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Wildfires raging across Arizona, Nebraska, and New Mexico are blamed for at least one death, thousands of evacuations, the loss of multiple structures, and the scorching of 130,000 acres of land—so far.
The Calf Canyon fire in New Mexico threatens hundreds of homes near Santa Fe. New Mexico officials say it's rare to experience severe fire conditions in April, prompting Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham to agree. "It’s going to be a tough summer," Lujan Grisham said.
Northern Arizona is under a state of emergency as firefighters struggle to contain the Tunnel Fire about 14 miles northeast of Flagstaff that is responsible for burning "in its entirety" the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument according to the National Park Service.
In Nebraska, wildfires fueled by high winds and dry grass killed a retired fire chief and injured at least 11 other firefighters. Fires have been reported in 12 counties around the state since last Friday.
The official start to what was formerly known as "fire season" is still weeks away and it's already been an active fire year in California, Colorado, and Texas as well.
Responses to Gov. Ricketts' 30x30 lies pour in
Last Friday, Nebraska governor Pete Ricketts hosted the "Stop 30x30 Summit" in Lincoln where he was joined by former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert to spread lies and disinformation about the Biden administration's America the Beautiful plan to protect 30% of America's lands and waters.
One of the people who spoke up in countering Gov. Ricketts' false claims about the America the Beautiful plan and the use of voluntary private land conservation easements was former Nebraska governor and former U.S. Senator Ben Nelson. "I believe its objectives are good, entirely voluntary and that Nebraska would be wise to embrace it," Nelson said of the America the Beautiful plan in an op-ed for the Lincoln Journal Star.
CWP deputy director Aaron Weiss also countered the false characterization of the initiative as a “land grab,” as claimed by Gov. Ricketts and American Stewards of Liberty, which sponsored Friday’s summit. “I think it’s incredibly condescending for the governor to say that private landowners don’t know what’s best for their land,” Weiss said.
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As a person working with the education of Native American students of all ages, I work hard to provide students with safe places that foster a love of learning, sense of community, leadership, and respect for diversity. But sometimes the best learning environment is not a classroom at all – it’s the natural world. Public lands are one teacher who leaves us all in fascination and awe, no matter our age."
