Although defeated in the last election, Donald Trump’s toxic legacy lives on, one example being his random, destructive pull-backs of protections on three of America’s most revered national monuments: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Bears Ears National Monument. Beyond their ecological value, these areas are sacred threads in the fabric of Indigenous cultures. Protection of these public lands is an element of America’s greatness.
Before leaving office, the Trump administration held a bargain basement sale on oil and gas leases in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Republican Congress having lifted ANWR protections in their 2017 Tax Act. Thanks to the efforts of public action groups, “Big Oil” was dissuaded from bidding on these leases. The six largest financial institutions in the U.S. and Canada declined to finance drilling there due to risks to their reputations and the meager chance of profitability. In an attempt to p
From the Gila River to Bears Ears: Environmental activists renew push to protect Southwest US public lands amid shifting politics
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April 22, 2021, 7:49 PM·20 min read
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GILA BEND, Ariz. Before committing to the motion, Zion White cautiously checks where he plans to place his hand, trying to avoid the Native American petroglyphs he’s there to document.
“When I see these petroglyphs, I think about how someone spent the time to peck out that image, put it on this rock and tell our history,” said White, a member of the Fort Yuma Quechan Tribe. “Now, I’m here doing the exact same thing to preserve our history.”