Biden expected to expand Berryessa and San Gabriel NMs in CA in the coming weeks

MorrellWI1983

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Friday April 12, 2024 · 1:30 PM PDT

2024/04/12 · 13:30

www.cnn.com/...

In moves that will add about 123000 acres to the two monuments , President Biden is expected to sign proclamations to the coming weeks adding acreage to Berryessa Snow Mountain , adding 13000 acres including the area known as Molok Luyuk or “ Condor Ridge”, and San Gabriel Mountains , which will add 110000 acres, roughly following acreage proposals pushed by CA Democrats in Congress . the expansion will push San Gabriel up the rankings in terms of monument size, currently 15th among land monuments at 345000 acres. the expansion to 455000 acres will move it past Giant Sequoia NM (352000 acres), Upper Missouri River Breaks NM (377000 acres) and Organ Mountain-Desert Peaks NM ( 419000 acres) into 12th place, about 30000 acres behind the Sonoran Desert NM (486000 acres). the extra 13000 acres will move Berryessa slightly ahead of Craters of the Moon, 343780 acres to 343000, and moving it into 16th place.

these will be Biden’s 3rd and 4th expansions of a monument, following the restoring of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante in October 2021. it will be his 8th and 9th use of the Antiquities Act ( 5 new monuments, 4 expansions). Big moves and hopefully there are a lot more to come!

Supreme Court upholds EPA's block of Pebble Mine

MorrellWI1983

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Friday January 12, 2024 · 9:24 AM PST

2024/01/12 · 09:24

In a big win for Bristol Bay, the Supreme Court has refused an appeal by Alaska and Pebble Limited Partnership seeking to overturn the EPA’s veto of Pebble Mine that was decided last January. the case, Alaska v United States, was a direct appeal to the high court , bypassing the lower courts. the decision was apparently unanimous, as there was no noted dissents in the decision.

To recap, last January the EPA shut down the proposed mine, under Section 404(C) of the Clean Water Act, which allows the agency to block areas from being used as disposal sites for tailings and other detritus from the mining process and operations- in the case of Bristol Bay, the north and south forks of the Koktuli River and the surrounding watersheds.

while Alaska and pebble Limited have vowed to keep fighting in court, their chances of success, given the Supreme Court refusing to hear it directly, is basically nonexistent. if the Court was wiling to to review and overturn that EPA decision, they would have accepted the appeal. Not only did they not accept it, there was no dissents in the decision.

Marking 10 Years at DKOS

MorrellWI1983

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Friday September 15, 2023 · 1:19 PM PDT

2023/09/15 · 13:19

This weekend will mark 10 years since I officially joined Kos as a member- I had been a long time lurker dating back several years previously. over those past 10 years, I’ve posted over 21000 posts, 110 diaries(including this one), and have enjoyed immensely the feedback comments and responses I’ve gotten, especially to my national park diary series and my assorted national monuments postings. I make no secret of my love for the outdoors and my strong belief that we can set aside a heck of a lot more of it. This is a community that cherishes this country’s special places, and I would like to specifically point out Meteor Blades and Obijwa for their long running nature diaries, to name but 2 of the great posters who hold conservation near and dear to them.

over the past 10 years, I’ve enjoyed this community immensely, from Kos , Mark Summer and Kos staff’s incredible coverage of the Ukraine War, to Denise’s focus on Caribbean issues, Puerto Rican issues, and the general ignorance, both current and historical, of Black politicians, actors painters, etc., to ShowerCap’s crude, lewd and piss-your-pants hilarious skewering of everything that goes on in this country. I learn, I stay informed, and i get to laugh at all the crazy, weird and insane things that confront us on a daily basis. I’d like to think that i have contributed my bit here, over the years, and the fact that it has already been 10 years is amazing.

Utah's attempts to overturn national monuments rejected in court

MorrellWI1983

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Friday August 11, 2023 · 2:21 PM PDT

2023/08/11 · 14:21

In an outcome that is not surprising, but still good news, Utah’s attempts to overturn President Biden’s October 2021 moves to return Bears Ears and Grand staircase Escalante to pre-Trump size have been shot down by a federal district court. Biden undid Trump’s December 2017 reductions, restoring Bears Ears from 200000 acres to 1.35 million acres, then retained Trump’s addition of 11000 acres and brought Grand Staircase Escalante back from 1 million acres to 1.87 million. the judge held that Biden’s decision was a valid use of his authority , and not subject to judicial review. this is the second time Utah has tried to overturn Grand Staircase Escalante, following 2004s Utah Association of counties v Bush, which upheld Clinton’s initial designation of 1.7 million acres as a valid use of his authority. This is very good news.

Biden to designate Grand Canyon monument next week

MorrellWI1983

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Friday August 04, 2023 · 2:02 PM PDT

2023/08/04 · 14:02

in a move that will create the largest monument to date in his tenure, President Bidenis going to designate the Grand Canyon Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni National Monument next week while visiting Arizona. the acreage is going to be around 1.1 million acres, making it the 7th existing land monument to cover 1 million acres , and putting it 5th in size , behind Misty Fjords (2.3 million acres) Grand Staircase Escalante (1.87 million acres) , Mojave Trails (1.6 million acres) and Bears Ears (1.36 million acres). It will be a bit more than twice the size of Ava Kwa Ame monument, which covers 506000 acres.

the new monument will be the 5th in the Grand Canyon region , following the original 1908 monument and the second Grand Canyon monument created in 1933, Marble Canyon and Grand Canyon Parashant. The move makes permanent a 20 year mining withdrawal put in place by president Obama in 2012 and preserves lands sacred to the native tribes, who have been pushing for this designation for years. This will be Bidens 5th monument, and 4th this year, he is now 1 designation from tying former President George W Bush for 11th on the designations list- Bush created 6 during his tenure. This is a huge move and I fully stand with the President.

Biden to create Emmett Till National Monument next week

MorrellWI1983

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Saturday July 22, 2023 · 9:36 PM PDT

2023/07/22 · 21:36

In a move that will preserve the memory of one of the civil right movements most famous martyrs, President Biden is expected to designate a national monument honoring Emmett Till and his mother Mamie Till-Mobley on Tuesday, which would have been Emmett’s 82nd birthday. the monument will preserve 2 sites in Mississippi- Graball Landing, where Till’s body was found, and the Tallahatchie County courthouse, where his murderers were tried and infamously acquitted- and 1 in Illinois-the Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Chicago- where Till’s funeral was held in September 1955. This will be the second national monument in Illinois, and the second one in Mississippi as well. It is Bidens 4th monument so far, tying former Presidents Obamas first term tally. Its a good move, but personally, I would also have included in the monument 2 other Mississippi sites- the store where the alleged whistling occurred, and also included the actual site of Till’s murder, which still exists.

Music Legend Tony Bennett Dies at 96

MorrellWI1983

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Friday July 21, 2023 · 6:42 AM PDT

2023/07/21 · 06:42

One of the greatest voices to ever grace a stage has been stilled. Tony Bennett, who won a staggering 20 Grammys over his career, including for his final album with Lady Gaga in 2021, has passed away at the age of 96. Perhaps the last living link to the Golden Era of music legends like Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington , Harry Belafonte and Ella Fitzgerald, Bennett’s career spanned over 7 decades, starting in the late 1940s. songs like ‘ I left my Heart in San Francisco” made him a household name, and younger generations discovered him in the mid-90s. generations have covered his songs, and generations of artists have cited him as an influence.

What are some of your favorite Tony Bennett songs? Did you see him in concert? Discuss in the comments

Biden to designate Spirit Mountain and Castner Range as monuments

MorrellWI1983

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Tuesday March 21, 2023 · 7:03 AM PDT

2023/03/21 · 07:03

in a move that marks progress towards reaching his 30 % by 2030, conservation goal, President Biden will designate Spirit Mountain in Nevada and Castner Range in Texas as monuments. Spirit Mountain , also known as Avi Kwa Ame, is sacred to several native tribes, including Fort Mojave, and will be by far the largest monument created by Biden so far, covering over 500, 000 acres, making it the 9th land monument in the country to cover that much acreage, moving it past Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks(496000 acres) and Sonoran Desert(486000 acres) into the top 10 for land monuments in size. the monument will encase the entire southern tip of Nevada. this will be Nevada’s fourth monument created since 2014’

Castner Range , near El Paso Texas, has been left undeveloped for decades due to its past use as a military shooting range by the soldiers at Fort Bliss. Sacred to several tribes, including the Comanche and Apache, it is home to at least 27 species of endangered plants and animals and will become Texas’ third national monument, joining Waco Mammoth and Alibates Flint Quarries. the monument will cover around 7000 acres, making it the smallest monument Biden has created to date- with these designations he;s created 3 monuments. It will also be the first monument managed directly by the military since the 1930s. I don;t count his actions reversing Trump on Bears Ears, Grand Staircase Escalante and Northeastern Canyons and Seamounts Marine as distinct uses of the Antiquities Act, as they were erasing illegal actions by his predecessor.

Efforts to preserve both areas have been ongoing for at least 20 years in both cases, and the fact that it took so long reflects Congress’ utter inability to act timely to conserve this country’s special places. yet another reason why the Antiquities Act is so important, it allows for immediate action.

in addition to the monuments, the president is also directing that a marine sanctuary be created covering the entire Exclusive Economic zone around the Pacific Remote islands, which was first designated as a monument by President George W Bush in 2009, then greatly expanded by President Obama in 2014.

All in all, a good day for conservation.

EPA expected to veto Pebble Mine, saving Bristol Bay

MorrellWI1983

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Friday December 02, 2022 · 8:45 AM PST

2022/12/02 · 08:45

In a move that will safeguard the worlds largest intact salmon fishery, the Alaska regional EPA administrator has recommended blocking Pebble Mine from going forward. If approved by the EPA, which is expected to happen sometime in February, the project will be dead, for good. This is a enormous victory for the local tribes, fisherman groups , and environmentalists who opposed the project for the better part of 20 years . Usually after a major project like this fails, the area is given formal federal protection. A good example would be the Yukon Flats, which were the target of a network of dams in the 60s and early 70s. After public opposition killed the project, the Flats were included as one of the 17 monuments Carter designated in 1978, and were redesignated by Congress in ANILCA in 1980.

In all this is good news for the environment and the final veto should be followed by designating Bristol Bay as a monument. Yes it will probably be the largest land monument or park in US history- the current record is the 13.2 million acre Wrangell St Elias National Park- but conserving the worlds largest salmon fishery easily qualifies under both of the Antiquities Acts two criteria .But for now, we can celebrate the assumed end of a project that would have permanently damaged a priceless American treasure.

Biden to designate Avi Kwa Ame in Nevada as national monument

MorrellWI1983

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Thursday December 01, 2022 · 12:00 PM PST

2022/12/01 · 12:00

President Biden announced yesterday that he will designate Spirit Mountain in Nevada, also known as Avi Kwa Ame, as a national monument. The monument will be large, covering about 450000 acres, or slightly over700 sq miles, making it the second largest monument in size in Nevada, after Basin and Range, it will be the 5th monument in the state, and the fifth created in Nevada since 2014 Given its importance to many native tribes, it is a important step to conserving areas sacred to native peoples, along with making progress towards Biden’s 30 percent conservation pledge. This is Bidens second monument, moving him past Trump on the monuments created list and tying him with JFK. Still much more to be done, but a good day on the Conservation front

Legendary Batman actor Kevin Conroy dead at 66

MorrellWI1983

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Friday November 11, 2022 · 9:14 AM PST

2022/11/11 · 09:14

One of the seminal actors in the Batman mythos is gone. Kevin Conroy passed away yesterday , at the age of 66, from cancer.Conroy played Batman over some 30 years, starting with the superb Batman the Animated Series in 1992,and included the exceptional Batman Arkham video games. As much as Mark Hamill is revered - and rightfully so-for his work as the Joker, Conroy was his equal as the Dark Knight. As a lifelong Batman fan, I'm devastated . RIP, Kevin.

Biden to designate Camp Hale in CO as his first national monument next week

MorrellWI1983

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Friday October 07, 2022 · 11:34 AM PDT

2022/10/07 · 11:34

In a move that will preserve roughly 46000 acres surrounding Csmp Hale and part of the Tenmile Range, President Biden is expected to designate Camp Hale in Colorado as his first new national monument next week. Biden's only use of the Antiquities Act to date had been the reversal of the Trump-era reductions to Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante monuments in Utah last year as well as restoring Obama-era restrictions on commercial fishing in the Northeastern Canyons and Seamounts marine monument in the Atlantic that Ttump had removed. The monument will conserve Camp Hale, which was used during World War II to train the 10th Mountain division in mountaineering, which was later put to the test in fighting in mountainous areas, such as north Italy .

Camp Hale will be the 9th monument in Colorado and the first since President Obama set aside Browns Canyon in 2015. The roughly 46000 acres will make it the 3rd largest, behind Dinosaur 's 210800 acres and Canyon of the Ancients 176000 acres. I strongly applaud Biden's move, there's are many many other areas that deserve monument status across this country- Oak Flats, anyone?- and Bidens first monument clocks in at 21 months after taking office, by comparison, Obama didn't designate his first monument until 34 months into his tenure when he set aside Fort Monroe in Virginia in November 2011. As we all know, Obama eventually added 28 other monuments and expanded monuments 5 other times, so Biden has time to drastically increase protected lands before his tenure is up, hopefully in January 2029.

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