A wolverine in Finland on June 19, 2019. yrjö jyske / CC BY 2.0
A Yellowstone National Park trail camera received a surprising visitor last month.
<p>An elusive wolverine triggered a camera near the Mammoth Hot Springs area, the park announced on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/YellowstoneNPS/posts/4279714232043898" target="_blank">Facebook Wednesday</a>.</p><p>"This is the first video footage of a wolverine since remote cameras have been deployed in the park," the park wrote.</p>
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="acfc8f3b6664d5f6d7d34ec82ca970a8"><div class="fb-video" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/YellowstoneNPS/videos/399150214715661/" data-allowfullscreen="true"></div></div>
<p>Yellowstone National Park first began installing cameras to track the movement of cougars in 2014. In the seven years since, the cameras have also proved useful for detecting and studying a variety of species. But never before have those species included wolverines.</p><p>Wolverines (<em>Gulo gulo) </em>are mid-sized carnivores in the weasel family who thrive in snowy environments. Worldwide, they are found in Scandinavia, Russia, China, Canada and the U.S., according to <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/9561/45198537" target="_blank">International Union for Conservation of Nature</a> (IUCN). In the U.S., the southernmost part of their range extends into the lower 48 states, particularly the North Cascades in Washington and the Northern Rocky Mountains in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Wyoming, according to the <a href="https://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/es/wolverine.php" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service</a> (FWS). This includes the greater Yellowstone area, where they prefer mountainous areas with forest or tundra habitats, the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/wolverine.htm?fbclid=IwAR2zmzVYPN-dgY9Opq4HDnOy_99_WCNLBN8lICxMUAK_IMfec6D5L_l_XM8" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">park explained</a>. Between 2006 and 2009, seven wolverines (two females and five males) were documented in the eastern Yellowstone area and nearby national forests.</p>
<p>In the Facebook post, the park wrote that they lived in "low densities" in the park itself and were "rarely detected."</p><p>The elusive mammals are hard to document because they tend to live in remote areas and can move quickly over a short period, FWS explained.</p><p>"Wolverines are so rarely seen and inhabit such remote terrain at low densities that assessing population trends is difficult and sudden declines could go unnoticed for years," Yellowstone National Park warned.</p>
<p>And they may become even more elusive because of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a>. By 2050, the only places in the lower 48 states that will have enough spring snow pack for the animals will be greater Yellowstone, the southern Rocky Mountains and California's Sierra Nevada, but there are no wolverine populations currently in the latter two locations.</p><p>Despite this, the FWS refused Endangered Species Act protections to wolverines in October of 2020, as <a href="https://www.hcn.org/articles/endangered-species-wolverines-denied-endangered-species-protections" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">High Country News reported</a>. The department argued that enough snow would last in the lower 48 states to allow the animals to remain living there.</p><p>Conservationists disagreed, and <a href="https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/mammals/American_wolverine/pdfs/20-12-14-Wolvernine-Complaint-for-Declaratory-and-Injunctive-Relief.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sued</a> the department to reverse the ruling in December of 2020.</p><p>"For years scientists have been sounding the alarm on how wolverines are severely affected by climate change," said Andrea Zaccardi, a senior attorney at the <a href="https://biologicaldiversity.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Center for Biological Diversity</a>, said in a <a href="https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/conservation-groups-sue-feds-over-failure-protect-wolverines-2020-12-14/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">press release</a> announcing the lawsuit. "The future of the wolverine in the lower 48 now stands on a knife edge thanks to the Fish and Wildlife Service refusing to do its job. We hope this lawsuit finally puts the species on the road to recovery."</p>
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Panorama of Horseshoe Bend from Grandview at New River Gorge National River, West Virginia. National Park Service
The U.S. is beginning the new year with a new national park.
<p>The nation's 63rd national park is also the first to be designated as such in the state of West Virginia, <a href="https://www.veranda.com/luxury-lifestyle/a35132939/new-river-gorge-national-park/" target="_blank">Veranda reported</a>. <a href="https://www.nps.gov/neri/index.htm" target="_blank">New River Gorge</a>, in Fayetteville, was officially changed from a national river to a national park as part of the COVID-19 relief bill that passed on Dec. 27, <a href="https://www.cntraveler.com/story/new-river-gorge-national-park-is-made-for-rafting-and-rock-climbing" target="_blank">Condé Nast Traveler reported</a>.</p><p>"Redesignation of the National River to a National Park and Preserve will shine a brighter light on West Virginia and all that it has to offer, and provide another catalyst for our tourism industry and local businesses," Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) said in a statement reported by <a href="https://www.wboy.com/top-stories/new-river-gorge-set-to-become-63rd-national-park-and-20th-national-reserve-with-redesignation-legislation/" target="_blank">12 WBOY</a>.</p>
<p>The New River Gorge is already a beloved destination for outdoor enthusiasts. It sees almost one million visitors every year and boasts activities like hiking, fishing, rafting, rock climbing and camping, according to Veranda.</p><p>Despite its name, the river is actually believed to be one of the oldest in North America. It has been important for West Virginians throughout the state's history, serving both Indigenous Americans and railway and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coal" target="_self">coal</a>-mining communities.</p><p>It has been managed by the National Park Service as a national river since 1978, but West Virginia's Congressional delegation hopes its new status will attract more visitors.</p>
<p>Capito, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and U.S. Rep. Carol Miller (R-WV) originally proposed the status upgrade in a 2019 bill, <a href="https://www.wvpublic.org/government/2020-12-22/new-river-gorge-to-be-designated-as-a-national-park" target="_blank">WV Public Broadcasting reported</a>. Capito noted that outdoor recreation is a $9 billion industry for West Virginia, and making the gorge a national park could boost visits by 21 percent.</p><p>Condé Nast Traveler also noted that the efforts to redesignate the river represents a signal that West Virginia is shifting its economy from coal mining to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation" target="_self">conservation</a> and recreation. The Congress people met with small business owners and outdoor enthusiasts in the state to build support for the new park, and emphasized its economic benefits.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTI2NTk5MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NDEzMTYzMX0.LHxI2CBnXa-ACeniAWxAXUe9x8GcJVY6RUGOYlono20/img.jpg?width=980" id="bc7c4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7fc431643c1cb29447b016e496cb19ab" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1463" data-height="1000" />
Rafters enjoy a scenic stretch of the New River Gorge National River. National Park Service
<p>"This designation will increase the international recognition by highlighting West Virginia's world-class beauty and resources. Over the last two years we have met with outdoorsmen, businesses and local leaders and other interested groups to ensure this designation will promote the beauty and rich history of the New River Gorge, while ensuring that the longstanding traditions of hunting and fishing are protected for generations to come," Manchin said in a statement reported by 12 WBOY.</p><p>To accommodate hunting and fishing, the new park will also double as a National Preserve, according to Condé Nast Traveler. It will feature 7,021 acres of protected riverfront and a 65,165 acre preserve where hunting and fishing can take place. </p><p>"The New River Gorge is home to all West Virginia has to offer – our beauty, small businesses, and adventurous tourism opportunities. This legislation will preserve and protect the New River Gorge for generations to come and make our state an even better place to live, work, and raise a family," Miller said in a statement reported by 12 WBOY.</p><p><em>An earlier version of this article said that New River Gorge was the first dual national park and preserve outside of Alaska. However, <a href="https://www.nps.gov/grsa/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve</a> in Colorado also has dual status. </em></p>
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Like many other plant-based foods and products, CBD oil is one dietary supplement where "organic" labels are very important to consumers. However, there are little to no regulations within the hemp industry when it comes to deeming a product as organic, which makes it increasingly difficult for shoppers to find the best CBD oil products available on the market.
<p>Here you can learn about the importance of organic hemp oil, why it's better for the environment, and which CBD companies actually make trustworthy products with sustainable farming processes. origins which weigh heavily on many consumers who want to buy a product that's produced in the best way possible for not only themselves to ingest, but for the environment as well through sustainable farming methods. </p><h2>What Is CBD Oil?</h2><p>First things first, CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it's a cannabinoid found within cannabis sativa plants. This plant compound is believed to have many potential benefits, and it is primarily derived from hemp plants via a CO2 extraction process. </p><p>Since CBD is extracted from industrial hemp, which contains only trace amounts of THC (the psychoactive component in cannabis plants), this means that CBD won't make you feel high like marijuana, which has much higher levels of THC that causes psychoactive effects. Instead, the effects of CBD are much more subtle and promote a general sense of calm and relaxation in most users.</p><h2>What Makes a CBD Oil Organic?</h2><p>In terms of organic labels, perhaps the most important (and prominent) certification comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This government organization has been labeling foods as "organic" for many years, but what exactly does this certification entail? Essentially, a label indicating that a product is "USDA Organic" or "Certified Organic" means that at least 95% of the ingredients are obtained from organic sources.</p><p>For a crop to be considered organic by the USDA, it must be grown without the use of industrial solvents, irradiation, genetic engineering (GMOs), synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizer. Instead, farmers rely on natural substances and <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mechanical, physical, or biologically based farming</a> techniques to cultivate healthy and organic crops.</p><p>Before the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, no hemp-derived products could be dubbed as "certified organic" since the hemp plant and its extracts were still categorized as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. However, it's still difficult for CBD companies to obtain a USDA certified organic label for their products due to the legal grey area that still surrounds CBD extracts. </p><p>Because of these challenges, and due to the fact that industrial hemp has only recently become an agricultural crop, very few CBD oils are USDA certified organic. Rather, many CBD products contain hemp extracts from plants that were grown in organic conditions but may not be federally certified.</p><h2>What are the Best Organic CBD Oil Brands?</h2><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected by the writer. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p><em><br></em>
<h2>Why Organic Hemp Oil Matters</h2><p>Hemp is a unique plant, not only for its rich cannabinoid content, but also for its ability to absorb a wide variety of components in soil. But this trait poses great risks when it comes to the creation of CBD products derived from hemp.</p><p>Because hemp has a high capacity for compound uptake, this means that the plants can retain <a href="https://www.remedyreview.com/industry/lab-test-results/" target="_blank">harmful chemicals like pesticides</a>, heavy metals, and other residual solvents. This is especially true when it comes to synthetic chemicals that are more toxic to humans, and difficult to remove once they have been absorbed by the hemp plant.</p><p>Organic farming practices help reduce the risk of hemp crops absorbing harsh chemicals that may later end up in CBD oil after extraction. When you're taking CBD as a wellness supplement to help alleviate your symptoms or improve your overall well-being, the last thing you want is to ingest compounds that might negatively outweigh the benefits of CBD. This is an important reason to look for third party lab test results when shopping for CBD products since these certificates of analysis can show the full cannabinoid and terpene profile of a hemp extract, as well as test results that search for the presence of any residual solvents.</p><p>In addition to creating a better end product, organic farming practices are also better for the environment. Sustainable and organic farming methods may <a href="https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/organic-foods.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy</a>. The use of natural pest deterrents as opposed to chemical pesticides is also better for nearby animal populations and ecosystems.</p><h3>Organic vs. Natural</h3><p>While there are only a select few companies offering certified organic ingredients in their products, almost every brand in the CBD market creates "natural" products. The term "all-natural" or "plant-based" does not mean that a product is organic, and since hemp oil is a natural derivative of hemp plants, these products are often referred to as all-natural. However, there are some synthetic CBD oils that should be avoided because they are chemically constructed and may produce unwanted side effects that are not caused by naturally derived CBD extracts.</p><h2>What are the Benefits of Organic CBD Oil?</h2><p>There's a long list of potential CBD oil health benefits, and some of the most common wellness advantages include:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/" target="_blank">Chronic pain relief</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/" target="_blank">Anti-anxiety effects</a></li><li>Better sleep</li><li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inner-source/201901/cbd-oil-mental-health-should-you-take-it-too" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Improvements in mood</a></li><li>Internal balance and regulation</li></ul><p>When dealing with pain, inflammation, sleep issues, and mental health struggles, it can be hard to find sufficient treatment options. The use of certain prescriptions can cause unwanted side effects, yet they are often the only solution for patients with these medical conditions. In search of other therapies, people have started to flock towards CBD oil as an alternative remedy for a variety of conditions. However, it should be noted that CBD products are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and you should seek your doctor's advice before using CBD if you have a serious medical condition.</p><h2>Look at the Labels Before You Buy CBD Oil</h2><p>When you go online to buy CBD oil, you'll quickly realize there is an overwhelming number of brands that are saturating the market. It can be difficult to determine which products are truly as good as they make themselves out to be. Always look for up-to-date third-party lab tests so you know you are getting a great product, and don't hesitate to contact the brand if you have any additional questions. And if you're intent on purchasing 100% organic CBD oil, it's best to look for certified products or brands that are held to strict regulatory standards.</p><p><strong>Melena Gurganus </strong>is the Reviews Editor at EcoWatch. She is passionate health and wellness and her writing aims to help others find products they can trust. Her work has been featured in publications such as Health, Shape, Huffington Post, Cannabis Business Times, and Bustle.<br></p>
Spruce
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjI3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTM2NzgzOX0.axY0HjeqRctJsR_KmDLctzDpUBLBN-oNIdqaXDb4caQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="774be" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8379f35b1ca8a86d0e61b7d4bfc8b46e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="spruce organic cbd oil" data-width="710" data-height="959" /><p>As one of the best brands in the business, Spruce CBD is well-known for its potent CBD oils that feature many additional beneficial phytocannabinoids. This brand works with two family-owned, sustainably focused farms in the USA (one located in Kentucky and one in North Carolina) to create its organic, small product batches. The max potency Spruce CBD oil contains 2400mg of full-spectrum CBD extract, but the brand also offers a lower strength tincture with 750mg of CBD in total.</p>
$89
CBDistillery
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjkzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTU4OTM4Nn0.ypRdeDSBcE87slYrFfVrRwtJ2qGIK6FD5jBB4pndTMo/img.jpg?width=980" id="b473b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9930b53c9d58cb49774640a61c3e3e75" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="cbdistillery cbd oil" data-width="1244" data-height="1244" /><p>All of the products from CBDistillery are <a href="https://ushempauthority.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">U.S. Hemp Authority Certified</a>, and for good reason. The company only uses non-GMO and pesticide-free industrial hemp that's grown organically on Colorado farms. Its hemp oils are some of the most affordable CBD products on the market, yet they still maintain a high standard of quality. CBDistillery has a wide variety of CBD potencies across its product line (ranging from 500mg to 5000mg per bottle) and offers both full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD oils to give customers a completely thc-free option.</p>
$35
FAB CBD
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDIwOTEyMn0.MlTjz096FJ0ev_-soK7_Z-FeQeJczWoeh9Qi9SSkHsY/img.jpg?width=980" id="04b26" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76aa4862f44603242e318982acea6646" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="fab cbd oil" data-width="800" data-height="800" /><p>For an organic CBD oil that has it all, FAB CBD offers plenty of variety for any type of consumer. All of its products are made with zero pesticides and extracted from organically grown Colorado industrial hemp. FAB CBD oil comes in five all-natural flavors (mint, vanilla, berry, citrus, and natural) and is also available in four strengths (300, 600, 1200, and 2400mg per bottle).</p>
$39
NuLeaf Naturals
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzExNTgyMX0.D6qMGYllKTsVhEkQ-L_GzpDHVu60a-tJKcio7M1Ssmc/img.jpg?width=980" id="94e4a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3609a52479675730893a45a82a03c71d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="nuleaf naturals organic cbd oil" data-width="600" data-height="600" /><p>As an industry-leading brand, it comes as no surprise that NuLeaf Naturals sources its CBD extract from organic hemp plants grown on licensed farms in Colorado. The comany's CBD oils only contain two ingredients: USDA certified organic hemp seed oil and full spectrum hemp extract.</p><p>NuLeaf Naturals uses one proprietary CBD oil formula for all of its products, so you will get the same CBD potency in each tincture (60mg per mL), but can purchase different bottle sizes depending on how much you intend to use.</p>
$38.50
Charlotte's Web
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjk3NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzQ0NjM4N30.SaQ85SK10-MWjN3PwHo2RqpiUBdjhD0IRnHKTqKaU7Q/img.jpg?width=980" id="84700" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2174067dcc0c4094be25b3472ce08c8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="charlottes web cbd oil" data-width="1244" data-height="1244" /><p>Perhaps one of the most well-known brands in the CBD landscape, Charlotte's Web has been growing sustainable hemp plants for several years. The company is currently in the process of achieving official USDA Organic Certification, but it already practices organic and sustainable cultivation techniques to enhance the overall health of the soil and the hemp plants themselves, which creates some of the highest quality CBD extracts. Charlotte's Web offers CBD oils in a range of different concentration options, and some even come in a few flavor options such as chocolate mint, orange blossom, and lemon twist.</p>
$60
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National Park Ranger Condemned for Attacking Unarmed Indigenous Man on Sacred Native Land
31 December 2020
Popular
Darrell House, an Indigenous man and Marine Corps veteran, was tasered by a National Park Service ranger on Dec. 27, 2020 in New Mexico's Petroglyph National Monument after he walked off a trail and failed to cooperate with the ranger's requests. Darrell House / Instagram
By Brett Wilkins
Indigenous and wilderness conservation groups were among those on Wednesday responding with outrage to video of a National Park Service ranger tasering an unarmed Indigenous man after he walked off a trail in Petroglyph National Monument in New Mexico on Sunday and then refused to comply with the ranger's orders.
<p><br/></p>
<p>Darrell House, a Diné (Navajo) and Oneida U.S. Marine Corps veteran, was hiking with his sister and his dog in the Albuquerque park — which features many petroglyphs, or ancient stone carvings that are sacred to tribes — so that he could harvest dirt for ceremonies and pray.</p><p>House said he walked off a marked trail in order to socially distance himself from a large group of walkers when "this park ranger started following me."</p><p>"I guess he was upset about me going off trail before, you know, doing my prayers for the rocks," House <a href="https://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news/video-park-ranger-tases-native-american-man-at-petroglyph-national-monument/5962472/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told</a> KOB. In a <a href="https://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=4B790080-56B4-4959-AE31-36D3B80D6EE4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">video</a> released by the National Park Service, House repeatedly refuses to disclose his real name to the rangers.</p>
<div id="ac72e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="525e4c22c3310d3918c260a411080137"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1344422262544367616" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">A park ranger in New Mexico repeatedly tased an Indigenous man and former marine for not showing ID and allegedly v… https://t.co/b0TSySZ7Ba</div> — AJ+ (@AJ+)<a href="https://twitter.com/ajplus/statuses/1344422262544367616">1609370220.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>"I didn't see a reason to give my identification," House <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/video-shows-park-ranger-tasering-native-american-man-new-mexico-n1252477" target="_blank">told</a> NBC News. "I don't need to tell people why I'm coming there to pray and give things in honor to the land. I don't need permission or consent. And I don't think he liked that very much."</p><p>A ranger House identifed by his last name Graden then fired his Taser at him. In a video recorded by his sister, House is seen writhing on the ground in agony next to his dog while the woman pleads for the attackers to stop.</p><p>"I don't have anything; I apologize for going off the trail," House says between cries of pain.</p><p>House said the attack left him "traumatized" and bleeding.</p><p>"I'm shaking," he wrote in an <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CJVMGdglspI/?utm_source=ig_embed" target="_blank">Instagram post</a>. "What hurt me the most was when my baby Geronimo felt the shock," he said, referring to his dog.</p><p>"Here, you will see a white man abuse his power," House. "The law doesn't work for the Indigenous ... You would think with George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, with the Black Lives Matter Movement, authorities would try to avoid having to pull a weapon out. Imagine I disarm him from the taser then what, I get charged with assault, or worse he grabs for his gun and ends me."</p><p>"These scenarios have been going through my head since this afternoon," he added. "I'm a son, I'm a brother, I'm a father. More importantly, I'm a human being."</p>
<div id="a8acd" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6f99f0e9d315563653f46758f5633f50"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1344433705201381377" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">CW—Police brutality
Darrell House is a Navajo & Oneida veteran. He was on sacred land that he visits to pray, when… https://t.co/z3Ie852ZNW</div> — Cori Bush (@Cori Bush)<a href="https://twitter.com/CoriBush/statuses/1344433705201381377">1609372948.0</a></blockquote></div>
<div id="c34cb" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7117cbd1c890b0653c04ebabbd70dfa0"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1344052998809341952" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">I am shocked by the video of a National Park Service ranger tasing Darrell House at Petroglyph National Monument on Sunday.</div> — Martin Heinrich (@Martin Heinrich)<a href="https://twitter.com/MartinHeinrich/statuses/1344052998809341952">1609282180.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The Indigenous liberation group Red Nation released a <a href="https://therednation.org/we-condemn-racist-national-park-service-for-brutalizing-darrel-house/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=we-condemn-racist-national-park-service-for-brutalizing-darrel-house" target="_blank">statement</a> on Wednesday condemning the attack on House. It read, in part:</p><blockquote>The Petroglyphs National Monument, which is home to ancient Indigenous rock art that still retains spiritual and cultural significance to Indigenous people today, was initially created at the request of Native activists to protect the area from vandalism and developers. Instead, the NPS under the authority of the Department of Interior is policing Native people on Native land.<br>Public lands are stolen lands. Indigenous people have the right to practice their culture and spiritual ways on Indigenous land without fear of repression, discrimination, or violence. In consultation with our dear relative Darrell House, The Red Nation calls for a full investigation of NPS actions of racial terror that day, the termination of rangers Wineland and Graden, and restitution and a full apology to Darrell and his sister.</blockquote><p>"<a href="https://landback.org/" target="_blank">LandBack</a> begins with defunding racist police on Indigenous land, the Department of the Interior is no exception," the group added. </p>
<div id="50a51" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b52cf833a09133e9c30030356bbf3878"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1344330082312187904" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Last Saturday, December 27, a National Park Service (NPS) Ranger tasered our Diné and Oneida relative Darrell House… https://t.co/07xcOEH8xK</div> — The Red Nation #TheRedDeal (@The Red Nation #TheRedDeal)<a href="https://twitter.com/The_Red_Nation/statuses/1344330082312187904">1609348242.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Michael Casaus, New Mexico state director at the Wilderness Society, also released a <a href="https://www.wilderness.org/articles/press-release/wilderness-society-response-video-showing-park-ranger-tasing-native-man-petroglyph-national-monument" target="_blank">statement</a> condemning the incident:</p><blockquote>Park rules are there for protecting the lands but the enforcement of those policies should not come at the expense of protecting the humanity of all those who visit, especially if these are their traditional homelands. Our parks and open spaces should be welcoming and inclusive places of healing and comfort, yet they are not for so many, especially for Black and Indigenous people and people of color.<br>The original purpose of the monument was to protect and promote the understanding of the petroglyphs in relation to the cultural and natural features of the West Mesa and to further the heritage of traditional communities connected to these lands. Petroglyph National Monument is a place where Native people should be able to visit and honor the past, the present, and the future on the very lands their ancestors stood without fear for their safety.</blockquote><p>House said the incident would not deter him from returning to walk and pray in the park again.</p><p>"I will go back, he <a href="https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerque-metro/native-american-man-tased-while-hiking-at-petroglyph-national-monument/" target="_blank">told</a> KRQE. "I am going to continue to do my prayers, going off trail without permission. Without consent. That is my right."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/12/30/national-park-ranger-condemned-attacking-unarmed-indigenous-man-sacred-native-land" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
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The iconic giant sequoia trees are seen at Sequoia National Park. lucky-photographer / Getty Images
By Emily Lin
Editor's note: As wildfires came dangerously close to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in September 2020, the curator of the archives there worked with Emily Lin, librarian and head of digital curation at the University of California Merced, to evacuate the archives to keep them safe. In this interview, Lin explains how they evacuated the records, what's in them and why they're worth preserving.
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<h2>Why were the archives of Sequoia and King's Canyon National Parks evacuated?</h2><p><a href="http://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/ih/herbarium-details/?irn=125890" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ward Eldredge</a>, the curator of the archives of the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, and I had been talking about the potential partnership around digitization of collections that had been housed there for a couple of years now. There's been a concern about the safety of these records because <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/why-does-california-have-wildfires.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wildfires in the past few years</a> have been an annual threat. So the long-term safekeeping of the records was very much on Eldredge's mind. And he pointed out that the UC Merced campus is located in one of the few areas in California that are outside of a high-risk fire zone and also outside of the risk of earthquakes. There was just no question that we would do whatever we could to bring them here for safekeeping.</p><p>In September, when the fires got really close to the park, Eldredge was trying really hard to find a way to move the materials. He just couldn't find a van or a truck because the residents in the area were also being called to evacuate, and there was a shortage. So in the course of a day, we managed to make arrangements to take our moving truck from campus, and he was able to secure a U-Haul truck. We were able to pack everything and move it out of the mountains to the UC Merced campus, which is two and a half hours away.</p>
<h2>What's in these archives?</h2><p>There were hundreds of boxes of collections, about 600 linear feet, and also cabinets of plant specimens and artifacts.</p><p>It's a complete record of the administrative history of the park. Sequoia was the second-oldest national park in the U.S., established in 1890. So there are records related to its founding and through to the 20th century. In letters written by the park directors to the U.S. president and the secretaries of the Department of the Interior, one can see how the thinking around managing public lands, conservation, fire and forest management changed over the last century.</p><p>Before the park was established, people would cut the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/cook/sec9.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">sequoias down for timber</a>. The city of Los Angeles wanted to <a href="https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/dilsaver-tweed/chap7a.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">build a dam</a> in Kings Canyon up until 1965. So you can see how the thinking changed and how we got from that way of thinking to really establishing the National Park Service and protecting these unique environments.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTA0NjQ1Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NDczOTg5MH0.qWtdBz64OwBfBwgTvag4W2Rno5RyuTlkYrHR_6hQqWI/img.jpg?width=980" id="f295e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="257f5d01186768bf31e0d94f5a829df1" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1200" data-height="900" />
Kings Canyon is a rugged glacier-carved valley more than a mile deep. Crd637 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA
<p>There's an incredible photographic record – tens of thousands of photographs that cover pretty much every place within the park. There are maps of the sequoia groves, maps related to how trails and roads and other buildings were constructed. We take these trails for granted, but they were huge undertakings involving hundreds of workers breaking rocks, cutting trees and excavating for years. They worked through the winter sometimes to do it within schedule. These projects also provided jobs during <a href="https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/dilsaver-tweed/chap6a.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the Great Depression</a>.</p><h2>Who will find them useful?</h2><p>Anyone, from those within the parks who want to better understand the history of the park, to the rangers and the interpreters who want to provide and present that history to the general public. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWrNMyR30GM" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ken Burns</a>, the acclaimed documentary filmmaker, accessed these records while he was making his television series about the national parks.</p><p>They'll also be more widely available for students to use. There's plenty of material in there for lots of Ph.D. students working on dissertations and for those who want to really investigate how best to manage public lands and determine what's effective. That knowledge is going to benefit the broader public and help conserve these national parks for all of us. There's a rich record that can help us understand what is unique about the environment that allows these trees to survive.</p><h2>What are the plans for keeping the archives at UC Merced?</h2><p>When the records were kept in the park, it was just one person, Ward Eldredge, maintaining the records. That's a lot of work. You could make an appointment and he could provide access if you wanted to come to the park, but it's in a very small space within the park headquarters, so the accessibility was definitely limited. Now that these collections are at the library at UC Merced, it will be easier for people to be able to access them.</p><p>Our vision is to be able to digitize much of this material. Once it's online, it will be a lot easier for people to at least see and maybe answer some of their immediate questions. And if there's a need for them to see the physical material, they can still make arrangements to do that.</p><p>There's still a long way to go, because normally, we would have to make a plan with the National Park Service, raise funds, build the facilities to store them safely and so on. Because we had to evacuate them, we still have to work on formalizing an agreement, but our goal is eventually to make sure that these records will be safe.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/152367/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation"></p>
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<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emily-lin-1189924" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Emily Lin</a> is Head of Digital Curation and Scholarship, UC Merced, <em>University of California, Merced.</em><br/>
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<em>Disclosure statement: </em><em>Emily Lin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</em>
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<em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-curators-transferred-sequoia-and-kings-canyon-national-parks-archives-to-escape-wildfires-152367" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
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Trump Administration Sued Over 'Outrageous Assault' on Tongass National Forest Protections
24 December 2020
Politics
A humpback whale in Tongass National Forest, Alaska. Danita Delimont / Getty Images
By Jessica Corbett
A coalition of Indigenous groups, businesses, and conservation organizations on Wednesday sued the Trump administration over its "arbitrary and reckless" removal of roadless protections for the nearly 17 million-acre Tongass National Forest in Alaska, warning that the rollback could devastate local communities, wildlife, and the climate.
<p>Earthjustice and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) filed the <a href="https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/public_lands/forests/pdfs/Tongass-NF-Roadless-OVK-et-al-Complaint.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">lawsuit</a> in the U.S. District Court in Alaska on behalf of regional tribes, businesses, and conservation groups. The complaint notes that the largest national forest, located in Southeast Alaska, "is central to the life ways of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian people who have lived in and depended on the forest since time immemorial."</p><p>The U.S. Forest Service's move to exempt the forest from the Roadless Rule, finalized just days before President Donald Trump lost reelection to President-elect Joe Biden, would open up more than nine million acres of the Tongass — with its centuries-old trees that provide crucial carbon sequestration — to logging and roadbuilding.</p>
<div id="bb1ce" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4e7ad98f94e433b5c7d5ffafa79b1888"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1341844503783636992" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Here's the legal complaint, which lists just about everyone under the sun as a plaintiff: https://t.co/0Vmazdm6hM… https://t.co/3uzhWST8E2</div> — James Brooks 🗞️ (@James Brooks 🗞️)<a href="https://twitter.com/AK_OK/statuses/1341844503783636992">1608755634.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>"The Tongass Forest is my home. Home to the ancient Tlingit and Haida Indigenous Nations, it is where my ancestry originates. My bloodline is Indigenous to this land — its DNA is my DNA," <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2020/12/23/womens-climate-justice-group-joins-lawsuit-targeting-trump-administrations" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a> Kashudoha Wanda Loescher Culp, a Tlingit activist and Tongass coordinator for the Women's Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN). "The air we breathe, the water we depend on, the land we live upon, all pristine. It is a life to cherish. It is a way of living worth fighting for."</p><p>"The repeal of the Roadless Rule will only lead to the destruction of our homelands, and subsequently the destruction of our communities who depend upon the abundance of the forest," she said. "This is an attack on our peoples and the climate. The Trump administration's decision to open the Tongass to roads, logging, and mining is an underhanded misuse of congressional authority and the battle will go on — we will continue to rise in defense of our homelands."</p>
<p>Robert Starbard, tribal administrator of the Hoonah Indian Association, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2020/12/23/lawsuit-challenges-trump-administration-decision-gut-tongass-national-forest" target="_blank">declared</a>: "The need for this litigation is a mark of shame upon the federal government for violating the trust and responsibilities it has to the Indigenous peoples of the Tongass. It is equally a stain upon the state of Alaska, which colluded with the Trump administration to circumvent scientific analysis to achieve a desired political outcome."</p><p>Though the Hoonah Indian Association had accepted a government invitation to weigh in during the rulemaking process, "we ultimately withdrew as a cooperating agency when it became clear that our involvement was purely to provide political cover and lend legitimacy to a corrupted process with a preordained outcome," Starbard explained. "The Roadless Rule decision is fatally flawed and ignores the advice and expertise of the tribal cooperating agencies and omits significant issues and concerns."</p>
<div id="550fa" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ee0c5a8137a173e1cce9f22e9e4e1c03"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1339988024558542854" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">This is yet another example of a flawed process that ended with a flawed result.
We encourage the incoming Biden a… https://t.co/AUJm9KG3qz</div> — The Wilderness Society 🌳 (@The Wilderness Society 🌳)<a href="https://twitter.com/Wilderness/statuses/1339988024558542854">1608313015.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>"The Tongass Forest is my home. Home to the ancient Tlingit and Haida Indigenous Nations, it is where my ancestry originates. My bloodline is Indigenous to this land — its DNA is my DNA," <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2020/12/23/womens-climate-justice-group-joins-lawsuit-targeting-trump-administrations" target="_blank">said</a> Kashudoha Wanda Loescher Culp, a Tlingit activist and Tongass coordinator for the Women's Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN). "The air we breathe, the water we depend on, the land we live upon, all pristine. It is a life to cherish. It is a way of living worth fighting for."</p><p>"The repeal of the Roadless Rule will only lead to the destruction of our homelands, and subsequently the destruction of our communities who depend upon the abundance of the forest," she said. "This is an attack on our peoples and the climate. The Trump administration's decision to open the Tongass to roads, logging, and mining is an underhanded misuse of congressional authority and the battle will go on — we will continue to rise in defense of our homelands."</p><p>Robert Starbard, tribal administrator of the Hoonah Indian Association, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2020/12/23/lawsuit-challenges-trump-administration-decision-gut-tongass-national-forest" target="_blank">declared</a>: "The need for this litigation is a mark of shame upon the federal government for violating the trust and responsibilities it has to the Indigenous peoples of the Tongass. It is equally a stain upon the state of Alaska, which colluded with the Trump administration to circumvent scientific analysis to achieve a desired political outcome."</p><p>Though the Hoonah Indian Association had accepted a government invitation to weigh in during the rulemaking process, "we ultimately withdrew as a cooperating agency when it became clear that our involvement was purely to provide political cover and lend legitimacy to a corrupted process with a preordained outcome," Starbard explained. "The Roadless Rule decision is fatally flawed and ignores the advice and expertise of the tribal cooperating agencies and omits significant issues and concerns."</p>
<p>Andrea Feniger, Sierra Club Alaska chapter director, emphasized that "preserving the Tongass is a matter of survival."</p><p>"It is essential to the subsistence culture and food security of Indigenous peoples," she said. "As one of the planet's major carbon sinks, it is also essential for mitigating the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-crisis">climate crisis</a> that threatens us all."</p><p>Other advocates from groups that have joined the suit also highlighted how wildlife and the climate could be impacted by what NRDC senior attorney Niel Lawrence called "an outrageous assault on America's environment and all those who benefit from it, now and in future generations."</p><p>"Trump's reckless plan to clearcut old-growth trees in the Tongass will irreversibly damage our climate, kill wildlife, and devastate Southeast Alaska communities," warned Randi Spivak, public lands program director at the Center for Biological Diversity. "We're in the midst of climate and wildlife extinction crises and the Tongass is a lifeline for our planet."</p>
<div id="ea5ec" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="84d8bcdc0caf651231fe7cc8e89cef3c"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1341873740620054528" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">“Stretching 16m acres…the Tongass is unique for its size and #biodiversity, with thousands of islands, waterways, g… https://t.co/xQtXpv5oOM</div> — Lili (@Lili)<a href="https://twitter.com/climateleaf/statuses/1341873740620054528">1608762605.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>As for the impact on local businesses, Dan Blanchard, CEO of UnCruise, a small vessel company providing outdoor recreation experiences, pointed out that "Southeast Alaska hosts two-thirds of all Alaska visitors, making it the most visited region of the state."</p><p>"Forest Service lands, particularly inventoried roadless areas, are critical to drawing these visitors, and generate roughly $245 million annually — over two-thirds of Tongass National Forest visitor spending," Blanchard said. "We depend on the ability to market and provide unique recreation experiences, and our clients expect to see 'wild' Alaska and prefer intact natural landscapes."</p><p>"Clearcutting and timber road construction would force us to divert our travel routes to avoid seeing or being around clearcuts," he added. "This would negatively affect the outdoor recreation economy and Southeast Alaska's reputation as an adventure travel destination."</p><p>According to Earthjustice attorney Kate Glover, "The Trump administration ignored tribes and Alaskans throughout this process, and is instead prioritizing illusive timber industry profits over the interests of Alaska Native people who have stewarded the land since time immemorial, small business operators whose livelihoods depend on an intact forest ecosystem, and everyone who benefits from this national forest's unique ability to serve as a natural buffer against climate change."</p><p>Dubbing the Roadless Rule a "landmark achievement in conserving our natural heritage, our climate, and our public resources," Lawrence of NRDC vowed that "we're not going to let Trump get away with this illegal effort to strip America's great temperate rainforest of these vital protections."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/12/23/coalition-sues-trump-administration-over-outrageous-assault-tongass-national-forest" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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The mountains above Paradise Valley at the gateway to Yellowstone National Park are now protected from gold mining. Walt Snover / Getty Images
The gateway to Yellowstone National Park is now safe from mining.
<p>A <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54919e5ae4b057e73fb9016d/t/5fd11f7fa907cd28a345a888/1607540608412/MTSupremeCourt_Decision_12082020.pdf" target="_blank">ruling</a> issued by the Montana Supreme Court Wednesday has effectively squashed a plan by Canadian company Lucky Minerals to search for gold in the mountains above Paradise Valley, the northern entryway to the iconic national park.</p><p>"Never underestimate the power of a community united to preserve its values to move mountains — and to protect them," Michelle Uberuaga, executive director of the <a href="https://www.pcecmt.org/" target="_blank">Park County Environmental Council</a>, one of two <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation" target="_self">conservation</a> groups behind the winning lawsuit, told <a href="https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/environment/montana-supreme-court-upholds-decision-to-block-mining-north-of-yellowstone/article_8fe4b13a-eff9-5d09-99a1-55b55c4e7058.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the Bozeman Daily Chronicle</a>.</p><p>For the Park County Environmental Council, co-plaintiff <a href="http://greateryellowstone.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Greater Yellowstone Coalition</a> (GYC) and their legal representatives <a href="https://earthjustice.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Earthjustice</a>, Wednesday's victory was a long time coming. Here is a brief timeline of key events.</p>
<ul><li>2011: The Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) was amended to stop district judges from halting projects approved by state agencies while new environmental reviews were being conducted, even if the approval was ruled to be illegal.</li><li>2017: Environmental groups sued after Montana's Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) approved a drilling permit for Lucky Minerals to look for gold near Emigrant Peak, north of Yellowstone.</li><li>2018: A Park County District Court judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and said the permit was illegal because the DEQ did not fully consider the environmental impacts of the project. However, the judge could not block the exploratory drilling from taking place because of the 2011 amendment. The conservation groups then asked the judge to rule the amendment unconstitutional.</li><li>2019: The district judge <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/montana-court-blocks-gold-mining-yellowstone-2634854258.html" target="_self">ruled</a> in favor of the conservation groups and tossed out the amendment.</li><li>2020: The Montana Supreme Court affirmed the lower court's decision that the amendment was unconstitutional after the DEQ and the company brought an appeal.</li></ul>
<p>"Years in the making, this is a momentous win for GYC, our partners and the people of Montana who know the Greater Yellowstone is more valuable than gold," GYC Senior Montana Conservation Associate Joe Josephson wrote in a <a href="http://greateryellowstone.org/blog/2020/mtsupremecourtwin?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mtcourtwin_120920" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">press release</a>. </p><p>"By closing this loophole, the Court has substantially strengthened protections against irresponsible mining practices, and has affirmed that Montana laws enacted to protect places like Emigrant Gulch are a critical part of protecting our constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment."</p><p>Mining opponents argued that Lucky Minerals' exploration and mining plans would pollute the Yellowstone River with acid runoff and toxic metals; interrupt essential habitat for species like grizzly bears, lynx, elk and wolverines; and harm the local community by disrupting recreation areas and ruining views of Emigrant Peak from Yellowstone National Park itself, <a href="https://earthjustice.org/blog/2018-may/montana-court-agrees-yellowstone-gateway-more-valuable-than-gold?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=page&fbclid=IwAR2vlP0K61z45STTk2TUUy4UpzlD6wBsGAQbRtV6DWzaCNxcggM-d8sBLbY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Earthjustice explained</a>.</p><p>In Wednesday's decision, the Supreme Court also upheld the District Court's decision that the project required an updated environmental review from the DEQ, according to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. It agreed that the initial review did not consider the project's impacts on <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife" target="_self">wildlife</a> or develop an adequate plan for capturing polluted water during the drilling process. It disagreed that the original approval did not do enough to consider the project's impact on water quality or nearby public lands.</p>
<p>Lucky Minerals' lawyer KD Feeback declined to comment on their behalf, but did say that the ruling on the MEPA amendment would be disappointing to the mining and timber industries.</p><p>"As the Legislature indicated at the time of the subject amendment, meritless and continual litigation over every project proposal is inefficient and uneconomic," he told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. "The Court's decision otherwise will continue that inefficiency to the detriment of Montana's economic well-being and work force."</p><p>If Lucky Minerals wants to continue with its mining plans, it will have to submit a new proposal, according to GYC. But Earthjustice attorney Jenny Harbine thinks the gig is up.</p><p>"This latest ruling ensures that Lucky Minerals can't harm clean water and native wildlife at the gateway into Yellowstone National Park under cover of a license that was never legally issued in the first place," Harbine said in a press release. "Lucky Minerals should have read the writing on the wall a long time ago."</p>
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747 is the big winner of Fat Bear Week 2020 in Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Katmai National Park and Preserve
For bears and the people that love them, it's the most wonderful time of the year.
<p><a href="https://www.nps.gov/katm/index.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska</a> wrapped up its annual <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/fat-bear-week-katmai-park-2640911327.html" target="_self">Fat Bear Week</a> competition Tuesday, in which online fans vote for the coastal brown bear that has had the most success bulking up ahead of winter hibernation.</p><p>"The votes are in! You've crowned the Earl of Avoirdupois, bear 747, the 2020 Fat Bear Week Champion," the park announced on Twitter.</p>
<div id="b2c7f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6a66711f5acee75ef45787edb3f12cc7"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1313660315893141504" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Match 11: Lardaceous Leviathan Levels Chunky Challenger The votes are in! You’ve crowned the Earl of Avoirdupois,… https://t.co/4SlXOpVBcH</div> — Katmai National Park (@Katmai National Park)<a href="https://twitter.com/KatmaiNPS/statuses/1313660315893141504">1602036000.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>This is the first time bear 747 has won the competition, though he was last year's runner-up, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2020/10/06/fat-bear-week-winner-2020/" target="_blank">The Washington Post reported</a>. He was first identified in 2004, according to his <a href="https://explore.org/meet-the-bears" target="_blank">bio</a> on the competition website. At the time, he was still a growing bear who could not compete for the choice fishing areas along the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/national-parks" target="_self">national park</a>'s Brooks Falls. He has significantly beefed up since then, and is now so big that no other bear dare challenge him for prime riverfront real estate. In fall 2019, park workers estimated that 747 weighed more than 1,400 pounds, and they think he likely weighs as much or more this year.</p><p>"Many staff who've worked at Katmai for many years say that [747] is the biggest bear they have ever seen," Katmai media ranger Naomi Boak told The Washington Post. "It's pure coincidence that he has the same name as a jumbo jet, but he is the size of a jumbo jet."</p><p>To earn his crown, 747 faced off against runner-up Chunk, or bear 32.</p>
<div id="bc390" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7ec387bc0962cc207aae4e2fa0a5488b"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1313513386878152705" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Today’s the day we will crown 2020’s Fat Bear Week Champion. Where 747’s sedulous quest for salmon secured him a st… https://t.co/tBnlt5eyCS</div> — Katmai National Park (@Katmai National Park)<a href="https://twitter.com/KatmaiNPS/statuses/1313513386878152705">1602000969.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Chunk was estimated to be more than 1,100 pounds in 2019, but he has become something of a gentle giant.</p><p>"In recent years he's shown a tendency to wait patiently to scavenge leftover <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/salmon" target="_self">salmon</a> and even play with other bears," his bio reads. "These are two uncommon behaviors for a dominant bear to display. Due to his size and strength, 32 Chunk is poised to take advantage of opportunities not available to most other bears. Yet, it is only by observing his full range of behaviors that we can get a true sense of his individuality."</p><p>Fat Bear Week started in 2014 in order to honor the bears of Katmai National Park in their efforts to fatten up for winter. During hibernation, a bear loses a third of its body mass, the <a href="https://explore.org/fat-bear-week" target="_blank">competition website explains</a>, so the summer and fall feasting serves a vital purpose.</p>
<p>At Katmai National Park, the bears' preferred food is sockeye salmon. These fish have about 4,500 calories each, and the bears can eat more than two dozen per day, <a href="https://eu.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2020/10/06/fat-bear-week-2020-declares-747-fat-and-fabulous-winner/3637634001/" target="_blank">USA TODAY reported</a>. The bears of Katmai are especially lucky, because the park has one of the biggest sockeye salmon runs in the world, the park said. And this year, the salmon run broke records, <a href="https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-alaska-fat-bear/wide-bodied-747-crowned-alaskas-fattest-bear-idUKKBN26S0BT?il=0" target="_blank">Reuters reported</a>.</p><p>Katmai National Park has the world's densest concentration of brown bears. The bears like to feast along Brooks River, where people from all over the world can watch them on a <a href="https://explore.org/livecams/brown-bears/brown-bear-salmon-cam-brooks-falls" target="_blank">webcam</a>.</p><p>Since its debut, Fat Bear Week has become increasingly popular. A record 187,000 people voted in 2019, while more than 550,000 voted this year, The Washington Post reported.</p><p>"What a curative healing pleasure it is to, one, be able to laugh, and, two, be connected to nature by understanding the achievements of these individual bears," Boak told the Post. "I think such a cheerful release. And, quite frankly, how often does one get to celebrate fatness?"</p>
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A black bear cub climbs a tree at Tongass National Forest in Alaska. sarkophoto / iStock / Getty Images Plus
America's largest national forest, Tongass National Forest in Alaska, will be opened up to logging and road construction after the Trump administration finalizes its plans to open up the forest on Friday, according to The New York Times.
<p>The plans to open up the forest to logging have been in the works for years. In March, the Trump administration faced a setback when a federal judge halted plans to open 1.8 million acres to logging and road building because the administration had failed to evaluate the environmental impact fully, as <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/national-forest-trump-logging-tongass-%202645476974.html" target="_self">EcoWatch</a> reported at the time.</p><p>The roughly 9 million acres that the administration wants to open up now have been protected since the 2001 by the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, or Roadless Rule, which prohibits construction in nationally protected wild areas, according to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/sep/24/tongass-national-forest-trump-administration-logging" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>. The U.S Forest Service is expected to release a full environmental impact statement later on Friday, saying that lifting the rule will not damage the 16.7 million-acre temperate rainforest in southeast Alaska. The administration will consequently revoke the Roadless Rule and move forward with plans to lease the land for logging.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDQzODc5OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NTAyNzY2MX0.SZTIW9byPmjJzEqUrAY4midPIAU14f50liCctiggGcI/img.jpg?width=980" id="c3d9b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="646dd5c09a8e4f58d9f702f13abedff5" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="938" data-height="483" />
Aerial view of the Tongass National Forest. Alan Wu / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
<p><br></p><p>The drive to open up Tongass National Forest to logging, as well as energy and mineral exploration, started in 2018 when Alaska's Governor Bill Walker asked the federal government to consider removing protections for the forest. While Alaska's senators have supported the idea, environmental advocates have criticized it, according to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/environment-juneau-bill-walker-forests-alaska-14542223458790b775b98c1384cb333a" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AP</a>.</p><p>The U.S. Forest Service evaluated several plans, including more moderate ones that would maintain protections for 80 percent of the forest and another that would have opened up logging and road construction to 2.3 million acres. The Forest Service, however, decided to fully remove the Roadless Rule protections and open 9 million acres to developers and loggers, according to a <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2020/09/24/us-department-agriculture-releases-final-environmental-impact" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">statement</a> from the Department of Agriculture, as The New York Times reported.</p>
<p>"This administration has opted to take the road well traveled by continuing to spend tens of millions of dollars every year to expand logging roads for a dying old-growth timber industry," said Andy Moderow, a director for the Alaska Wilderness League, in a statement, as The Guardian reported. "This is bad for people, bad for a sustainable economy and bad for <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife">wildlife</a>."</p><p>Earthjustice, an environmental legal-advocacy group that successfully stopped development in Tongass in March, said it would fight the plan in the courts. Katie Glover, an attorney for Earthjustice, said, "We will use every tool available to continue defending this majestic and irreplaceable national forest," as the AP reported.</p>
<p>Scientists have also criticized the plan, saying that Tongass is one of the world's largest carbon sinks, absorbing nearly 8 percent of the greenhouse gas pollution that the U.S. emits. Scientists also note that cutting down the old growth trees will put trapped greenhouse gases back into the atmosphere, which is particularly imprudent when the world is grappling with increasingly severe heat waves and wildfires triggered by the climate crisis, as The New York Times reported.</p><p>"The Forest Service's environmental impact statement is junk science on assessing the impacts of releasing the carbon," said Dominick DellaSala, chief scientist and president of Geos Institute, a nonprofit organization that studies climate change, to The New York Times. "They are saying that the carbon that would be released by logging the timber is insignificant. There's no science that supports their analysis."</p><p>That sentiment was echoed by Randi Spivak, public lands director at the Center for Biological Diversity, who vowed to fight the lifting of the Roadless Rule, as the AP reported. She said in a statement that the new plan will pour "gasoline on the inferno of climate change. These towering ancient trees take enormous amounts of carbon out of the air and we need them now more than ever. We'll do everything possible to keep these magnificent giants standing for centuries to come."</p>
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Heo Suwat Waterfall in Khao Yai National Park in Thailand. sarote pruksachat / Moment / Getty Images
A national park in Thailand has come up with an innovative way to make sure guests clean up their own trash: mail it back to them.
<p>Thailand's Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa issued a stern warning to visitors of the country's Khao Yai National Park last week.</p><p>"I will pick up every single piece of your trash, pack them well in a box and mail it to your home as a souvenir," he wrote in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TOPVarawut/posts/1058216911296247" target="_blank">Facebook post Sept. 14</a>, according to a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/21/world/asia/thailand-park-mail-trash.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">New York Times translation</a>.</p><p>The post also included a picture of an abandoned tent filled with discarded <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/plastics" target="_self">plastic</a> bottles and other rubbish.</p>
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b8c0986fe76ad4f2771920a558c9a3f0"><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/TOPVarawut/photos/a.674770099640932/1058314587953146/"></div></div>
<p>The next day, Varawut revealed he had made good on his threat.</p><p>"The garbage that tourists left in the park is now packed into the box. It's ready to be returned to the owner of the garbage already," he wrote in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TOPVarawut/posts/1058561024595169" target="_blank">Sept. 15 post</a>, according to a <a href="https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-news/thailand-national-park-mails-back-garbage-campers-litter" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Travel and Leisure </a>translation. He also posted pictures of the collected trash and a shipping box with the address marked out.</p><p>The trash was shipped back with a special message for its owners.</p><p>"You have forgotten some of your belongings at the Khao Yai National Park," the note read, according to The New York Times. "Please let us return these to you."</p>
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b1a28fa6a2f82659c3a1952924af20bf"><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/TOPVarawut/photos/pcb.1058561024595169/1058560754595196/"></div></div>
<p>Park officials were able to match the trash to their owners by checking rental equipment forms against a prescription bottle left in the tent. The offending visitors have also been blacklisted from returning to the park for overnight visits.</p><p>Varawut explained that abandoned trash could endanger wild animals, who might eat it by mistake when foraging for food. He said littering in the park could carry a fine of up to up to a 500,000 Thai Baht (about $16,000 U.S. dollars), a prison sentence of up to five years or both, Travel and Leisure reported. He said anyone caught littering would be reported to the police.</p><p>Khao Yai National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site about 100 miles northeast of Bangkok. It is the oldest national park in Thailand, according to <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-54200833" target="_blank">BBC News</a>, and is famous for its <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife" target="_self">wildlife</a> and landscapes, including waterfalls.</p>
<p>The lockdown initiated due to the coronavirus pandemic was a boon for the animals there, as elephants began returning to their old paths in the absence of human visitors, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/05/world/asia/thailand-elephants-coronavirus.html" target="_blank">The New York Times reported in July</a>. Other animals like the Asian black bear and a type of bovine called a guar emerged from hiding too.</p><p>The park reopened to visitors July 1, but limited the number to 5,000 at a time, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2020/09/18/tourist-trash-mail/" target="_blank">The Washington Post reported</a>. The Thai tourism board praised Varawut for reminding the returning visitors how to properly respect the park.</p><p>"We applaud Khao Yai National Park and The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment for their commitment to maintaining the beauty and wellbeing of our country's natural resources," Charinya Kiatlapnachai, director of the tourism authority of Thailand, told The Washington Post in an email. "Thailand's national parks and wildlife have had time to recover from damaging results of tourism such as littering over the past six months and this gesture has the best of intentions to ensure we all do our part to help our country remain clean, safe and beautiful."</p>
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San Juan National Forest in Colorado is an example of the national forests that will be vulnerable to oil and gas drilling. Paxson Woelber / Wikimedia Commons / CC by 4.0
The Trump Administration released a proposed rule allowing oil and gas drilling on millions of acres of protected national forests, The Houston Chronicle reported.
<p>The new rule would allow drilling without public review or environmental reviews that would analyze the impact of industrial actions, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/01/trump-administration-rule-drilling-national-forests" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> reported.</p><p>"By undermining the public participation and environmental review required by the National Environmental Policy Act, this proposed rule puts the interests of the fossil fuel industry ahead of the public interest," Will Fadely, a senior government relations representative for The Wilderness Society, said in a <a href="https://www.wilderness.org/articles/blog/new-rule-aims-escalate-oil-and-gas-drilling-our-national-forests" target="_blank">statement</a>.</p><p>So far, the U.S. Forest Service allows drilling and exploration in roughly one-third of its protected forests, or about three percent of its lands. Now, a new analysis from <a href="https://www.wilderness.org/articles/blog/new-rule-aims-escalate-oil-and-gas-drilling-our-national-forests" target="_blank">The Wilderness Society</a> finds that the proposed rule will transfer control of the lands from the Forest Service to the Bureau of Land Management, which will then open up drilling on millions of acres in Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming, The Guardian reported.</p>
<p>The Forest Service would experience a drastically reduced role, with its duties limited to protecting specifically named natural resources.</p><p>Although the rule mostly targets forests in the West, the proposed rule could also affect national forests on the East Coast, according to The Guardian. This means more forests could share the fate of Allegheny National Forest, now home to thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells, which taxpayers must pay to clean up, <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/josh-axelrod/trump-administration-eyes-forests-oil-and-gas-drilling" target="_blank">The National Resources Defense Council</a> (NRDC) reported.</p><p>As <a href="https://www.audubon.org/news/administration-relaxes-rules-oil-and-gas-drilling-national-forests" target="_blank">the National Audubon Society</a> pointed out, national forests play an important role in storing carbon dioxide and combatting the climate crisis. By eliminating the necessary environmental review, the new leases will have free reign to cleave habitats with roads and pollute pristine lands.</p>
<p>"The administration really outdid itself with a proposal that has the Forest Service walking away from its responsibilities for managing our national forests and grassland while closing the door on public oversight," Nada Culver, vice president of public lands and senior counsel for the National Audubon Society, said in a <a href="https://www.audubon.org/news/administration-relaxes-rules-oil-and-gas-drilling-national-forests" target="_blank">statement</a>. "This is not just a conservation issue, it's putting our communities at risk. Replacing forested areas and grasslands with drill pads and access roads not only means fewer birds like Mallards and Prairie Warblers, but also degrades our lands and natural spaces, and threatens water supplies for millions of people."</p><p>The NRDC took exception to how the proposed rule will allow drilling near the lands of Indigenous people. The NRDC noted that despite industrialization and relocation policies, Indigenous people have been stewards of the land and a model of the economic and emotional benefits that healthy forests provide.</p><p>"Tens of millions of Americans hike, camp, fish, hunt, bike and run in our national forests each year," Sharon Buccino, senior director of lands for the Nature Program at NRDC, said in a statement. "This rule would sideline their voices in favor of the fossil fuel industry. We won't allow the Trump administration to shut down public review of drilling in our national forests that the American people don't want and that the climate can't afford."</p>
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Watch Yellowstone’s Giantess Geyser ‘Roar Back to Life’ After 6 Years of Silence
31 August 2020
Popular
A rare eruption of Giantess Geyser on Aug. 25, 2020. National Park Service
One of Yellowstone National Park's largest geysers erupted this August after more than six years of silence.
<p>"On Tuesday, August 25, 2020, Giantess Geyser roared back to life after a period of more than 6-1/2 years without erupting," the iconic <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/national-parks" target="_self">national park</a> announced on social media Saturday, along with a video of the remarkable event.</p>
Giantess Geyser Erupts!
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7af6828befbe06b40c848ea8ec565dbf"><div class="fb-video" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/151418891540140/videos/2653881088193039/" data-allowfullscreen="true"></div></div><p>Giantess Geyser is a fountain-type geyser that usually sends several bursts of water and steam 100 to 200 feet into the air, according to <a href="https://www.nps.gov/features/yell/tours/oldfaithful/giantess.htm" target="_blank">Yellowstone National Park</a>. It is known for "infrequent but violent eruptions." However, historically, its eruptions have not been so infrequent, occurring two to six times a year.</p><p>Before it blows, the area around it will sometimes shake because of underground steam explosions. Once the steam is emitted, the eruption can last from four to 48 hours and eruptions can take place two times every hour. Its eruptions can be heard from a mile away, according to <a href="https://www.yellowstonegate.com/2014/01/geyser-news-giantess-geyser-erupts-after-2-4-years-of-quiet/" target="_blank">Yellowstone Gate</a>.</p><p>Yellowstone is home to the world's "most extraordinary collection" of hydrothermal features, including more than 500 geysers, according to the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/hydrothermal-features.htm#:~:text=Great%20Fountain%20Geyser%20is%20one,10%2C000%20hydrothermal%20features%20in%20Yellowstone.&text=Yellowstone%20National%20Park%20preserves%20the,more%20than%20500%20are%20geysers." target="_blank">park website</a>. Those geysers make up two-thirds of the world total, <a href="https://www.yellowstonegate.com/2014/09/geyser-gazers-patiently-wait-for-yellowstone-eruptions/" target="_blank">Yellowstone Gate pointed out</a>.</p>
<p>A geyser is essentially a constipated hot springs. Yellowstone National Park explains the forces that propel their spectacular explosions:</p><blockquote>Geysers are hot springs with constrictions in their plumbing, usually near the surface, that prevent water from circulating freely to the surface where heat would escape. The deepest circulating water of the system can exceed the surface boiling point of water (199°F/93°C). Surrounding pressure increases with depth, much as it does with depth in the ocean. Increased pressure exerted by the enormous weight of the overlying water and rock prevents the water from boiling. As the water rises due to heating, steam forms and expands, increasing pressure in the constricted plumbing near the surface. At a critical point, the confined bubbles actually lift the water above the surface vent, causing the geyser to splash or overflow. This decreases pressure on the system, and violent boiling results. Tremendous amounts of steam force water out of the vent, and an eruption begins. Water is expelled faster than it can enter back into the geyser's plumbing system, and the heat and pressure gradually decrease. The eruption stops when the water reservoir is depleted or when the system cools.</blockquote>
<p>You can watch more geyser explosions at Yellowstone's <a href="https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm?fbclid=IwAR0ZKIKvudr6fw-FEXYGdMCFRnArrqcKc78-5mnQHwnvAkE0eWQ8Htkn5JA" target="_blank">Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin Live-stream Webcam</a>.</p>
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Twitter Posts Show That People Are Profoundly Sad – and Visiting Parks to Feel Happy
07 August 2020
Health + Wellness
Parks keep people happy in times of global crisis, economic shutdown and public anger. NPS
By Joe Roman and Taylor Ricketts
The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is the deepest and longest period of malaise in a dozen years. Our colleagues at the University of Vermont have concluded this by analyzing posts on Twitter. The Vermont Complex Systems Center studies 50 million tweets a day, scoring the "happiness" of people's words to monitor the national mood. That mood today is at its lowest point since 2008 when they started this project.
<p>They call the tweet analysis the <a href="https://hedonometer.org/timeseries/en_all/" target="_blank">Hedonometer</a>. It relies on surveys of thousands of people who rate words indicating happiness. "Laughter" gets an 8.50 while "jail" gets a 1.76. They use these scores to measure the mood of Twitter traffic.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzU0MDk2OC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MjIzNzE0MH0.tQ0VbP7vwdjdZIEydSQfhGiy-5gije8sBW7JdtJPT7Y/img.png?width=980" id="081f7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76b7770b6cc9fd69f3e395f74864a776" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="600" data-height="331" />
The Hedonometer measures happiness through analysis of key words on Twitter, which is now used by one in five Americans. This chart covers 18 months from early 2019 to July 2020, showing major dips in 2020. hedonometer.org
<p>These same tweets also indicate a potential salve. Before pandemic lockdowns began, doctoral student <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=0P0ZYbIAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank">Aaron Schwartz</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10045" target="_blank">compared tweets before, during, and after visits to 150 parks, playgrounds and plazas</a> in San Francisco. He found that park visits corresponded with a spike in happiness, followed by an afterglow lasting up to four hours.</p><p>Tweets from parks contained fewer negative words such as "no," "not" and "can't," and fewer first-person pronouns like "I" and "me." It seems that nature makes people more positive and less self-obsessed.</p><p>Parks keep people happy in times of global crisis, economic shutdown and public anger. Research has also shown that transmission rates for COVID-19 are <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Is-risk-of-coronavirus-transmission-lower-15287602.php" target="_blank">much lower outdoors than inside</a>. As scholars who study <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=yFzb2EUAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank">conservation</a> and how nature <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=CCnUeN8AAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank">contributes to human well-being</a>, we see opening up parks and creating new ones as a straightforward remedy for Americans' current blues.</p>Park Visits Are Up During the Pandemic
<p>According to the Hedonometer, sentiments expressed online started trending lower in mid-March as the impacts of the pandemic became clear. As lockdowns continued, they registered the lowest sentiment scores on record. Then in late May, effects from George Floyd's death in police custody and the following protests and police response once again could be seen on Twitter. May 31, 2020 was the saddest day of the project.</p><p>Recent surveys of park visitors around the University of Vermont have shown people <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/sd3h6" target="_blank">using green spaces more</a> since COVID-19 lockdowns began. Many people reported that parks were highly important to their well-being during the pandemic.</p><div id="4c7e4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bc0ac146ab2a94228f32d973fc2ab272"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1289428912879964160" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">#Goldengatepark #sf #quarantinemood https://t.co/9l3ufnbkt6</div> — Suvd (@Suvd)<a href="https://twitter.com/Suvd19486406/statuses/1289428912879964160">1596258783.0</a></blockquote></div><p>The powerful effects of nature are strongest in large parks with more trees, but smaller neighborhood parks also provide a significant boost. Their impact on happiness is real, measurable and lasting.</p><p>Twitter records show that parks increase happiness to a level similar to the bounce at Christmas, which typically is the happiest day of the year. Schwartz has since expanded his <a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/2006.10658.pdf" target="_blank">Twitter study</a> to the 25 largest cities in the U.S. and found this bounce everywhere.</p><p>Parks and public spaces won't cure COVID-19 or stop police brutality, but they are far more than playgrounds. There is growing evidence that parks contribute to mental and physical health in a range of communities.</p><p>In a 2015 study, for example, Stanford researchers sent people out for one of two walks: through a local park or on a busy street. Those who walked in nature showed <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2015.02.005" target="_blank">improved moods and better memory performance</a> compared to the urban group. And a team led by <a href="https://penniur.upenn.edu/people/eugenia-gina-south" target="_blank">Gina South</a> of the University of Pennsylvania showed in a 2018 study that greening and cleaning up blighted vacant lots in Philadelphia <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.0298" target="_blank">reduced local residents' feelings of depression, worthlessness and poor mental health</a>.</p>
Creative Strategies
<p>It isn't easy to create new parks on the scale of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park or the Washington Mall, but smaller projects can expand outdoor space. Options include greening vacant lots, closing streets and investing in existing parks to make them safer, greener and shadier and support wildlife.</p><p>These initiatives don't have to be capital-intensive. In the University of Pennsylvania study, for example, renovating a vacant lot by removing trash, planting grass and trees and installing a low fence cost only about US$1,600.</p><p>Urban green space is most needed in neighborhoods that have lacked funding for parks, especially given <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/08/nyregion/coronavirus-race-deaths.html" target="_blank">COVID-19's disproportionate impact on Black and Latinx people</a>.</p><p>Cities can also create parklike spaces by <a href="https://theconversation.com/with-fewer-cars-on-us-streets-now-is-the-time-to-reinvent-roadways-and-how-we-use-them-140408" target="_blank">closing streets to cars</a>. Many cities worldwide are currently retooling their transportation systems for the post-COVID-19 world in order to <a href="https://thecityfix.com/blog/bicycles-slower-speeds-livable-city-paris-mayor-anne-hidalgo-plans-ambitious-second-term-dario-hidalgo/" target="_blank">reallocate public space</a>, widen sidewalks and make more space for nature.</p><p>Urban designers, artists, ecologists and other citizens can play a direct role, too, creating pop-up parks and green spaces. Some advocates <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-15/a-brief-history-of-park-ing-day" target="_blank">transform parking spaces into mini-parks</a> with grass, potted trees and seating for just the time on the meter, to make a larger point about turning so much public space over to cars.</p><p>Or cities can invest a little more. Minneapolis, Cincinnati and Arlington, Virginia, have won <a href="https://www.tpl.org/parkscore" target="_blank">national recognition</a> for their ambitious investments in public park systems. These areas could serve as models for neighborhoods that lack access to parks.</p><div id="25fd0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="383f0d2df0237e9359c30dcce6cd6c42"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1276558744835379201" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Looking to safely get outside? Check out the best parks for social distancing in this year's top ten ParkScore citi… https://t.co/HJjEtDsrTD</div> — The Trust for Public Land (@The Trust for Public Land)<a href="https://twitter.com/tpl_org/statuses/1276558744835379201">1593190296.0</a></blockquote></div>
A New Park Deal?
<p>The United States has historically driven economic recovery with major infrastructure investments, like the New Deal in the 1930s and the 2009 <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/american-recovery-and-reinvestment-act.asp" target="_blank">American Reinvestment and Recovery Act</a>. Such investments could easily include nature-positive spaces.</p><p>Parks are not panaceas, as evidenced by the widely publicized <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/06/nyregion/amy-cooper-false-report-charge.html" target="_blank">racist confrontation between a white woman and a Black birder</a> in New York's Central Park in early July. But Hedonometer data add to a <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/7/eaax0903?utm_source=miragenews&utm_medium=miragenews&utm_campaign=news" target="_blank">growing body of evidence</a> that they provide <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1807504116" target="_blank">clear mental health benefits</a>. Creating and expanding parks also <a href="https://www.nrpa.org/contentassets/f568e0ca499743a08148e3593c860fc5/economic-impact-study-summary.pdf" target="_blank">generates jobs and economic activity</a>, with much of the money spent locally.</p><p>We believe investments in nature are well worth it, offering both short-term solace in difficult times and long-term benefits to health, economies and communities.</p>From Your Site Articles
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