In a letter directed at senators, President Theodore Roosevelt’s relatives spoke up in opposition to a proposed copper mine upstream from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota, proclaiming that President Roosevelt would be “appalled” by the project. The family warns that overturning the 20-year mining ban via a Congressional Review Act resolution would set a dangerous precedent that threatens public land protections across the nation.
The letter points out that conservation was once a pillar of the Republican platform, and critiques the party’s retreat from the environmental legacy of Roosevelt, who protected around 230 million acres of public lands during his presidency. “T.R. was active in preserving our greatest wilderness terrain on both the East and West coasts — it became one of the greatest enduring legacies of his life,” the letter states. “It is now time for all of you to get in the arena with him.”
The letter was signed by Roosevelt’s great-grandsons Ted IV, Tweed, and Mark, and his great-great-grandson Kermit III.
Judge orders restoration of Philadelphia slavery exhibits
A federal judge has ordered Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to restore displays discussing slavery at a National Park Service site in Philadelphia where George Washington lived as president. The exhibit, which details the lives of nine enslaved people, was removed last month as part of President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14253, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” In a ruling yesterday, U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe stated that an agency “cannot arbitrarily decide what is true, based on its own whims or the whims of the new leadership” and ruled that the exhibit’s removal violated a long-standing agreement requiring that the federal government consult with the city before making any changes to the site.
Quick hits
A highway through tortoise habitat? What the Northern Corridor’s revival means for southern Utah
Judge orders slavery exhibit to be restored after Trump administration removal
Washington Post | Politico | CBS News | The Guardian | Los Angeles Times | New York Times | CNN
Feds to move ahead with Colorado River plans after states don’t reach deal
New York Times | Colorado Politics | The Land Desk | Fox13 | KNAU | Aspen Times | AZPM | Colorado Sun
Trump nominates hospitality executive to lead National Park Service
KUNC | More Than Just Parks | Newsweek | Deseret News
Tribes grant the Colorado River legal personhood. Can this help save it?
Editorial: Public land management requires a thoughtful steward, not a bulldozer
Former National Park Service director reflects on layoffs, deep cuts
Arizonans in Congress make latest push to make Chiricahua National Monument a national park
Quote of the day
As if the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell’s 1984 now existed, with its motto ‘Ignorance is Strength,’ this Court is now asked to determine whether the federal government has the power it claims — to dissemble and disassemble historical truths when it has some domain over historical facts. It does not.”
—US District Judge Cynthia Rufe, ruling on the removal of a slavery exhibit at a National Park Service site, CNN
Picture This
Happy Valentine’s Day from Yosemite National Park! We’ll never take you for granite.❤️
Can you spot the heart on the face of El Capitan? This shape was likely formed from either one very large rockfall or, more likely, several smaller ones that carved the heart over time. The point of the heart is formed by two intersecting rock fractures called joints. The curving arches that form the rounded parts of the heart are potentially a result of rocks falling away from beneath.
We think that’s pretty rock solid!
Featured photo: President Theodore Roosevelt at Yosemite National Park in 1903. National Park Service