From Center for Western Priorities <[email protected]>
Subject Look West: Against indigenous wishes, Trump got his crowd and fireworks at Mount Rushmore
Date July 6, 2020 2:03 PM
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** Against indigenous wishes, Trump got his crowd and fireworks at Mt. Rushmore
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Monday, July 6, 2020
Fireworks burst over Mount Rushmore, a sacred indigenous landscape and reminder of broken treaties | U.S. Department of the ([link removed]) I ([link removed]) nterior ([link removed])

For the Fourth of July, President Trump made a polarizing address from Mount Rushmore ([link removed]) , railing against the removal of monuments by protesters. However, the Trump administration has been on the front lines of destroying federally protected national monuments ([link removed]) , including those that honor indigenous cultural heritage.

The controversial event occurred despite concerns ([link removed]) that the fireworks could ignite wildfires and that the event (which did not require social-distancing or masks) would result in the spread of COVID-19. The event was protested by Native American tribes in the region concerned about the spread of coronavirus as well as dismayed by the disrespectful use of a sacred landscape. The national guard cleared protesters from the area prior to the event.

This weekend's event has spurred a critical reckoning with Mount Rushmore's racist history ([link removed]) , and with our understanding of patriotism ([link removed]) and history. The Black Hills, where Mount Rushmore was carved by a Ku Klux Klan sympathizer, are sacred to the Lakota Sioux tribe. In the treaty of 1868, the United States officially recognized the Black Hills as part of the Sioux territory ([link removed]) . However, the U.S. proceeded to confiscate the region from the Sioux after gold was discovered. For many Americans, Mount Rushmore is a monument to a history of white supremacy and broken treaties.


** Major Atlantic coast pipeline cancelled despite Trump's efforts to weaken environmental regulations
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Two energy companies have abandoned their lawsuit-dogged bid ([link removed]) to build the controversial 600-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The companies cited costs and an uncertain regulatory environment as reasons for canceling the project, demonstrating the power of lawsuits and grassroots opposition ([link removed]) even as the Trump administration slashes regulations. Dominion Energy, one of the energy companies involved, also announced its intent to sell off gas assets and focus on sustainability ([link removed]) .


** What Western voters want (coronavirus edition)
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In the latest episode of Go West, Young Podcast ([link removed]) , pollster Brian Gottlieb returns to discuss new polling results focused on coronavirus and public lands. Polling found that the current pandemic has deepened the connection of outdoor voters to public lands ([link removed]) .
Quick hits


** Access to nature and outdoor recreation are critical, underappreciated environmental justice issues
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Inside Climate News ([link removed]) | Inside Climate News ([link removed])


** Indigenous tribes condemn Trump's border wall destruction as he protects Confederate monuments
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Independent ([link removed])


** Opinion: Trump wants to put a rightwing zealot in charge of public land. Here's why it matters
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The Guardian ([link removed])


** Against indigenous wishes, Trump got his crowd and fireworks at Mt. Rushmore, used polarizing language
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CNN ([link removed]) | Forbes ([link removed]) | The Conversation ([link removed]) | The Grio ([link removed]) | Washington Post ([link removed]) [Opinion] ([link removed]) | Gulf News [Opinion] ([link removed])


** Fish more vulnerable to climate change, warming water than first thought
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Opinion: The generosity of sharing our public lands in the face of outdoor crowds
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A ([link removed]) spen Times ([link removed])


** Montanan's father helped craft LWCF that is nearing full, permanent funding
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Billings Gazette ([link removed])


** Major Atlantic coast pipeline cancelled despite Trump's efforts to weaken environmental regulations
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Washington Post ([link removed]) | New York Times ([link removed]) | CNN ([link removed])
Quote of the day

[Trump] promised to save the monuments, to defend the monuments, to put the full weight of the federal government into protecting giant hunks of stone and bronze. And why not? It’s so much easier to cordon off a statue, to surround it with police officers, than it is to come to terms with the blood and the glory, the cruelty and goodwill that built this country and that haunts it."
—Robin Givham, W ([link removed]) ashington Post ([link removed])
Picture this


** @USFWSRefuges ([link removed])
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Happy Fourth! -- and go forth into nature at a national wildlife refuge. Search by Zip Code or state to find a refuge near you: [link removed] ([link removed]) #RecreateResponsibly ([link removed])

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