#National Landing

[muffinlevelchicanery]

[reasonsforhope]

"In a historic “first-of-its-kind” agreement the government of British Colombia has acknowledged the aboriginal ownership of 200 islands off the west coast of Canada.

The owners are the Haida nation, and rather than the Canadian government giving something to a First Nation, the agreement admits that the “Xhaaidlagha Gwaayaai” or the “islands at the end of world,” always belonged to them, a subtle yet powerful difference in the wording of First Nations negotiating.

BC Premier David Eby called the treaty “long overdue” and once signed, will clear the way for half a million hectares (1.3 million acres) of land to be managed by the Haida.

Postal service, shipping lanes, school and community services, private property rights, and local government jurisdiction, will all be unaffected by the agreement, which will essentially outline that the Haida decide what to do with the 200 or so islands and islets.

“We could be facing each other in a courtroom, we could have been fighting each other for years and years, but we chose a different path,” said Minister of Indigenous Relations of BC, Murray Rankin at the signing ceremony, who added that it took creativity and courage to “create a better world for our children.”

Indeed, making the agreement outside the courts of the formal treaty process reflects a vastly different way of negotiating than has been the norm for Canada.

“This agreement won’t only raise all boats here on Haida Gwaii – increase opportunity and prosperity for the Haida people and for the whole community and for the whole province – but it will also be an example and another way for nations – not just in British Columbia, but right across Canada – to have their title recognized,” said Eby.

In other words, by deciding this outside court, Eby and the province of BC hope to set a new standard for how such land title agreements are struck."

-via Good News Network, April 18, 2024

[robpegoraro]

City-sized arenas belong in city centers

The Capitals and the Wizards may not win another championship anytime soon, but they will continue playing their home games where they should: in the downtown arena they’ve called home since 1997 as first the MCI Center, then the Verizon Center, followed by the resulting nickname of the Phone Booth, and now Capital One Arena. That’s the best possible resolution of an interlude in which…

[wachinyeya]

Joel Jackson, the president of the Organized Village of Kake, a tribal community, has lived within the Tongass National Forest in Alaska his entire life. His community relies on the land for hunting deer and fishing salmon that swim in streams kept cold by the old-growth forest.

But the 66-year-old worried about damage to that land - the largest national forest in the US - after former President Donald Trump rescinded a measure blocking logging and road-building on nine million acres of land in the Tongass in 2020.

"The forest is key to our survival as a people, to our way of life … for thousands of years," Mr Jackson said.

Last week marked a long-awaited victory for Mr Jackson and other tribes and environmental groups who petitioned the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to reinstate the protections for the forest.

The agency announced last Wednesday it would once again ban logging and the construction of roads for cutting timber in over half of the Tongass.

[stay-pos-cos]

This Earth Day I grieve the ancient olive groves of Palestine, I grieve the groundwater and once unpolluted oceans of that same beautiful land. I feel an indescribable rage when I picture occupation forces burning these sacred groves to the ground and salting the earth that remains.

This Earth Day I wish for a free Palestine, Sudan, Congo, Hawai'i. For the freedom of their people and their lands. You can not fight for a cleaner healthier planet without fighting against imperialism.

[typhlonectes]

“Hey Ranger! Is that a California Condor or a Turkey Vulture?”

Well, let’s take a closer look! In the summertime, it can be hard to tell the difference between a condor and a turkey vulture, especially as they soar above you! (Or below you, if you’re on Angels Landing). The bird on the right is definitely a condor, and here are a few ways to tell: Condors are BIG! They have a ten-foot wingspan, the widest of all the birds in the United States. Notice the number on their wing? Each condor has their own number to help scientists recognize and keep track of the condors they spot. Their wings are white towards their center, and their feathers are black out towards the end of their wings. You guessed it, the bird on the left is a turkey vulture! Turkey vultures are quite large birds, but their wingspan is typically around 5.5 feet long. In flight, turkey vultures will have a slight “v” in their wings when looking at them from straight on. Condor wings are generally straight out when they are in flight. Turkey vulture wings are darker in the middle and the feathers are white toward the ends of their wings. Though they are different birds, both are critically important in Zion National Park. Their food source is carrion, or dead and decaying meat (you could say they are the ultimate clean up crew). Since decomposition takes much longer in the harsh desert, having scavengers is a great way to keep the area looking (and smelling) nice. What are ways you can protect these important animals?

Learn more about the California Condor recovery story at:

https://www.nps.gov/zion/learn/nature/condors.htm

NPS Photo: Gavin Emmons

via: Zion National Park

[canisvesperus]

And we wouldn’t have to pay to see ourselves in museums.

Source

[sumbluespruce]

Good morning from Canyon Lodge YNP, home for several days. 10/23/24

[rebeccathenaturalist]

For those following the Chinook Indian Nation's work toward regaining federal recognition, this is an important endorsement. I posted a while back about a petition for the state of Washington to give the now-closed Naselle Youth Camp to the Chinook. The NYC is on unceded Chinook land, and specifically the portion of land the Chinook asked to retain almost two centuries ago as part of an unfulfilled treaty with the U.S. government.

A state task force formed to determine the fate of the NYC has officially recommended the NYC be given to the Chinook Indian Nation. Not only would this put the facility into the hands of people who will make excellent use of it, but the Chinook have also stated their intention to restore the on-site wastewater treatment facility and salmon hatchery. The former would additionally be a boon to the entirety of Pacific County, which currently ships its wastewater all the way to Centralia, WA, over 100 miles away from southern portions of the county.

If the NYC is indeed given to the Chinook, this will be an important statement that can be used to pressure the U.S. government to restore their federal recognition. To find out ways you can help the Chinook in this effort, please visit ChinookJustice.org.

[northameicanblog]

Angels Landing, Zion National Park, United States: Angels Landing, known previously as the Temple of Aeolus, is a 1,488-foot tall rock formation in Zion National Park in southwestern Utah, United States. A renowned trail cut into solid rock in 1926 leads to the top of Angels Landing and provides panoramic views of Zion Canyon. Wikipedia

[dots3a]

The United States is allowing illegal transportation of uranium through sovereign Navajo territory and is ignoring the nation's government and people asking to stop the illegal and dangerous transportation of the radioactive substance through their territory.

[reasonsforhope]

"The Yurok will be the first Tribal nation to co-manage land with the National Park Service under a historic memorandum of understanding signed on Tuesday [March 19, 2024] by the tribe, Redwood national and state parks, and the non-profit Save the Redwoods League, according to news reports.

The Yurok tribe has seen a wave of successes in recent years, successfully campaigning for the removal of a series of dams on the Klamath River, where salmon once ran up to their territory, and with the signing of a new memorandum of understanding, the Yurok are set to reclaim more of what was theirs.

Save the Redwoods League bought a property containing these remarkable trees in 2013, and began working with the tribe to restore it, planting 50,000 native plants in the process. The location was within lands the Yurok once owned but were taken during the Gold Rush period.

Centuries passed, and by the time it was purchased it had been used as a lumber operation for 50 years, and the nearby Prairie Creek where the Yurok once harvested salmon had been buried.

Currently located on the fringe of Redwoods National and State Parks which receive over 1 million visitors every year and is a UNESCO Natural Heritage Site, the property has been renamed ‘O Rew, a Yurok word for the area.

“Today we acknowledge and celebrate the opportunity to return Indigenous guardianship to ‘O Rew and reimagine how millions of visitors from around the world experience the redwoods,” said Sam Hodder, president and CEO of Save the Redwoods League.

Having restored Prarie Creek and filled it with chinook and coho salmon, red-legged frogs, northwestern salamanders, waterfowl, and other species, the tribe has said they will build a traditional village site to showcase their culture, including redwood-plank huts, a sweat house, and a museum to contain many of the tribal artifacts they’ve recovered from museum collections.

Believing the giant trees sacred, they only use fallen trees to build their lodges.

“As the original stewards of this land, we look forward to working together with the Redwood national and state parks to manage it,” said Rosie Clayburn, the tribe’s cultural resources director.

It will add an additional mile of trails to the park system, and connect them with popular redwood groves as well as new interactive exhibits.

“This is a first-of-its-kind arrangement, where Tribal land is co-stewarded with a national park as its gateway to millions of visitors. This action will deepen the relationship between Tribes and the National Park Service,” said Redwoods National Park Superintendent Steve Mietz, adding that it would “heal the land while healing the relationships among all the people who inhabit this magnificent forest.”"

-via Good News Network, March 25, 2024

[no-passaran]

Do you have 1 minute? Add your name, surname and email to send a pre-written email to India's Tribal Affairs Minister, other Indian government ministers, and the companies vying to build the project:

[bossymarmalade]

- september 30th, national day for truth and reconciliation -

Survivors experienced horrific atrocities while prisoners in these institutions. It is important that this image show the love and strength that colonialism tried to steal from us. Despite genocide, we are still here – still fighting for justice and restitution, as true Warriors. - Dorene Bernard, Mi’kmaq Survivor who attended Shubenacadie Residential School

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Years after a push to rename a cluster of islands named with a racial slur in Nunavut, the territorial government says it's working on it.  The Old Squaw Islands, the official name recognized by the Nunavut government, are located approximately 40 kilometres southeast of Iqaluit. That hits close to home for Madeleine d'Argencourt – both geographically and personally. "[The term] is derogatory. My first-born daughter is half First Nations," she said. 

Continue Reading

Tagging: @newsfromstolenland

[typhlonectes]

Yellowstone National Park: Deer Family (family Cervidae)

Did you know that deer, elk, and moose shed and regrow their antlers yearly?

Typically, antlers are shed during winter as the bone at the base of the antlers erodes and weakens. In spring, new antlers are covered with a thick, fuzzy coating of skin commonly referred to as “velvet.” During August and September, hormonal changes signal the end of antler growth and the velvet gets rubbed off, revealing new, hardened antlers underneath. Photos: (1) Mule deer, (2) elk, and (3) moose with antlers in velvet.

via: Yellowstone National Park