Utahns react to Bidenâs history-making choice of Interior secretary
New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland would be the first Native American to serve in the role would have a big impact on the West.
FILE - In this Nov. 3, 2020, file photo, Democratic Congresswoman Deb Haaland, N.M.-1st Dist., does a PSA for her Twitter account in downtown Albuquerque, N.M. Internet access, health care and basic necessities like running water and electricity within Indigenous communities have long been at the center of congressional debates. But until recently, Congress didn t have many Indigenous members who were pushing for solutions and funding for those issues. Hope is growing after the Native delegation in the U.S. House expanded by two on Election Day joining four others that were reelected. (Jim Thompson/The Albuquerque Journal via AP, File)
1. Alaska’s Coast Two adults on stand up paddle board (SUP) observe hole melted in iceberg on Bear Lake in Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.
Image zoom Credit: Getty Images
In the midst of the pandemic, Alaska s entire May to September cruise season was cancelled in 2020. That left some 1.3 million travelers unable to board ships to experience thunderously calving glaciers, frolicking humpback whales, lively gold rush towns, and fascinating Alaska Native arts scenes. Tourism providers missed serious income. Cruise lines and local officials express muted optimism about 2021, which may be the best year to see Alaska given that cruise ships are unlikely to sail full and coastal towns won t have their typical crowds even post-vaccine rollout. Or skip the civilization part: Vast national parks such as Glacier Bay, Misty Fjords, and Kenai Fjords are best reached by
Michael Quinn, NPS
For many of us, 2020 has had its ups and downs. While our vision of the year didn’t include a global pandemic, the outpouring of support, community involvement, and activism we’ve seen this year has been inspiring.
Like so many others, we joined hundreds of Zoom calls from makeshift coffee table desks, got in our steps with walk-and-talk meetings, and halted our travel to Washington D.C. and field sites. Despite the unprecedented challenges, our eyes remained on our mission: to safeguard the wonders of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado Plateau, while supporting the rights of its Native peoples.
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Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez along with several tribal officials in Utah want President-elect Joe Biden to reestablish the monument’s nearly 2-million-acre original size after he takes office next month.
“After years of litigation, the Department of Justice looks forward to the Navajo Nation having the opportunity to work with the other tribal parties and the Biden-Harris Administration in a collaboration of sovereigns to permanently restore protections to the lands and sites in Bears Ears, which have great significance to our culture, history, and way of life,” says Navajo Nation Attorney General Doreen McPaul.
During the 2020 campaign, Biden signaled he may use the Antiquities Act to restore Bears Ears and the nearby Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which was shrunk by half. The former vice president has also suggested even more conservation designations in the West could be on their way.