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Bucknell University botany researcher Tanisha Williams, organizer of Black Botanists Week, poses with a tulip poplar. | Photo courtesy of Tanisha Williams
| Sierra Magazine |
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Inside 2020’s Black Solidarity Hashtag Movement

This year’s Black History Month follows a year marked by protests in response to police brutality against Black Americans and, more broadly, centuries of racial injustice. As the country grappled with its deep-rooted history of systemic racism, Black scientists and nature enthusiasts took to social media to affirm their place and boost Black visibility within their predominantly white fields and hobbies.

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Here’s how they’re changing the narrative.




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Photo courtesy of the US Department of State
| Take Action |
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Defend Our Democracy

Our democracy is only as strong as our will to defend and exercise it. A president who refuses to accept the results of a democratic election and attempts to overthrow our government can’t be allowed to walk away with impunity. We the people must hold Donald Trump accountable for inciting the January 6 attack on our democracy at the US Capitol.

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Tell your senators to convict Trump for his treasonous behavior and disqualify him from running for federal office ever again.

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Make a more immediate impact by calling your senators. Text CONVICT to 69866 to be connected to your senators.




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Photo by iStock.com/tibu
| Take Action |
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Time to Scrap DAPL

In blatant violation of the law, the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) continues to operate without a permit, threatening our climate and clean water, as well as the health of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. President Biden has promised to make climate action and environmental justice top priorities in his administration.

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Putting those principles into action means shutting down DAPL.




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Photo courtesy of whitehouse.gov
| Michael Brune |
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Fresh Air

Scarcely a week after Inauguration Day, the Biden-Harris administration unveiled a second major set of executive actions to tackle the climate crisis and root out the scourge of environmental injustice. “Finally, we have an administration whose actions reflect the fact that we are in a climate emergency,” says Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune.

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“What a breath of fresh air.”




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Photo by Javier Sierra
| También en español |
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Cesar Chávez Is Smiling

"In just a few weeks, President Biden has administered a much-needed injection of vitality into a country plagued by a pandemic, an economy in shambles, Black and brown people pleading for equity and justice, and a whole planet in a climate emergency," says Javier Sierra, the Sierra Club's Lowercase associate director of communications for Latino media. "Perhaps the executive order with the biggest impact on this administration is an obscure memorandum signed by President Biden the evening of his inauguration."

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And what might this obscure memo be?




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Photo courtesy of the National Park Service
| Sierra Magazine |
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Our Newest National Park

Tucked away in December’s COVID-19 relief bill was the designation of the New River Gorge as West Virginia’s first national park. The New River Gorge—the deepest river gorge in the Appalachians—has become a mecca for whitewater enthusiasts and rock climbers.

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"This was always a really unique and special area," says park ranger Dave Bieri. "It's just neat that people are starting to figure it out."




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Photo by iStock.com/kieferpix
| Team Sierra |
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Give Love to the Planet This Valentine’s Day

This Valentine’s Day, skip the chocolate and roses and give the gift of a healthy planet to your loved ones. When you make a donation of any amount, we’ll send your Valentine (romantic, platonic, you decide!) an e-card to let them know you’ve made a donation on their behalf. While we can’t be with many of our loved ones this season, we can still brighten up their days. The money you donate will give love to our planet by helping to do things like protect public lands and commit cities to renewable energy.

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Donate for your Valentine.




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Photo by iStock.com/Lynn_Bystrom
| Article |
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TLC for ESA

We need nature for our physical, spiritual, and mental well-being, and that means we need to work harder than ever to protect the rich biodiversity we rely on. Wildlife, and our access to clean air and water, depend on the preservation of wild places. But the Trump administration rolled back environmental protections and methodically weakened the Endangered Species Act (ESA), harming our public lands and driving many species closer to the edge of extinction.

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That's why "we need urgent action now at the highest level," says Sierra Club endangered species campaign representative Bonnie Rice.




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Photo by Riccardo Savi/Sipa via AP Photo
| Sierra Magazine |
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How We Defeated Keystone XL

After years of protest, including mass civil disobedience, hundreds of thousands marching in DC, and opposition at the state and local level, the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline has finally been laid to rest.

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Jamie Henn, a cofounder of 350.org, recounts the decade-long effort.




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Photo courtesy of PD-USGov-Interior-FWS
| Article |
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Reunited

Late last year, Congress passed the Montana Water Rights Protection Act, correcting a century-old injustice. This legislation connected the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes with their ancestral lands in the center of their Reservation, and with the buffalo herd that descends directly from the herd Tribal members started in the 1870s when plains bison were on the brink of extinction.

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“[It’s] a measure of justice, and a good way to begin 2021,” say the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.




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Photo by iStock.com/Geithe
| Sierra Magazine |
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Clean Energy Is Key to Climate Action and Public Health

One of the strongest challenges President Biden’s climate action plan will face is likely to come from the nation’s utility sector, which has been fighting a years-long tug-of-war with environmental organizations and state and federal policymakers.

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Here are the next steps for a clean energy grid.




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Photo iStock.com/Bolni
| Sierra Magazine |
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Vegan Gear Is Here

So much of the gear we rely on when we enjoy the great outdoors is derived from animals, which imbues time spent in the natural world with all manner of ecological and moral complications. Fortunately, innovative companies are developing plant-based alternatives to animal-derived fabrics and products.

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Here are some ways brands are turning plants into products.




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Xavier Becerra | Photo courtesy of state of California Department of Justice Office of the Attorney General
| También en español |
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Biden Sigue Adelante

Last week, President Biden nominated federal judge Alejandro Mayorkas to head up the Department of Homeland Security, and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. The nominations follow California Governor Gavin Newsom’s appointment in December of California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to fill the US Senate seat vacated by Kamala Harris.

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Lea más sobre como el presidente Biden está cumpliendo su promesa de hacer que su administracion se parezca "más a Estados Unidos."




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Pine Forest Range Wilderness Area, Nevada | Photo by Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management
| Take Action |
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Biden Hits the Ground Running

President Biden showed his activist colors on day one of his presidency, signing executive actions at a record pace in support of his ambitious goal of protecting 30 percent of US lands and waters by 2030 and leveraging our public lands as part of the climate solution by suspending oil and gas leasing.

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Thank the president for taking these initial steps to address the climate crisis and encourage him to keep up the good work.










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