** October, in brief
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Canyonlands National Park wishes you a happy Halloween! NPS/Ava Goetz ([link removed])


** Key news from October:
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* President Joe Biden signed a proclamation to create Colorado's Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument ([link removed]) , his first new national monument. The monument encompasses more than 53,800 acres ([link removed]) and also includes the Tenmile Range. In addition to the monument designation, Biden is expected to initiate a temporary withdrawal of 225,000 acres in the nearby Thompson Divide ([link removed]) from potential new mining or drilling. The President also created a national historic site at the Blackwell School ([link removed]) in Marfa, Texas. The site was a segregated school for
children of Mexican descent from 1906 to 1965, when schools were integrated. Now that he has demonstrated a willingness to listen to Westerners ([link removed]) and use his authority under the Antiquities Act to support locally-led conservation efforts, the question is, where will he go next?
* As coal-fired power plant shutdowns drive a steep decrease in demand for coal in the Western U.S. and elsewhere, policymakers have struggled to balance the need for urgent action on climate with the responsibility to ensure a just transition for communities that have depended for generations on coal plants and coal mines. Two new reports ([link removed]) from the Rocky Mountain Institute offer hope — and some policy solutions. Researchers analyzed legislation designed to support communities transitioning away from coal-dependent economies that was considered or passed by state legislatures over the past decade. Colorado and New Mexico are highlighted ([link removed]) in the report for their efforts that could serve as models for other states looking to ease the transition to 21st-century
energy sources.
* On the first day of its new term, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency ([link removed]) , a case with the potential to restrict the scope of the Clean Water Act. Recently, the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of ([link removed]) narrowing the scope of other environmental protection laws, as it did in West Virginia v. EPA ([link removed]) , which relied on the "major questions doctrine" ([link removed]) to prevent the EPA from regulating carbon emissions from power plants
([link removed]) under the Clean Air Act. Depending on what the Court decides, up to 80 percent of streams in the southwestern U.S. ([link removed]) could lose Clean Water Act protections.

* A Forest Service employee in charge of a prescribed burn was arrested by a county sheriff ([link removed]) after a prescribed burn in Malheur National Forest briefly escaped onto a private ranch in Oregon. The fire burned about 20 acres of private land before firefighters got it under control within an hour ([link removed]) . The unusual arrest is reflective of the tension and distrust that exists between rural Oregon sheriffs and the federal government. Experts worry that this incident will make it even more difficult to conduct a prescribed burn in the future. Prescribed burns are a critical wildfire management tool, and it is extremely rare for a burn to get out of control.

* Major oil companies raked in $50 billion ([link removed]) in third-quarter earnings, showing only a minor profit decrease while the global economy suffers and consumers pay the price. The five biggest companies—ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, TotalEnergies, and BP—are on track to have their second-highest earnings since the early 2000s, while consumers pay the price at the pump. These profits are not being used to help stabilize prices for consumers—companies are instead pocketing them as stocks and dividends. President Biden recently denounced Big Oil profits and called on companies ([link removed]) to "invest in America" by using profits for increased production. In the past, Big Oil has invested in production during boom periods, but in this year of record profits, it seems companies are
holding on to their cash.


** What to watch for in November:
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* Election Day is November 8
* Will the Bureau of Reclamation announce a plan ([link removed]) for the Colorado River?
* Will President Biden keep up the momentum and designate another national monument?

From the Center for Western Priorities:


** Report: Conservation action can win over the media and the public
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A new report from the Center for American Progress and the Center for Western Priorities ([link removed]) highlights the consistent popularity of conservation.

New analyses of media and public opinion ([link removed]) find that executive conservation action is wildly popular, cuts through the public’s distrust of Washington, is accessible to broad and bipartisan audiences, and garners incredibly positive media coverage. These studies also suggest that further use of executive conservation action by President Biden would be well-received by the voting public and result in ownership of the media narrative.

Now is the time for President Biden to build on his conservation legacy by designating national monuments such as Camp Hale-Continental Divide ([link removed]) , Castner Range ([link removed]) , and Avi Kwa Ame ([link removed]) ; finalizing the protection of critical places such as Bristol Bay; and tightening regulations to conserve intact landscapes. Bold action to conserve our lands, waters, and wildlife is not only necessary to stave off biodiversity loss and climate change, it also garners nearly universal support in America’s increasingly divided political sphere.
Read the Report ([link removed])
[link removed]


** Is energy infrastructure permitting really broken? ([link removed])
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** An evidence-based look at environmental reviews shows most permit approvals are speedy — and most delays are not caused by red tape.
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[link removed]


** President Biden designates his first national monument, Colorado’s Camp Hale-Continental Divide ([link removed])
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** Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument covers more than 53,000 acres, including the stunning Tenmile Range.
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[link removed]

Author and outdoors enthusiast McKenzie Long joins Aaron and Kate on the Landscape ([link removed]) to chat about her new book, This Contested Land: The Storied Past and Uncertain Future of America’s National Monuments ([link removed]) . The book is an exploration of national monuments—why they matter, what it takes to create them, and how they impact nearby communities. McKenzie visited 13 national monuments across the country for the book, interviewing locals in some, while setting out on solo adventures in others.
Best Reads of the Month


** How drought is threatening Navajo ties to ancestral lands
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The Guardian ([link removed])


** Beavers offer natural solution to fighting wildfires
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Washington Post ([link removed])


** Cultural sites are being revealed by a dwindling Lake Powell
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Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])


** Tribal co-management movements are transforming the conservation of public lands
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Popular Science ([link removed])


** Report: Wildlife migrations sustain species, ecosystems, and economies
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Pew Charitable Trusts ([link removed])


** Forest restoration in the age of climate change
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Ensia ([link removed])


** Idaho cobalt mine is a harbinger of what’s to come
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High Country News ([link removed])


** Opinion: Enough messing around. Will the feds mandate cuts to save Lake Mead or not?
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Arizona Republic ([link removed])
Quote of the month


** “For over 100 years, places like the Grand Canyon have been protected using the Antiquities Act. I encourage the president to consider other special places that could benefit from these same protections, including those named in widely supported bills that have passed the House numerous times.”
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** —House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl Grijlava, E&E News ([link removed])
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Picture this
[link removed]


** @usfws ([link removed])
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The chances of being haunted by saguaro cactus are low but never zero.

The iconic saguaro cactus can be found in the Sonoran Desert and holds the record for the tallest cactus species in the United States. Those spikey arms reaching up through the foggy mist can take decades to form. This slow-growing succulent can be ten years old and may only stand two inches tall. They'll grow their first side arms at around 75 to 100 years of age and can live up to 200 years.

Saguaro cacti are important to a variety of wildlife species. Many birds, like the Gila woodpecker, make their nests in saguaros. The blooms produced in early summer provide nectar for bats, and the fruit it grows supplies a nutritious food source for mammals, reptiles and insects. The saguaro is a spikey friend to many; just remember, no hugs. 🚫🤗🌵

Have you ever experienced these sentinels of the southwest?

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