want to wish you and your families and friends a Happy Thanksgiving. We have much to be thankful for, especially the public lands in the West and across the country—some of it protected as Wilderness—available for recreation to all, important wildlife habitat, preservation of Indigenous sacred and cultural sites, watersheds for clean water, increasingly important carbon sequestration, and more.
We’re particularly thankful that last month Pres. Joe Biden reversed the previous administration’s shrinking of the Bear Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and Northeast Canyons & Seamounts national monuments (shortly after our last Update went out). More generally, we’re thankful that the new administration in Washington sees the environment as something to be protected rather than exploited. We look forward to further progress from them.
We’re also thankful to learn that the Navajo Nation has endorsed America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, as well as being thankful for the increased attention being given to Native American concerns and cooperation with various tribes.
There are also two new California cosponsors for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act: Mike Thompson (D-5) and Ro Khanna (D-17). Quick ACTION ITEM: Please thank them. See our online California Congressional Information Sheet for contact information. If you’re not in either district, please take a look to see if your representative has cosponsored the bill. If they have, give a call to thank them; if they haven’t, ask them to become a cosponsor.
Finally we’re thankful for the enthusiasm that our members and supporters have shown for protecting wilderness and public lands in the 24 years since CalUWild’s founding. Together we have been making a difference!
Below are updates on various issues and other interesting articles from the press and elsewhere. Links to articles from the New York Times and Washington Post are “gift articles,” so you should be able to read them for free if you don’t have your own subscription.
As we mentioned last month, November is the beginning of CalUWild’s Annual Membership Appeal. Thank you to those who have contributed already! Dues have never been required to receive CalUWild’s Monthly Update, and while we run CalUWild on a shoestring, your support is needed and much appreciated. Look for a membership appeal letter in the U.S. Mail or an email in the coming weeks. More information is at the bottom of this Update.
Again, Happy Thanksgiving,
Mike
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IN THE PRESS & ELSEWHERE
1. Links to Articles and Other Items of Interest
If a link is broken or otherwise inaccessible, please send me an email, and I’ll fix it or send you a PDF copy. As always, inclusion of an item in this section does not imply agreement with the viewpoint expressed.
National Monuments Restoration
An article in the Washington Post: Biden expands Bears Ears and other national monuments, reversing Trump cuts
An article in The Guardian’s “This land is your land” section: Biden restores beloved national monuments, reversing Trump cuts
White House Fact Sheet
Links to proclamations:
An editorial in the Salt Lake Tribune: What should come after restoration of national monuments in Utah, from the Tribune Editorial Board : Utah’s elected officials need to stop their hostility to public lands and work to protect them.
Bureau of Land Management
Tracy Stone-Manning was sworn in as BLM Director. You can read the press release from the Interior Department here.
An article in the Washington Post: Trump’s move of Bureau of Land Management HQ undercut diversity, watchdog finds
National Park Service
New director confirmed, as National Parks Traveler reports: Senate Confirms Sams As National Park Service Director
An article in High Country News: How tribal leaders want Chuck Sams to lead the Park Service
In California
The Point Reyes ranching controversy will not go away. A conversation at Mountain Journal
An article in the Los Angeles Times: Vexed by dust pollution, officials around Mono Lake call on Los Angeles to cease water diversions
A comprehensive look at the issues facing the Klamath Basin in Northern California and Oregon, from the Washington Post: Climate change fuels a water rights conflict built on over a century of broken promises
The San Luis Obispo Tribune hosted a discussion on proposals for wind energy development off the Central California Coast. The panelists included Rep. Salud Carbajal (D- 24), champion of the Central Coast Heritage Protection Act. You can watch a recording of the program here.
In Alaska
An article in the Washington Post: Biden officials to propose road ban on more than half of Alaska’s Tongass National Forest
In New Mexico – Chaco Canyon
In the New York Times: Biden Plans to Bar New Drilling Around a Major Native American Cultural Site
In General
Press release: Secretary Haaland Takes Action to Remove Derogatory Names from Federal Lands
A report, The Camping Crunch, by the Center for Western Priorities on the increasing popularity of camping on public lands. The page contains a link to download it, if you wish.
An article at ecologicalcitizen.net: Criticizing Muir and misunderstanding the foundation of American nature conservation
Support CalUWild!
Membership is free, but your support is both needed and appreciated. Dues are not tax-deductible, as they may be used for lobbying activities. There are several ways to contribute:
– PayPal: email address info [at] caluwild [dot] org (We’re an unincorporated citizens group
and not selling any good or services.)
– Zelle (interbank transfers): email address info [at] caluwild [dot] org, Michael Painter
(account administrator)
– By Check payable to CalUWild
If you’d like to make a tax-deductible contribution, please send a check payable to Resource Renewal Institute, CalUWild’s fiscal sponsor.
If your address is not on the check please print out and enclose a membership form. All checks should be mailed to:
CalUWild
P.O. Box 210474
San Francisco, CA 94121-0474