Environmental Activities

Greenpeace stated, June 1, 2017, https://engage.us.greenpeace.org/onlineactions/e_TpAhQ6KUaEgg8vini79A2, " Trump just announced that he will be withdrawing the US from the Paris Climate Agreement.
      Trump has chosen to obstruct and actively derail any action to solve one of the world's biggest threats: catastrophic climate change that will only get worse if we don’t act now.
      In his first 100 days in office, Trump signed an executive order to stop the Clean Power Plan, moved forward the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines, opened up public lands and coasts to more oil drilling, and has now abandoned one of the U.S.’s most important commitments to fighting climate change. It's up to us to resist.
       That’s why we’re launching the Summer of Resistance, an unprecedented wave of people-powered direct action all across the country. Throughout the summer, Greenpeace will be training thousands of people in creative, non-violent resistance to fight Trump’s anti-climate and hate-filled agenda."
       Numerous other groups are also calling for strong measures against climate change in the wake of Trump's action.

People’s Climate Movement, January 25, 2017, https://peoplesclimate.org, CONTACT: Paul Getsos, National Coordinator 646-732-0041 paul@peoplesclimate.org or Paige Knappenberger, 602-549-0344, pknappenberger@climatenexus.org, stated, " Activists Announce Major Climate March in DC & Nationwide on April 29 ^th. Communities Begin Organizing Nationwide to Resist Attacks on the Environment and Our Communities And to Call for a New Clean Energy Economy that Stops Climate Change and Creates Good Jobs for All." " For more information on The People’s Climate Movement and the mobilization on April 29th, please visit: https://peoplesclimate.org/."

Nadia Prupis, "#DayAgainstDenial Calls on Senate to Reject Trump's Anti-Science Cabinet:Nationwide actions highlight climate denialism of cabinet appointees, including Rex Tillerson as secretary of state and Scott Pruitt as head of EPA," Common Dreams , January 09, 2017, http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/01/09/dayagainstdenial-calls-senate-reject-trumps-anti-science-cabinet, reported, " Environmental groups are launching a nationwide campaign on Monday to highlight the climate denialism rampant among President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks and demand lawmakers reject their nominations.
       #DayAgainstDenial , spearheaded by the climate group 350.org but supported by a coalition of organizations and activists, calls on the U.S. Senate to vote against Trump's nominees to lead his administration, including former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson , tapped for secretary of state ; former Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt , nominated for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief ; former Texas Governor Rick Perry for secretary of energy ; and Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) for secretary of the interior .
       All four have denied climate change and have ties to the fossil fuel industry, the groups said.
       'Repeat after me,' 350's communications director Jamie Henn wrote on Twitter . 'The CEO of the world's largest oil company should not run our foreign policy.'
       More than 70 rallies and other events are slated to take place at lawmakers' offices around the country on Monday. Organizers say they see the day of action as the start to long-term resistance to Trump's anti-science agenda.
       'The climate is changing, and anyone who denies this shouldn't be in the White House cabinet. It's up to the Senate to stop these nominations—and up to us to show up in person to tell our senators to fight Trump's climate denial cabinet,' 350 said.
         Confirmation hearings are set to take place throughout the week.
      The groups added that separate campaigns will target other controversial cabinet appointees—including attorney general nominee Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and labor secretary nominee Andy Puzder —throughout January."

" Labor Convergence on Climate being launched," stated via E-mail, http://uslaboragainstwar.org, "The climate change issue and our militarized foreign policy are inextricably linked. The Pentagon is the largest single consumer of fossil fuels, contributing 5% of the world's global warming emissions. Few entire countries use more oil than the Pentagon does. As Michael Eisenscher has said, there is not such thing as a sustainable planet run by the military-industrial complex.
          A new organization, The Labor Convergence on Climate, is being launched to bring together labor activists to fight the devastating effects of climate change and to ensure that the transition to a sustainable economy is not done at the expense of workers.
      

At last week's USLAW Steering Committee conference call, we voted to endorse the Mission Statement of the Labor Convergence on Climate ( click here to read the full statement.) Just as USLAW was formed to be the voice of labor within the peace movement and the voice for peace movement, we believe that the Labor Convergence on Climate can be the voice for workers within the climate justice movement and the voice for climate justice within the labor movement.

      Our Steering Committee is asking all USLAW affiliates to do two things:

(1) Ask your union to endorse the Mission Statement of the Labor Convergence on Climate; and
(2) Join the conference call on Wednesday, February 15 that will launch the organizing plan for the Labor Convergence on Climate.

USLAW Co-Convener John Braxton and I are both on the Steering Committee of the Labor Convergence on Climate. John will be taking the lead on the climate change work within USLAW. If you have questions or comments, please contact John at jwbraxton@gmail.com or at 215/796-4933.
      In Solidarity, Reece Chenault, National Coordinator, USLAW (U.S. Labor Against the War), US Labor Against the War, 1718 M St, NW #153,  Washington DC 20036, (202)521-5265."

Food and Water Watch, https://go.offfossilfuels.org/event/launch/100?source=map, on May 13, 2017, began " launching the OFF Fossil Fuels campaign to plan the next steps for how we protect our communities and stop the worst impacts of climate change," "in living rooms, coffee shops, and community centers across the country"  The events included a live stream from Washington, D.C., where they hear from climate leaders and share stories of people fighting back against the fossil fuel industry — and winning. The local gatherings also talked together about what's going on in their own communities and about next steps for action. Trainings, tools, and resources were provided for every team to move forward with its game plan.

Nika Knight, " 'We Exist, We Resist, We Rise': Thousands March for Native Nations: 'Standing Rock was just the beginning'," Common Dreams, Friday, March 10, 2017, http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/03/10/we-exist-we-resist-we-rise-thousands-march-native-nations, reported, " 'Water is life!' was the cry heard throughout Washington, D.C., on Friday as thousands of people filled the streets and marched for Indigenous rights and the sovereignty of native nations, demonstrating that the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline has sparked an ongoing movement.
       The Native Nations Rise march was the culmination of a week of workshops, actions , and prayers to battle for native rights in the face of the right-wing Trump administration and the ongoing #NoDAPL fight.
       The march began at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers headquarters and ended at Lafayette Square, in front of the White House. En route, demonstrators erected a tipi at the Trump Hotel to "reclaim stolen land":
      The march culminated in a rally at Lafayette Square. Indigenous people and protesters spoke, prayed, played music, and repeated calls for environmental justice, sovereignty, and a meeting between President Donald Trump and leaders of tribal nations.
      'Standing Rock was just the beginning,' said a journalist with Indigenous Rising Media, speaking to a plaintiff in one of the multiple lawsuits against the U.S. government for permitting the Dakota Access Pipeline's construction.
      A live broadcast of the march and rally can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/actdottv/. Throughout the day, participants and journalists are also posting photos and videos of the action under the hashtag #NativeNationsRise."

Nika Knight, "'We Are Still Here': Water Protectors Remain in Prayer, Brace for Mass Arrests: Police will begin arresting all water protectors at 2pm CST," Common Dreams , February 22, 2017, http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/02/22/we-are-still-here-water-protectors-remain-prayer-brace-mass-arrests, reported, "Water protectors standing against the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline are bracing for militarized police to descend on their protest camp near Cannon Ball, North Dakota, as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' evacuation deadline of 2pm CST Wednesday looms.
       Law enforcement has already surrounded the camp, preventing even members of the press from entering to cover the coming police raid.
      Chase Iron Eyes, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and civil rights advocate, said in a Facebook video that he was denied access to the Oceti Sakowin camp by 'a host of law enforcement officers from a variety of jurisdictions.'
      Iron Eyes also reported that the police force appears highly militarized, and that he witnessed 60 vehicles poised to encroach upon the camp. A police officer from the North Dakota Highway Patrol told Reveal reporter Jenni Monet that the Army Corps gave law enforcement the "authority" to use force.
       The Morton County Sheriff's Department, which will be enforcing the evacuation order, has come under harsh criticism for its past brutal treatment of water protectors.
       Despite the forces lined up against them, the water protectors—as well as U.S. military veterans who traveled to North Dakota to protect them—are remaining strong in their peaceful resistance to the pipeline, uniting for prayer ceremonies and a planned prayer march before the expected mass arrests.
      'We are clearly in a historic and very spiritual time,' Iron Eyes said. 'Some would call it a time of prophecy.'
      Indigenous rights group Honor the Earth released a video of water protectors 'singing one last time,' hours before the evacuation deadline:
      Water protectors are also ceremonially burning sacred dwellings and ritual items, which police have reportedly thrown away or destroyed in the past, Indigenous Rising Media notes. '[I]t is best to burn these scared structures instead of having them desecrated by Morton County and North Dakota law enforcement,' the Indigenous outlet writes.
      While the protest camp faces destruction, the Standing Rock Sioux's lawsuit against the Army Corps for approving the final easement for the pipeline is still moving through the courts. A hearing in which a federal judge will consider an injunction against the Army Corps is scheduled for February 27. The Oglala Sioux of South Dakota filed a separate suit against the Army Corps last week."

Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman David Archambault II,  council member Dana Yellow Fat, and Alayna Eagle Shield, a water protector who taught school at the camps, were all aquitted of charges of disorderly conduct, on May 31, 2017, in court in Bismark, ND, having been arrested protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline, August 12, 2017 ("Archambault Acquitted on DAPL Charges," ICMN, June 2, 2017, https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/news/native-news/archambault-acquitted-dapl/).

"GlobalPrayer Action: United We Rise Up Flood the Banks," UNIFY, January 17, 2017, www.GlobalPrayerAction.com, announced, "Standing Rock is still standing strong through freezing temperatures, bravely holding the prayer for our water, our earth and our children's future - And they need our help.
       You are invited to join a global synchronbized Prayer Action on January 28 to carry the prayer from Standing Rock to Banks World Wide
       The Global Prayer Action is carrying the prayer and request from Standing Rock to the steps of the Banks around the World who are funding Oil Pipelines, sending a clear message of solidarity and demand for change - The frontline is now everywhere.
      There will be a live prayer broadcast shared from Standing Rock camp - a prayer for all water, for all life - led by indigenous elders. You can join from wherever you are!
      This is an opportunity to be a part of history by uniting our global community to support the water protectors at Standing Rock through local actions at banks."
      "At UNIFY we share virtual and in-person transformational experiences that support your most passionate, peaceful, purposeful, and amazing life.
      We also organize global synchronized meditations and days of social action. We now have more than 7,500 organizers that bring their communities together for campaigns we launch on Peace Day, Earth Day, Water Day, and more."

"The Indigenous Environmental Network Responds to Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Resolution to Clear Camps in 30 Days," Indigenous Environmental Network, January 21, 2017, https://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1412865144, stated, "On January 20th the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council passed a resolution to clear all three camps located on the banks of the Cannonball River, Oceti Sakowin Camp, Rose Bud Camp and Sacred Stone Camp. The vote passed 12-1.
         Chairman David Archambault stated in an interview with Jenni Monet of Indian Country Media Network that the resolution came from the Tribe’s concern that recent actions on the Backwater Bridge may negatively influence the environmental impact statement (EIS) process that the tribe and Water Protectors worked so hard to get.
         The following is a statement from Tom Goldtooth, the executive director of the Indigenous Environmental Network:
         'Our network respects the decision of the Cannon Ball district and the tribal council of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. We fully understand the strain the camps have had on the local Cannon Ball community and the tribe. This action is timely because of the imminent peril of the camp being in a floodplain with record snow in the region that will melt causing the river to flood the camp. Vacating the camp does not mean abandoning the resistance. We will continue to support the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to strategically halt the Dakota Access Pipeline from risking the contamination of the Missouri River. There are multiple pressure points to accomplish this. We are part of a national coalition effectively defunding DAPL by getting banks to divest their funding of the pipeline and getting bank account holders to withdraw their money. With the Trump administration in office now, the bigger picture requires all Water Protectors and Native Nations to be in solidarity to insure treaty rights, environmental laws and the preservation of historical and cultural resources and sacred sites are fully recognized and protected.'"

"Indigenous Environmental Network Responds to Acting Secretary of Army Corps’ Recommendation to Issue DAPL Easement," Indigenous Environmental Network, January 31, 2017, https://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1412877004, reported and commented, " Today Robert Speer, acting Secretary of the Army Corp of Engineers, directed the Corps to proceed with the easement to complete the Dakota Access Pipeline. While this is not an official grant of the easement, it does indicate that the Corps will disregard the Environmental Impact Statement that was ordered by the Obama Administration and completion of the controversial pipeline could begin as soon this week.
      The following is a statement from the Indigenous Environmental Network: 'We are disgusted but not surprised by the Secretary of the Army’s decision to recommend the easement on the Dakota Access Pipeline. Instead of following proper legal procedure and completing the Environmental Impact Study, the Army has chosen to escalate an already tense situation, go against their own processes, and potentially put peoples in harm's way.
         We are falling into a dangerous place where the United States government makes up its own rules. We know the Trump Administration stands to gain from this project, the President of United States is an investor himself, and their actions reveal a blatant disregard for the rule of law and a clear interest in lining their own pockets. This decision follows Trump’s unfortunate attacks on immigrants, women, and the press. Now he is working even harder to attack sovereign tribal nations and historic treaties.
         Trump and his climate denying cabinet are clearly doing what is best for their businesses and are willing to put profit before human rights and the environment. But make no mistake: we are prepared to mobilize and resist this brazen power grab.'”

Deirdre Fulton, 'This Is the #NoDAPL Last Stand': Tribe to Sue as Actions Planned Nationwide: 'We are a sovereign nation and we will fight to protect our water and sacred places from the brazen private interests trying to push this pipeline through,' says Standing Rock Sioux tribe," Common Dreams , February 08, 2017, http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/02/08/nodapl-last-stand-tribe-sue-actions-planned-nationwide, reported, " And with actions planned nationwide on Wednesday, the administration won't get off in the court of public opinion, either.
       'The drinking water of millions of Americans is now at risk,' said Dave Archambault II, chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, following the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' announcement (pdf) that it would give the official go-ahead within 24 hours. 'We are a sovereign nation and we will fight to protect our water and sacred places from the brazen private interests trying to push this pipeline through to benefit a few wealthy Americans with financial ties to the Trump administration.'
      In granting the easement, the Army Corps halted (pdf) the preparation of an environmental review ordered by the Obama administration. The Standing Rock tribe, which says DAPL threatens its clean water supply and violates Indigenous treaty rights, pledged to 'challenge any easement decision on the grounds that the [environmental impact statement, or EIS] was wrongfully terminated.'
      'Trump's reversal of that decision continues a historic pattern of broken promises to Indian tribes and unlawful violation of treaty rights,' added Jan Hasselman of Earthjustice, lead attorney for the tribe. 'They will be held accountable in court.'
       Other next steps, according to the Standing Rock statement, include asking the court for DAPL-operator Energy Transfer Partners ''to disclose its oil spill and risk assessment records for full transparency and review by the public,' and, "if DAPL is successful in constructing and operating the pipeline, the tribe will seek to shut the pipeline operations down.'
       'The granting of an easement, without any environmental review or tribal consultation, is not the end of this fight—it is the new beginning."
       —Tom Goldtooth, Indigenous Environmental Network
      The tribe is not alone in its outrage. Multiple environmental groups voiced their opposition to the decision, while Democratic members of the House and Senate natural resources committees wrote a letter to President Donald Trump expressing their own dismay.
      'This blatant disregard for federal law and our country's treaty and trust responsibilities to Native American tribes is unacceptable,' the lawmakers wrote. 'We strongly oppose this decision and any efforts to undermine tribal rights. We urge you to immediately reverse this decision and follow the appropriate procedures required for tribal consultation, environmental law, and due process.' Signatories included Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), as well as Reps. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Donald Beyer (D-Va.).
      Grijalva, ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee, also issued a separate statement: "Before the Women's March and before thousands of people protested at airports, the Standing Rock Sioux and their allies were camping in the freezing cold to defend their rights," he said. 'The Obama Administration heard those concerns and agreed to take a step back; this Administration is ignoring them. In his first few weeks in office our new president has built a resume of discrimination, falsehoods, and sloppy work, and now the decision to trample the sovereignty of our First Americans is the latest entry on a growing list of shameful actions.'
      A protest in front of the White House is planned for 5:00pm Wednesday, along with more than 30 actions taking place around the country on what the Indigenous Coalition at Standing Rock has dubbed 'an international day of emergency actions to disrupt business as usual and unleash a global intersectional resistance to fossil fuels and fascism'
      'This is the #NoDAPL last stand,' the group declared online."
      "'Donald Trump will not build his Dakota Access Pipeline without a fight,' said Tom Goldtooth of the Indigenous Environmental Network. 'The granting of an easement, without any environmental review or tribal consultation, is not the end of this fight—it is the new beginning. Expect mass resistance far beyond what Trump has seen so far.'
      Goldtooth continued:
      The granting of this easement goes against protocol, it goes against legal process, it disregards more than 100,000 comments already submitted as part of the not-yet-completed environmental review process—all for the sake of Donald Trump's billionaire big oil cronies. And, it goes against the treaty rights of the entire Seven Councils Fires of the Sioux Nations.
      Donald Trump has not met with a single Native nation since taking office. Our tribal nations and Indigenous grassroots peoples on the frontlines have had no input on this process. We support the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, and stand with them at this troubling time.
      In addition, a Native Nations March on Washington is in the works for March 10. 'Our fight is no longer at the North Dakota site itself," said Archambault. "Our fight is with Congress and the Trump administration. Meet us in Washington on March 10.'
       An energetic divestment campaign, urging banks to pull their funding for the controversial project, is also gaining steam.
      On that front , the Seattle City Council voted 9-0 on Tuesday to cut banking ties with Wells Fargo because of its role as a DAPL lender. 'People might argue that Seattle's $3 billion account is just a blip on the radar for Wells Fargo, but this movement is poised to scale up,' Hugh MacMillan, a senior researcher at Food & Water Watch, told YES! Magazine. "I think you'll see more cities following Seattle's lead.'"

350.org reported, April 29, 2017, https://www.facebook.com/350.org/posts/10155301358802708?utm_medium=email&utm_source=actionkit, that on that day's People's Climate March in Washington D.C., 200,000 people took to the streets for climate, jobs and justice, while hundreds of climate Marches were held round the U.S. and across the world.

Following the Trump administration's approval of the Keystone Pipeline, "Nebraskan Landowners Resist Keystone XL By Refusing to Sell Their Property to TransCanada," The RealNews Network, March 27, 2017, http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=18742, reported, "Retired school teacher and farmer Art Tanderup says he and nearly a hundred other landowners are pushing the Public Service Commission in Nebraska to deny permits for the pipeline."

Alex Hamer, "Ramapough Told by Town to Dismantle Pipeline Protest Camp: Standing Rock–style Ramapough encampment under siege from surrounding Mahwah, New Jersey, May 17, 2017, https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/news/native-news/ramapough-told-dismantle-pipeline-protest-camp/, reported, "The New Jersey town of Mahwah has issued an ultimatum to the Ramapough Lenape Nation, ordering the tribe to take down the tipis it has assembled on its land in opposition to the Pilgrim Pipeline, which would bring Bakken crude from Albany to refineries in southern New Jersey.
      The town has ordered the tribe “to immediately remove any and all structures located on the Property that were constructed in violation of the Township’s Zoning Ordinance,” WPIX News reported on May 12.
      Tribal members have been opposing the 178-mile-long pipeline with the Split Rock Sweetwater Prayer Camp since October 2016 on 13 acres of Ramapough land within Mahwah. But rather than earn the type of support that poured in for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), the Ramapough have garnered the ire of the surrounding community—even though, News reported in December, the town also opposes Pilgrim."

Greg Harman, "Water Protectors Fight Trans-Pecos Pipeline in West Texas: Standing Rock inspires escalation and arrests at Energy Transfer Partners’ west Texas pipeline," ICTMN, February 1, 201, https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/news/native-news/water-protectors-fight-trans-pecos-pipeline-west-texas/, reported, "In recent weeks, a small but steady stream of water protectors have begun to travel to western Texas to join escalating efforts to stop Energy Transfer Partners’ (ETP) Trans-Pecos Pipeline."

"17 States Raise Hell Over Clean Power Plan, Climate Nexus, EcoWatch, April 9, 2017, http://www.ecowatch.com/states-challenge-clean-power-plan-2347483971.html, reported, " The group of 17 states which backed the Clean Power Plan filed a legal challenge Wednesday urging the DC Circuit Court of Appeals to ignore the Trump administration's request to stay legal proceedings in the Clean Power Plan suit.
       The challenge alleges that the federal government has a responsibility to regulate emissions from power plants and that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 'vague' plans to review the Clean Power Plan could cause an 'indefinite delay' in the process."
       "Environmental groups, including the Environmental Defense Fund and the Natural Resources Defense Council , filed a similar brief Wednesday, saying the delay 'would have the effect of improperly suspending the rule without review by any court, without any explanation and without mandatory administrative process. The agency cannot be allowed to accomplish through abeyance something it cannot do on its own: an indefinite suspension of a duly promulgated rule without judicial review, without a notice and comment rulemaking and without any reasoned explanation.'
      The coalition of states includes attorneys general from California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington—along with the District of Columbia and other smaller localities."

Nichlolas St. Fleur, "Scientists, Feeling Under Siege, March Against Trump Policies," The New York Times, April 22, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/22/science/march-for-science.html, reported, " Thousands of scientists and their supporters, feeling increasingly threatened by the policies of President Trump, gathered Saturday in Washington under rainy skies for what they called the March for Science, abandoning a tradition of keeping the sciences out of politics and calling on the public to stand up for scientific enterprise."
       Hundreds of similar events demanding the government respect and apply good science were held around the U.S. in support of the D.C. March for Science, April 22.

Climate Truth.org, March 4, 2017, reported, " Climate and EPA science are under attack. But, scientists, science advocates, and frontline communities will not sit idly by.
      We're raising our voices and resisting! On February 19, ClimateTruth.org joined The Natural History Museum, scientists, and others to organize a #StandUpForScience rally in Boston. The rally was timed with the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of the first major gatherings of scientists since Inauguration Day.
       Thousands of scientists, advocates, and community members joined to say it loud and clear: We must stand up for science. The New York Times live-streamed the rally, and hundreds of news outlets across the world covered it!
       Watch this short video to hear the inspiring voices from the #StandUpForScience rally, then share to keep growing the movement: http://act.climatetruth.org/sign/standupforscience_bostonrallyvideo/?t=1&akid=6308.53108.Fp5XUT."

The First Nation's people living near the construction site of the giant Muskrat Falls hydroelectric dam have been vehemently protesting its construction, because all over Canada the reservoirs behind dams build up high levels of methyl mercury, poisoning people who eat fish and game downstream (Ian Austen, "Canada’s Clean Energy Might Not Be So Clean," The New York Times, November 23, 2016).

The current government of Myanmar, at the beginning of April 2017, was faced with a difficult decision about whether or not to cancel the $3.6 billion Myitsone Dam project, for which China has already dispersed $800 million. It is among the largest of many Chinese-financed energy and mining projects approved by the military government that ruled Myanmar until 2011. If completed, it would be first dam on the Irrawaddy River, the mythic cradle of civilization for Myanmar’s ethnic Burman majority. The project would force thousands of people to move and would cause serious environmental and economic damage as it disrupted river ecosystems and fish reproduction, an important source of food and livelihood.
      China would likely be angry about the cancelation of the dam, with 90% of its electric power generation scheduled to be exported to it. This would likely have repercussions on economic and diplomatic relations, including making it more difficult for the government to conclude peace agreements with ethnic groups in the North of Myanmar. One possible alternative is for the government of Myanmar to offer to have China build dams elsewhere in the country. But such projects would offer similar ecological, economic and hence political difficulties for the country and the government, while complicating relations with the ethnic groups in whose lands the projects would be developed (Mike Ives, "A Chinese-Backed Dam Project Leaves Myanmar in a Bind," The New York Times, March 31, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/31/world/asia/myanmar-china-myitsone-dam-project.html).

Wild Earth Guardians, "Coexistence not Poisons on Public Lands," April 6, 2017, www.wildearthguardians.org, reported, " In the past few weeks alone, three tragedies involving use of indiscriminate poisons on our public lands should give pause to every American. A few weeks ago, a young boy was harmed and the family dog killed by a cyanide bomb placed on public land by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s animal damage control agency. Five days earlier, two families recreating on public lands in Wyoming watched two of their family dogs die after the animals detonated cyanide devices. And two weeks before those incidents, a wolf was killed in Oregon by the same type of device.
       These three recent incidents are exactly why extremely dangerous M-44 cyanide bombs, and other indiscriminate tools like traps and poisons that are deployed to kill wildlife, often targeting majestic native carnivores like wolves and coyotes, should not be placed on our public lands.
      It would be a mistake to call these tragedies accidents. It’s not an accident if federal employees are knowingly placing deadly devices where children and companion animals play; that’s extreme and inexcusable negligence.
      This should be, and I believe is, a bipartisan issue. While liberals and conservatives may disagree about wolves, can’t we all agree on public safety issues that affect our children and family companion animals? Is it going to take the death of a child before the public takes action to prevent the regular and reckless damage caused by these practices? Sadly, this very well could happen.
      The essential questions are these: how precise are these “cyanide bombs” and how effective are they at accomplishing their stated goals? Consider this— more than 50,000 non-target animals have been killed in this or similar ways. If the USDA has failed 50,000 times regarding animals, how long before an unsuspecting child is the victim?
      But we can make it stop.
       WildEarth Guardians is intensifying our End the War on Wildlife campaign to mobilize more popular support to secure local, state and federal action to end the barbaric, indiscriminate killing. Just last week Congressman Peter DeFazio introduced a bill in Congress to ban predator poisons on our public lands.
      And earlier this week w e filed a lawsuit to force Wildlife Services to stop using cyanide bombs. Last week we filed a petition with the USDA seeking to prohibit their use in Idaho. I strongly believe that the American people firmly support an end to cruelty against our majestic wildlife, and I am absolutely convinced that every American is opposed to actions that threaten their children."

Climate Truth.org, March4, 2017, reported, " Climate and EPA science are under attack. But, scientists, science advocates, and frontline communities will not sit idly by.
      We're raising our voices and resisting! On February 19, ClimateTruth.org joined The Natural History Museum, scientists, and others to organize a #StandUpForScience rally in Boston. The rally was timed with the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of the first major gatherings of scientists since Inauguration Day.
       Thousands of scientists, advocates, and community members joined to say it loud and clear: We must stand up for science. The New York Times live-streamed the rally, and hundreds of news outlets across the world covered it!
       Watch this short video to hear the inspiring voices from the #StandUpForScience rally, then share to keep growing the movement: http://act.climatetruth.org/sign/standupforscience_bostonrallyvideo/?t=1&akid=6308.53108.Fp5XUT."

Greenpeace reported, May 15, 2917, https://engage.us.greenpeace.org/onlineactions/dKCpu8jt-EikyPe5OeWQ2g2?emci=dc1b52ce-3121-e711-80c3-000d3a104dcd, "Greenpeace is under attack.
       Resolute Forest Products, a multi-billion-dollar logging company, has targeted Greenpeace in a series of meritless lawsuits in order to silence us. Resolute’s aim is to overwhelm us in litigation, peeling away our focus and resources from environmental fights by tying us up in court.
       These targeted lawsuits are not just about our work to protect the boreal forest, but are a well-funded and planned assault on Greenpeace—with every intention to shut us down."
      "This is one of the greatest threats Greenpeace has faced since our founding more than 45 years ago, but it’s also bigger than just us.
      Resolute’s lawsuits would set a dangerous precedent and would undermine advocacy and speech throughout civil society. If it succeeds, the cases will set a terrifying precedent and encourage corporations around the world to silence civil society with money and lawyers.
       Not only could it be the end of Greenpeace, but corporations across all industries and sectors could be emboldened to go after all kinds of advocacy organizations to silence their critics. If Resolute wins, you can expect corporate polluters to follow suit, for sure."

Carbon Fund (https://carbonfund.org/earth-day-ecotour-vacation-sweepstakes/) ran an "Earth Day 2017 Eco Tour Vacation Sweepstakes with one chance for each $1 tree-planting donation made to it, while running programs for individuals and businesses to reduce and offset carbon emissions.

Olivia Bradley, "THE MENOMINEE NATION TAKES ON THE BACK FORTY MINE PROJECT," Cultural Survival, May 05, 2017, https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/menominee-nation-takes-back-forty-mine-project, reported, " The Menominee Nation is working tirelessly to spread the word about its NoBack40 Initiative , which aims to combat the Back Forty Mine Project - a project threatening sacred land and the environment, in particular the Menominee River.
       The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin has lived in Wisconsin and parts of Michigan and Illinois for 10,000 years. They previously lived on over 10 million acres of land, but treaties dating back to the 1800’s have reduced this to 235,000 acres. In the 1950’s, Congress passed the Menominee Termination Act, which withheld federal recognition of the Tribe. Federal recognition was reinstated in 1973 when, after years of activism by the Menominee Nation, the Menominee Restoration Act was passed.
      The Menominee Tribe includes five communities, Keshena, Neopit, Middle Village, Zoar, and South Branch. The Menominee Nation’s cultural and spiritual connection to the Menominee River goes back thousands of years, to their creation story. The Menominee have no migration story because their creation story begins at the headwaters of the Menominee River. The first Menominee was created when the Ancestral Bear came out of the Menominee River and became human. An Eagle joined the Bear, and so on until the five main clans (Bear, Eagle, Wolf, Moose, and Crane) were formed. Today, the Menominee’s reservation is only sixty minutes from their ancestral place of creation. Clearly, the Menominee River has vital cultural significance for the Menominee People as the birthplace of their people and Nation.
      However , the mine does not only threaten the river. The banks of the river are home to miles of complex raised garden beds, ancient village sites, burial sites, and other sacred sites. There is a concentration of these sites at the Sixty Island area where the proposed mine would be located. The construction of the mine could destroy these raised beds, which are historically important to understanding the techniques used to grow corn and other agricultural plants at that latitude. It could also destroy nearby sites of worship and burial mounds. The river has sacred cultural significance, as well as ecological and environmental importance.
      According to Starlyn Tourtillott, an assistant tribal attorney for the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin, the Back Forty Mine Project would be, if materialized, an open pit sulfide mine that would extract zinc, copper, gold and silver. It is run by Aquila Resources Inc., a Canadian company, which has spent 10 years and more than $70 million trying to advance this harmful project. The mine would be located only 150 feet from the Menominee River. This is culturally and environmentally troubling. The Back Forty Mine Project needs four permits to begin its construction. It has already been granted three - the Nonferrous Metallic Mineral Mining Permit, the Michigan Air Use Permit to Install, and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit. It still requires a Wetland Permit.
      NoBack40 in an initiative by the Menominee Nation to oppose the Back Forty Mine Project. Its goal is to raise public awareness about the mine project and mobilize support among the public, political leaders, and environmental groups to oppose the mine.
      The environmental concerns for the mining project are rooted in fears of water contamination - which is a concern of both the Menominee Tribe and a concern of citizens of Michigan and Wisconsin. While the proposed mine site is located in Michigan, the Menominee River is all that separates the two states, prompting counties like Marinette, WI to pass resolutions in opposition to the mine. The minerals will not only be extracted from the mine, but also processed there, a mere 150 feet from the river, which increases the risk of contamination and pollution. It is a sulfide mine and the risk of sulfuric acid reaching the river is high. Sulfuric acid is dangerous to wildlife, local vegetation, and humans if it seeps into the freshwater river, nearby lakes and streams, or groundwater. Since the Menominee River is a part of the larger Great Lakes ecosystem, the potential consequences of the mining project are far-reaching to communities and people who depend on it for fresh water. The Great Lakes are the largest surface freshwater system on Earth - only the polar ice caps contain more fresh water. The Great Lakes represent 21% of the world’s fresh surface water and 84% of North America’s fresh surface water. The Great Lakes and its tributaries, including the Menominee River, are relied upon for clean water, religious practices, fishing, economic development, agriculture, and tourism. Additionally, both the Escanaba State Forest Shakey Lakes Oak-Pine Barrens Ecological Reference Area and the proposed site of the Biodiversity Stewardship Area are near the proposed site of the mine and could face ecological consequences as well.
      On February 24, 2017 the Menominee Nation filed a petition for a contested case hearing on the Mine Permit issued to Aquila in December 2016 by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Gary Besaw, Menominee Tribal Chairman, said that 'The MDEQ and Aquila Resources Inc. are well aware of the Menominee Indian Tribe’s close cultural connection to this area and our serious concern in regards to our cultural resources….despite these valid and well documented concerns a full evaluation of the cultural resources and mounds threatened by this project never occurred.' The cultural significance of the burial bounds to the Menominee has been confirmed by the University of Michigan in conjunction with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.
       American Rivers , an advocacy organization for the protection and restoration of rivers in the United States, recently released an updated list of the most endangered rivers in America. Menominee River was number 10 because of the sulfide mine. American Rivers writes: 'Acid mine drainage could cause irreversible harm to the river’s clean water and fish and wildlife.' It also explains that “The Menominee River is simply not the place for a risky mine, and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality must deny the Canadian mining company’s permit.” The Menominee are not alone in their efforts to stop the Back Forty Mine Project. Seven other local Native American tribes, non-Indigenous communities living near the river, and the Superior Watershed Partnership have all expressed their dissent toward the project.
       Front 40 is a 501(c)(3) non-profit in Michigan which has also been fighting the Back Forty Mining Project since 2003. “It is the principal objective of the Front 40 Environmental Group to ensure that metallic sulfide mining operations are not allowed to adversely impact our rivers, lakes, groundwater, and lands.' They aim to do this by raising public awareness for the mining project and the economic and environmental reasons for opposing it.
       The Mining Action Group , previously known as Save the Wild UP, is another grassroots organization that aims to protect clean water in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It has also spoken out about Aquila’s Back Forty Project, especially since Aquila started submitting its permit applications in 2015. They recognize both the environmental and the cultural concerns of the mine, stating that 'The mouth of the Menominee River is the origin place of the Menominee people and forms the basis of Menominee origin stories, traditions, and tribal identity.” And as such, the mine “is poised to destroy cultural resources of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin.;
      To help the Menominee Nation in their fight against Aquila Resources Inc. and the Back Forty Mine Project, visit NoBack40’s website or Facebook page for more information."

Kate Kupidonova , "ONE YEAR AFTER GAINING PROTECTED STATUS, PREY LANG FOREST STILL IN DANGER." Cultural Survival, June 1, 2017, https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/one-year-after-gaining-protected-status-prey-lang-forest-still-danger, reported, " Cambodia continues to be a playground for large-scale timber looting schemes in Prey Lang forest, despite promises to crack down by the government. In early 2016 Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen issued a ban on all timber export in an attempt to reduce the devastating rates of illegal logging in the country. On 8 May, 2017 London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) delivered a report revealing the fact that the ban, apparently, did not bring any major change to the situation in which Vietnamese looters bribe Cambodian officials to continue smuggling timber across the border and subsequently selling it to Europe. Prey Lang is the largest primary lowland forest in the region, and home to over 200,000 Indigenous Kuy peoples who steward and protect the forest and use it sustainably.
      After sustained lobbying by community organizers, large parts of Prey Lang forest were classified as a protected area by Prime Minister Hun Sen in May of 2016, with the stated attempt to curb illegal logging. But the recent report states that the illegal logging spans the enormous territories within the established Community Protected Areas (CPAs), Cambodia’s national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. Import of illegal timber between Vietnam and Cambodia has been carried out since at least 1986. The report preceded the anticipated agreement between Vietnam and the European Union meant to adequately safeguard the export of exclusively legal timber from Vietnam. Yet, experts say that the agreement is doomed to come out incomplete and inaccurate due to Vietnam’s consistent neglect of growing illegal timber smuggling from Cambodia, despite the ban.
      In this context t he Kuy peoples’ struggles for forest preservation are met with sustained repression on the part of institutions and corporations sustaining long-term crime schemes. Chut Wutty, Indigenous Kuy environmental defender fighting against illegal logging and land theft, was killed in Koh Kong province in 2012 at the age of 46. A founder of National Resource Protection Group (NRPG) and Prey Lang Community Network (PLCN), Wutty was one of the most dedicated forest protectors, envisioning a better future for his community, their home, the Prey Lang forest, one of Cambodia’s national treasures.
      Wutty’s relatives say his activities drew the attention of timber corporations motivated to silence people like him. According to official eyewitness accounts, the military police and security guards working for Timbergreen Company came into conflict with Wutty by stopping his car, verbally abusing him and demanding he gives them the photo materials collected at the Timbergreen site. The Timbergreen Company had been developing the construction of Russey Chrum hydropower dam empowered by the government’s permit to cut down the Veal Bei forest grounds. Wutty died from gunshots released by the military officer. To this day, the investigation results on Wutty’s death are strikingly insufficient. Wutty’s son, Cheuy Oudom Reaksmey, is determined to find out who was the organizer behind his father’s killing. In seeking justice for his father, Reaksmey expresses hope that ‘there is no secret in this world’ and there is a chance to bring light to the case. Wutty is just one of many Kuy activists that have been violently targeted for their work. In 2016 Phorn Sopheak, a young Prey Lang Community Network activist, was viciously attacked by a stranger with an axe while routinely patrolling the Prey Lang forest. Sopheak’s leg was seriously injured, but one year later, police have still not taken action in investigating the case and finding the culprit. Sopheak expresses her concern about police’s inaction: “This worries me. If the authorities don’t act to investigate attacks like these, what will then happen in the future to my fellow PLCN members?”
      Meanwhile , National Police of Cambodia made a bold move on 16 May, 2017, by putting forward the accusations against one of the most influential Cambodian businessmen, Kith Meng. Allegedly, Meng’s subsidiary company, Ang & Associates Lawyers, is suspected in covering timber laundering with official license to fulfill a dam project. The tycoon, notoriously known as ‘Mr Rough Stuff’ , has built a wide network of connections allowing him to conceal illegal activities and operations.
       It is uncertain whether any legal consequences will follow after the police’s statement. Meng appears to be strongly supported by Cambodia’s Prime Minister and other prominent figures in the country. Upon request by Southeast Asia Globe, Kith Meng refused to give any commentaries on the police report. Both the National Police and the Interior Ministry spokespeople also withheld their comments.
       Despite the lack of reaction and immediate action from government structures and individuals involved in the issue, EIA’s findings on illegal timber looting operations between Cambodia and Vietnam could become a powerful information tool for environmental activists, policymakers, and consumer markets.
      Meanwhile, Prey Lang Community Network’s activists continue to monitor and patrol their forest to protect against illegal logging. In what might be indicative of a reduction in illegal logging, they have observed a reduction in the number of illegal logging instances in recent months compared to the same time last year."

U.S. Activities

The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), "Tribal Leaders Vote on Resolution Supporting the Paris Climate Agreement at NCAI Mid Year," June 15, 2017, http://www.ncai.org/news/articles/2017/06/15/tribal-leaders-vote-on-resolution-supporting-the-paris-climate-agreement-at-ncai-mid-year, "Today, tribal leaders gathered and adopted a resolution supporting the Paris Climate Agreement during the closing general assembly at the NCAI 2017 Mid Year Conference & Marketplace.
      'As the indigenous people of this land, it is our sacred obligation to mother earth to respect and protect her,' said NCAI President Brian Cladoosby. ‘Our communities are on the front lines of climate change and are facing relocation in some areas, and the loss of hunting and fishing ecosystems and traditional plants and medicines in others.'
      Indigenous peoples in the United States and around the world depend on the health of their ecosystems and natural resources for social, economic, and cultural vitality. Climate change threatens to destroy indigenous ways of life that have been sustained for thousands of years.
      Resolution MOH-17-053: “Continued Support for the Paris Climate Agreement and Action to Address Climate Change” was adopted unanimously today by NCAI Membership. MOH-17-053 commits to supporting and advocating for initiatives that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote climate resiliency, and calls on all tribal Nations to uphold the Paris Agreement.
      At the end of 2015, representatives from NCAI and many tribal nations participated in negotiations with the parties to the United Nations Framework on Convention on Climate Change in Paris. Reaching a universally binding agreement to address climate change, the agreement represented a global step forward.
      'The Paris Climate Agreement is an important step toward a better future for our seven generations to come,' said NCAI President Brian Cladoosby. 'Indigenous knowledge is a proven tool in addressing climate change and our tribal leaders represented today are committed to sharing that knowledge as leaders in the global effort to address climate change.'
      The Paris Climate Agreement resolution was joined by a suite of 36 resolutions passed by the NCAI Membership at the Mid Year Conference. All text of the resolutions will be available on the NCAI website starting next week at http://www.ncai.org/resources/resolutions-home."

NCAI, "Standing Rock Claims Confirmed – Justice Demands Tribes Rights are Respected," June 14, 2017, http://www.ncai.org/news/articles/2017/06/14/standing-rock-claims-confirmed-justice-demands-tribes-rights-are-respected, stated, The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) congratulates the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes on their successful defense of their lands and waters against the harms of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), and all of the Tribal Nations who supported their efforts.
      'This case is not over but today’s decision demonstrates what tribal leaders have said from the beginning,' said NCAI President Brian Cladoosby. 'These projects must include tribes early in the process so the negative impacts to our lands, waters, and sacred places can be avoided. Environmental justice demands that the rights of tribes are respected.'
      Today's justice for the Missouri River tribes has reinforced the policies, treaties, and statutes upholding the legal obligation the United States has to tribes in their government-to-government relationship. Many Tribes are facing projects with similar impacts. Tribal Nations have governmental responsibilities to protect their people and advance their welfare.
      The United States is obligated to ensure that the benefits of infrastructure development are fully shared by Tribes and that the burdens of infrastructure projects do not fall disproportionately on Tribal communities, lands, or resources."

NCAI, " NCAI Condemns President Trump’s Derogatory Use of 'Pocahontas' Name in Political Attack," May 3, 2017, http://www.ncai.org/news/articles/2017/05/03/ncai-condemns-president-trump-s-derogatory-use-of-pocahontas-name-in-political-attack, stated, "Today, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), the oldest, largest, and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization in the country, condemned President Donald Trump’s derogatory use of the name “Pocahontas” in attacking a political opponent during a speech to the National Rifle Association (NRA) last Thursday.
      'In the next election, you are going to be swamped with candidates, but you’re not going to be wasting your time…It may be Pocahontas, remember that,' said President Trump during his NRA address, referring to Senator Elizabeth Warren. While campaigning for president in 2016, candidate Trump also invoked the name of the well-known historical Native figure to belittle Warren. In fact, the cultural misappropriation of Native American cultures and traditions unfortunately was a common occurrence during the 2016 election season, with multiple attacks by candidates and their surrogates during debates, rallies, and live broadcast appearances. As an example, radio personality Howie Carr conducted a war whoop while on the podium at a presidential rally.
      'NCAI is a bi-partisan organization that works equitably with both sides of the political aisle, and it is not our common practice to comment on the partisan name calling that has come to dominate American politics,' said NCAI Executive Director Jacqueline Pata. “But we cannot and will not stand silent when our Native ancestors, cultures, and histories are used in a derogatory manner for political gain.”
      Pocahontas was a real person who to this day holds significant value to her family and her tribe, the Pamunkey Indian Tribe in Virginia. The Pamunkey struck a treaty with the British Crown in the 1600s, and just last year were officially recognized as a federally recognized tribe by the U.S. government after a decades-long struggle. The name of Pocahontas should not be used as a slur, and it is inappropriate for anyone to use her name in a disparaging manner.
      'With the election long over, we hoped that President Trump would refrain from using this name as a pejorative term and other such terms that insult Native peoples and degrade their cultures in order to score political points,' said NCAI President Brian Cladoosby. 'We hope that this was but a momentary slip-up, and that it is not indicative of how this Administration intends to treat and work with Indian Country moving forward'.”

NCAI. " NCAI Protests Army Corps Decision to Issue Easement for Dakota Access Pipeline, Urges Changes to Infrastructure Permitting Process," February 8, 2017, http://www.ncai.org/news/articles/2017/02/08/ncai-protests-army-corps-decision-to-issue-easement-for-dakota-access-pipeline-urges-changes-to-infrastructure-permitting-process, stated, "The Army Corps of Engineers provided notice to Congress yesterday that it intends to issue the easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline, and to terminate its study of alternative routes and effects on tribal treaty rights. The decision is based on President Trump’s January 24 Presidential Memorandum ordering the Army Corps to expedite the issuance of the easement.
      'We stand with Standing Rock and all of the Missouri River Tribal Nations,' said NCAI President Brian Cladoosby. 'I am particularly concerned about the impact on treaty rights. The Army Corps has already made a determination that the pipeline crossing affects treaty rights, and that more study and consultation with tribes is required. The Corps may not change this decision without providing a rationale for why the DAPL easement no longer threatens treaty rights. Treaties are the supreme law of the land. To suddenly change the decision and issue the easement after already starting the legal process of preparing an Environmental Impact Statement is arbitrary and capricious.'
      Cladoosby also called on federal agencies to include tribes in the process for infrastructure permitting. 'We need to fix the process going forward. This is going into another round of litigation and nobody is getting what they want. Ignoring tribal rights creates huge delays and cost overruns in any infrastructure project. Indian tribes are not opposed to infrastructure, we need roads and bridges and schools and hospitals just like everyone else. But tribes need to be respected as governments, and the process for siting infrastructure has to take our rights and interests into account. We see great results when tribes are involved early in the planning process, and we can make sure to protect tribal lands, treaty rights, and cultural resources. Tribes are good business partners, but we have to be at the table.'
       Next steps will include litigation to uphold tribal rights. NCAI urges all tribes and the public to support Standing Rock, which you can do on the tribal website at http://standingrock.org/ .

The Tohono O'odham  Nation is split by the U.S. Mexican border. Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan, "‘The Border Wall Would Destroy a Lot of Families’: Tohono O’odham protest Trump’s proposed border wall outside Sen. McCain’s office," ICTMN,March 29, 2017, https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/news/native-news/border-wall-destroy-lot-families/, reported, "Protestors stood outside Arizona Senator John McCain’s Phoenix office on Thursday, March 23 with signs and flags to express their opposition against President Trump’s proposed border wall.
       “We are here to ask Senator John McCain to officially oppose the border wall and reverse waivers that allow the government to build without environmental impact studies, without regard to American Indian Religious Freedom Act and NAGPRA,” said Gabriella Cazares-Kelly at the start of the protest.
      Cazares-Kelly (Tohono O’odham) went on to say she wants Senator McCain to share how he plans to work with the Tohono O’odham to ensure that the 75 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border that runs through the Tohono O’odham Nation is not further militarized."

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Montana appointed an Indigenous Justice Outreach Coordinator to counter discrimination against Amerian Indians in the state. part of his job is to travel the state to make sure that Native Americans are aware of their rights and how to protect them ( Adrian Jawort, "ACLU Fights Native American Discrimination: Montana’s new indigenous justice outreach coordinator takes on state’s Native American Discrimination," February 25, 2017, https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/news/native-news/aclu-fights-native-american-discrimination/).

"Indigenous Sisters Resistance Leads Women’s March in Seattle:Attendance was more than double what organizers expected," ICMN, January 29, 2017, https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/news/native-news/indigenous-sisters-resistance-leads-womens-march-seattle/, reported, "The Seattle Women’s March was one of more than 600 sister events to the Women’s March on Washington that took place on Saturday, January 21, and the Indigenous Sisters Resistance led the procession of more than 100,000 protesters.
      Hundreds of American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and First Nations women led the 3.6-mile march from Judkins Park to the Space Needle. Organizers asked the marchers to protest in silence, but the indigenous women sang, drummed and danced the entire march route."
      Natives Join Women’s March in Reno: More than 10,000 marched in the Nevada city," ICMN, January 26, 2017, https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/news/native-news/natives-join-womens-march-reno/, reported, "The Reno Women’s March on Washington was one of more than 600 sister events that took place on Saturday, January 21, and about 40 Native women, children and men attended.
      The Reno Police Department reported that more than 10,000 people marched in Reno. Two Native groups led the procession wearing traditional Great Basin attire and pow wow regalia, and an opening traditional prayer was provided by Paiute elder Janice Gardipe."
      Indeed, American Indian women were amongst the leaders of the March in Washington, and in many sister marches arpund the U.S.

International Activities

"WWF wins Survival’s 'Greenwashing of the Year' award," Survival International,
      May 2, 2017, http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/11677, reported, The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has won Survival International’s “Greenwashing of the Year” award for partnering with seven companies logging nearly 4 million hectares of forests belonging to the Baka and Bayaka “Pygmies” in central Africa.
       The award is given to companies or organizations who dress up the destruction of tribal peoples’ forests as conservation.
       The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), based at the Bronx Zoo in New York, has been named as runner-up, also for its activities in the Congo Basin. It has partnered with two logging companies, neither of which have obtained the consent of the tribal peoples in the areas in which they work.
      WWF describes logging companies as 'forest operators.' According to WWF, its partnerships with these companies are intended to 'advance sustainable forest management.'
      In reality, however, all of WWF’s partners have been accused of illegal logging and none have received the consent of the Baka and Bayaka “Pygmies.” A recent study found that approaches like WWF’s have failed to slow the break-up of the Congo Basin rainforest.
       In a 2011 report , the environmental NGO Global Witness said that the partnerships 'allow some… member companies to reap the benefits of association with WWF and its iconic Panda brand while continuing unsustainable logging, conversion of forests to plantations, or trading in illegally sourced timber.'
      The partnerships also violate WWF’s own policy on indigenous peoples, which requires all projects to be undertaken with the full consent of tribal communities.
      A Baka man said: 'It’s the Baka’s forest, which we’ve conserved for a long time. It’s the loggers who bring guns and their brothers who hunt all the animals'
      A Baka woman added that “we need to fight against this because our forest is being finished off completely.”
      Survival’s Director Stephen Corry said: 'WWF’s supporters might be surprised to learn that it’s working so closely with the loggers who are destroying one of Earth’s great rainforests. Congo Basin tribes, the original guardians, are being pushed aside and their societies wrecked. Across Africa and Asia, the big conservation organizations partner with industry and tourism and destroy the environment’s best allies. It’s a con, and it’s harming conservation. Perhaps this 'award' might encourage people inside WWF and WCS to put pressure on their organizations for reform. It’s time to listen to tribal conservationists.'
      Note to editors: WWF has partnered with: Bolloré Group, Danzer Group, Decolvenaere Group, Pasquet Group, Rougier Group, SEFAC Group and Vicwood Group. WCS has partnered with Danzer Group and the Olam Group. Full report at:  http://assets.survivalinternational.org/documents/1654/wwf-and-the-loggers.pdf.
      'Pygmy' is an umbrella term commonly used to refer to the hunter-gatherer peoples of the Congo Basin and elsewhere in Central Africa. The word is considered pejorative and avoided by some tribespeople, but used by others as a convenient and easily recognized way of describing themselves."

"Survival calls on UN to condemn shoot on sight conservation," Survival International, March 30, 2017, http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/11610, reported, " Survival International has called on the UN expert on extrajudicial executions to condemn shoot on sight conservation policies.
       In a letter to the Special Rapporteur charged with the issue, Survival stated that 'shoot on sight policies directly affect tribal people who live in or adjacent to ‘protected areas’… particularly when park guards so often fail to distinguish subsistence hunters from commercial poachers.'
      The letter adds that 'nobody knows when wildlife officers are permitted to use lethal force against [suspected poachers], and it is impossible for dependents to hold to account officers whom they believe to have killed without good reason. Many countries have gone further, and granted wildlife officers immunity from prosecution.'
      The letter cites Kaziranga National Park in India as an especially striking example of the tactic. According to a recent BBC report, an estimated 106 people have been extrajudicially executed there in the last 20 years, including one disabled tribal man who had wandered over the park boundary to retrieve cattle.
      Kaziranga guards have effective legal immunity from prosecution, and have admitted that they are instructed to shoot poaching suspects on sight. This has had serious consequences for tribal peoples living around the park. In June 2016, a seven-year-old tribal boy was shot and maimed for life by guards.
       Similar policies are used in other parts of the world, notably Kenya, Tanzania and Botswana, among other African countries.
       Speaking about his own anti-poaching work in Africa, poaching expert Rory Young from the organization Chengeta said : 'Shoot on sight is stupid. If we had been shooting on sight during this latest sting operation we would have shot a handful of poachers and that would have been the end of it. Every single poacher is an opportunity for information to get more poachers and work your way up the chain to the ringleaders.'
      Survival has asked the Special Rapporteur to clarify that shoot on sight violates fundamental rights enshrined in the UN’s Civil and Political Rights Covenant and other international conventions. It also urges the UN to enquire about the policy with the Indian government, and the government of Assam state, where Kaziranga is located.
       Shoot on sight is justified on the grounds that it helps to deter poachers. However, there have been several recent cases of guards and officials at Kaziranga being arrested for involvement in the illegal wildlife trade themselves.
      Survival International is leading the fight against these abuses, and calling for a new conservation model that respects tribal peoples. Targeting tribal people diverts action away from tackling the true poachers – criminals conspiring with corrupt officials. Targeting tribal people harms conservation.
      Survival’s Director Stephen Corry said: 'If any other industry was guilty of this level of human rights abuses, there would be an international outcry. Why the silence when conservationists are involved? Torture and extrajudical killing is never justified – the law is clear on this. Some people think that the death of innocents is justified, that ‘collateral damage’ is necessary in the fight against poaching. We ask them, where is your humanity? Of course, there’s a racist element at play here: Shoot on sight policies would be unthinkable in North America or Europe.'”

"World Wildlife Day: Survival launches boycott of notorious 'shoot on sight' National Park," Survival International. March 2, 2017, http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/11603, reported, Survival International has launched a boycott of Kaziranga National Park in India – notorious for its “shoot on sight” conservation tactics – beginning this World Wildlife Day (March 3). The boycott will last until the park stops shooting people on sight.
      Survival has written to 131 tour companies in 10 countries urging them to join the boycott. Two French operators – Hote Antic Travel and Evaneos – have already signed up.
      Survival ambassadors actress Gillian Anderson, illustrator Sir Quentin Blake CBE and Oscar-winning actor Sir Mark Rylance have joined the boycott, as well as musician and photographer Julian Lennon, and actor Dominic West.
      Sir Mark said: 'I am eager to join Survival’s boycott of Kaziranga National Park. Shooting people on sight is never justified, and too many innocent tribal people have already been shot.'
      106 people have reportedly been killed in the park in the last 20 years. A seven-year-old tribal boy was shot there in July 2016 and maimed for life. In a separate incident, a severely disabled tribal man was killed while trying to retrieve a stray cow.
       A recent BBC investigation uncovered torture by park guards, who are also instructed to shoot intruders on sight, regardless of evidence and without arrest, trial, or any opportunity for questioning. One guard admitted that they were 'fully ordered to shoot' anyone who had wandered over the park’s unmarked boundary.
      One local man who had been beaten by the park’s officials told a Survival campaigner: 'The forest department tortured me, beat me, put electric shocks in my elbows, knees and private parts.'
       A 2014 report by the park’s director discussed the issue in great detail. It revealed training mantras for guards include 'must obey or get killed' and 'kill the unwanted.'
      The park is home to several endangered species, including the one-horned rhino and Bengal tiger. It receives over 170,000 tourist visitors a year, despite extrajudicial executions and serious human rights violations committed in the name of conservation.
       The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has provided training and equipment to park guards, including 'combat and ambush' training and what the BBC called 'night-vision googles.' The organization also advertises tours of the park on its site.
       Some conservationists, including Save the Rhino , have been critical of the shoot on sight policy. However, big conservation organizations have ignored Survival’s demand that they condemn the practice, including WWF, the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Nature Conservancy and Conservation International, among others.
       Shoot on sight has been criticized not only for its human rights implications but also for being ineffective conservation. Rory Young, anti-poaching expert and co-founder of anti-poaching NGO Wildlife said: 'Shoot on sight is stupid. If we had been shooting on sight during this latest sting operation we would have shot a handful of poachers and that would have been the end of it. Every single poacher is an opportunity for information to get more poachers and work your way up the chain to the ringleaders.'
       Survival International is leading the fight against abuses committed in the name of conservation. Shoot on sight fails to tackle the real poachers – criminals conspiring with corrupt officials. Tribal people face arrest and beatings, torture and death in parks like Kaziranga, while many forest officials are accused of involvement in the illegal wildlife trade.
      Survival’s Director Stephen Corry said: 'Kaziranga conservationists are pretending there’s no shoot on sight in the reserve. It’s simply not true. Park guards are ordered to shoot intruders on sight and children like 7-year-old Akash can be on the receiving end. Shoot on sight is the same as extrajudicial killing. It’s a gross human rights violation that would be publicly condemned if it were operated by any other industry. The big conservation organizations fail to condemn it and even support it'.”

"Exclusive: OECD opens investigation into WWF in world first," Survival International, January 5, 2017, http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/11538, reported, "In an unprecedented move, a member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)* has agreed to investigate a complaint that the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has funded human rights abuses in Cameroon , beginning a process which until now has only been used for multinational businesses.
       Survival submitted the complaint in February 2016, citing numerous examples of violent abuse and harassment against Baka “Pygmies” in Cameroon by WWF-funded anti-poaching squads. Survival also alleges that WWF failed to seek communities’ free, prior and informed consent for conservation projects on their ancestral land.
      This is the first time a non-profit organization has been scrutinized in this way. The acceptance of the complaint indicates that the OECD will hold WWF to the same human rights standards as profit-making corporations.
      WWF funds anti-poaching squads in Cameroon and elsewhere in the Congo Basin. Baka and other rainforest tribes have reported systematic abuse at the hands of these squads, including arrest and beatings, torture and even death, for well over 20 years.
      Survival first urged WWF to change its approach in the region in 1991, but since then the situation has worsened.
       Baka have repeatedly testified to Survival about the activities of these anti-poaching squads in the region. One Baka man told Survival in 2016: “[The anti-poaching squad] beat the children as well as an elderly woman with machetes. My daughter is still unwell. They made her crouch down and they beat her everywhere – on her back, on her bottom everywhere, with a machete.”
      In two open letters Baka made impassioned pleas to conservationists to be allowed to stay on their land. “Conservation projects need to have mercy on how we can use the forest … because our lives depend on it.”
      WWF has rejected Survival’s claims. It accepts that abuse has taken place but, in a statement in 2015, a spokesman stated that such incidents 'appear to have tailed off' despite repeated testimonies from Baka themselves. In its response to the OECD, the organization cited political instability in the region and difficulties in the process of creating 'protected areas' for wildlife conservation as the main reasons human rights abuses had taken place. It did not deny its involvement in funding, training and equipping guards.
      Survival’s Director Stephen Corry said: 'The OECD admitting our complaint is a giant step for vulnerable peoples. They can already use OECD Guidelines to try and stop corporations riding roughshod over them, but this is first time ever it’s agreed that the rules also apply to industrial-scale NGOs like WWF. WWF’s work has led to decades of pain for tribal peoples in the Congo Basin. It’s done nothing effective to address the concerns of the thousands of tribal people dispossessed and mistreated through its projects. That has to change. If WWF can’t ensure those schemes meet UN and OECD standards, it simply shouldn’t be funding them. Whatever good works it might be doing elsewhere, nothing excuses its financing of human rights abuses. The big conservation organizations must stop colluding in the theft of tribal land. Tribal peoples are the best conservationists and guardians of the natural world. They should be at the forefront of the environmental movement.'”

"Simon McBurney partners with Survival International for theatrical special in San Francisco," Survival International, April 25, 2017, http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/11670, reported, " Survival International is delighted to announce a new partnership with the Curran Theater in San Francisco, which is set to host Survival International ambassador Simon McBurney’s hit one-man play 'The Encounter'.
      Survival will hold a special evening on April 27 for supporters at the Curran from 6.30 pm PST. This will include a private drinks reception and a discussion with Simon McBurney and Survival USA coordinator Tesia Bobrycki after the show, about tribal peoples’ rights.
      Simon McBurney is an acclaimed actor, writer, and director, and founder of the multi-award winning Complicite theater company. He became a Survival International ambassador in 2017.
      Simon is a long-standing Survival supporter with an interest in indigenous rights and environmental causes. He devised 'The Encounter,' based on a book by Petru Popescu, after spending time in the Amazon with indigenous peoples. This experience developed his interest in Survival’s work.
      ' The Encounter' addresses many of the issues affecting the Matsés people from the Amazon Uncontacted Frontier , many of whom were forcibly contacted by missionaries in 1969. Some members of the tribe are still uncontacted .
      The play traces a journey into the depths of the Amazon rainforest, using 3D audio technology to build an intimate and shifting world of sound.
      Details can be found on the Curran theater website: https://sfcurran.com.
       Uncontacted tribes are the most vulnerable peoples on the planet. We know very little about them. But we do know there are more than a hundred around the world. And we know whole populations are being wiped out by genocidal violence from outsiders who steal their land and resources, and by diseases like flu and measles to which they have no resistance.
      Survival International is leading the global fight for uncontacted tribes’ right to determine their own futures.
      Survival Director Stephen Corry said: 'The Encounter is a bravura piece of story-telling which plunges you deep into the Amazon. It’s an experience that brings the Amazon and its people – usually so remote from us – vividly to life, and we’re delighted to join up with the Curran Theater and Simon McBurney to bring our urgent message to a new audience.'”

"Cultural Survival Stands with the Maya Chuj Nation of Guatemala," Cultural Survival, January 19, 2017, https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/cultural-survival-stands-maya-chuj-nation-guatemala, repotted, " Cultural Survival joins PAYXAIL YAJAW KONOB' CHUJ, AKATEKO, Q'ANJOB'AL, POPTI' (the traditional government of the Chuj, Akateko, Q’anjob’al, and Popti’ Nations) as well as the International Maya League and El Consejo de la Nación Maya Mam in condemning the most recent act of violence against Indigenous environmental defenders in Huehuetenango, Guatemala related to hydroelectric project by Promocciones de Desarrollo Hídrico S.A. (PDH) in Yich K’isis in San Mateo Ixtatán.
      According to Prensa Comunitaria, on January 17, 2017, Sebastián Alonzo Juan (age 72) was killed during manifestations in Yich K’isis, San Mateo Ixtatán, Huehuetenango. 'While the population manifested peacefully, according to the population and witnesses, the National Civil Police and private guard of the company began to shoot ... There were also soldiers present in this place. Since morning hours, people had been manifesting in several areas in northern Huehuetenango and there was a concentration of the population who went to the location of the facilities of the company, PDH. Among the demonstration were people who were in favor of the company according to witnesses. When the mobilization had ended and people were returning home, unidentified people burned objects that ended with machinery on fire. In the demonstration were minors, women and seniors. Mr. Sebastían Alonzo Juan was lying 10 meters from the Rio Negro, one of the rivers to be used for the hydroelectric project, located 100 meters from the construction where the dam is going to be built. In the midst of these shots were correspondents of Radio Sembrador, Telesur and Prensa Comunitaria.'
       PDH has had a violent history in the community of San Mateo and has ignored the results of the community’s self-organized 2009 consultation in which they rejected any future transnational development projects on their land. The company has ties to the same Spanish development company behind the long disputed Hidro Santa Cruz hydroelectric project in neighboring Santa Cruz Barillas, Huehuetenango, which recently cancelled their contract as a result of losing financing from development banks.
       We join the PAYXAIL YAJAWKONOB' CHUJ, AKATEKO, Q'ANJOB'AL, POPTI', International Maya League, and El Consejo de la Nacion Maya Mam in demanding:
       The State of Guatemala and Promocciones de Desarrollo Hídrico S.A. immediately stop all violence against Indigenous peoples who are protecting their water, lands, environment and resources.
       An immediate and thorough investigation of the murder of Sebastian Alonzo Juan is conducted.
       Guatemala comply with their commitment to the ILO Convention No. 169 and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
       That the international community speak out against this tragedy and the injustices that are inflicted on the Maya and other Indigenous Peoples affected by development projects."

COPINH, “Berta lives on, COPINH is strong” - COPINH Calls for Month of Actions," Cultural Survival, February 16, 2017, https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/berta-lives-copinh-strong-copinh-calls-month-actions, stated, " On March 2nd, 2016 they assassinated our sister Berta Cáceres. They thought they would get rid not just of her as a leader recognized throughout Latin America and around the world, but also would end a struggle, a political project, that they would destroy the organization of which she was both founder and daughter, COPINH (the Civil Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras).
      One year since she spread her wings, since the crime that tried to steal her clarity and leadership from us, the peoples of the world who recognize her legacy are here, walking in her footsteps, confronting the patriarchal, capitalist, colonial and racist system that is imposed upon our peoples. We have been and will continue confronting the deadly projects of transnational corporations and imperialism in every corner of the planet.
       In March we won’t just painfully remember that horrendous crime, above all we will celebrate life: the life of Berta, who was born on March 4th and the life of COPINH, which was founded 24 years ago on March 27th.
      For all of these reasons, we invite you to use every day of March to multiply:
      • Actions of protest, resistance and struggle against the deadly policies of transnational corporations…
      • Actions to defend the bodies and lives of women in the face of the patriarchal and colonial system...
      • Actions against the criminalization of grassroots movements, against militarization and commodification of the lands and all dimensions of life...
      • Actions to denounce the Honduran State in front of its embassies in every country of the world...
      • Actions of solidarity with COPINH and with the organizations of the grassroots Honduran social movement...
      • Actions to spread the thinking and example of Berta’s life…
      • Moments of reflection and spirituality...
      We call for these types of actions to be developed and spread through every corner of Abya Yala and the world. As movements, organizations and people, let’s accompany COPINH, embody it, multiply its march.
      In all of these potential proposed actions, and all others that your creativity gives rise to, let the world shake with the cry of: 'Berta lives on, COPINH is strong!'
      In the face of militarization and criminalization, more struggle and organization!
      With the ancestral strength of Berta, Lempira, Iselaca, Mota and Etempica, we raise our voices full of life, justice, liberty, dignity and peace."
      "Cultural Survival Announces New Strengthening Indigenous Women’s Leadership in Community Radio Initiative," December 19, 2016, https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/cultural-survival-announces-new-strengthening-indigenous-womens-leadership-community-radio, stated, " Cultural Survival is pleased to announce the launch of our Strengthening Indigenous Women’s Leadership in Community Radio Initiative. The initiative will support a cohort of Indigenous women in Central America through a series of training and network-building workshops enabling participants to gain leadership and practical skills in investigative journalism, community radio production, and technical equipment operation.
       By building a strong network of support for the women who will represent diverse Central American communities, the initiative will increase the visibility capacity, and leadership of Indigenous women and enable them to use community radio as a medium for advancing gender equality and for the empowerment of women and girls in their communities.
      This initiative complements Cultural Survival’s overarching programmatic priority of amplifying diverse Indigenous voices in media and ensuring Indigenous media producers have the skills, support, and network opportunities to communicate Indigenous perspectives and share information between their communities and international Indigenous and mainstream spheres. The cohort members will also be involved in the production of radio programming for Cultural Survival’s Indigenous Rights Radio program, which works with over 1,600 community radio affiliates around the world, reaching an over 10 million listeners annually.
         'We are excited and committed to support Indigenous women in developing leadership in media, as for far too long women’s voices have been silenced and marginalized. Indigenous women face racism and discrimination: for being Indigenous, being women, and often for being impoverished economically. As mothers, sisters, wives, teachers, healers, and professionals, we have much to communicate,' said Suzanne Benally, Cultural Survival Executive Director.
       About Cultural Survival
      Cultural Survival’s goal is to support Indigenous Peoples self-determination and the advocacy of their Indigenous rights – the right to their lands and territories, the right to practice their cultures and speak their languages, and the right to control and sustainably manage their natural resources – so that they self-determine their own futures. Over 43 years of experience as a registered 501(c)(3) working with Indigenous communities has established Cultural Survival as a pre-eminent nonprofit organization experienced in global advocacy for Indigenous Peoples’ rights and with the expertise, partnerships, networks and communications to reach a global audience.
      Our work on the front lines of advocacy with international Indigenous communities is predicated on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and our programming works to inform Indigenous communities of their rights, issues and threats affecting their communities. Our programs come from an understanding that the principles of community ownership, self-determination, informed citizenry, access to information and the freedom to organize and shape the future in a way consistent with one’s tradition, language, culture and community are the foundations of vibrant and durable communities.
      For more information, please visit www.cs.org or email at culturalsurvival@cs.org"

"The Guna Revolution Continues Through Radio," Cultural Survival, February 13, 2017, https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/guna-revolution-continues-through-radio, reported, "In 2013, February 13 was declared World Radio Day by UNESCO and Indigenous Peoples around the world are preparing to celebrate.
       The Guna people of Guna Yala, Panama are joining the celebration of World Radio Day by commemorating the 92nd anniversary of the Guna Revolution and claiming their rights to freedom of expression and to community media. Article 16 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples guarantees that Indigenous Peoples have the right to establish their own media in their own languages, and should have access to all forms of non-Indigenous media without discrimination.
       In Panama, in theory, it is possible for non-profit organizations, including Indigenous organizations, to obtain radio broadcast licenses. However, the reality has proven to be extremely cumbersome and slow-moving. In partnership with Cultural Survival and AMARC (The World Association of Community Broadcasters), several Panamanian Indigenous organizations have recently applied for non-profit radio licenses with the Panamanian government. In November 2016, multiple community members travelled to Panama City during a three-day period when applications were being considered, only to find out at the last minute that they were rejected due to a bureaucratic technicality and would not be allowed to reapply for two years.
       The experimental radio station, 'The Voice of the Guna People,' is risking sanctions by the Panamanian government by defiantly going on air on World Radio Day. February also marks the 92nd anniversary of the Guna revolution against the Panamanian state. The plan is to broadcast programs via an experimental community radio station to their region over a three-day period. The radio station has initiated a process of legalizing their operations, but are still waiting for a favorable response.
      Cultural Survival staff spoke by phone with Anelio Merry, the head of the Guna General Congress’ Department of Communication, who explained the action. “In the month of February, the Guna people from Guna Yala commemorate one of the most important achievements to us in recent years: the revolution of the Guna people against the then existing oppression by colonial police, by the Panamanian State of that era, that wanted to get rid of Indigenous Peoples’ cultures, among them the people of Guna Yala.
      'Every year, the Guna people commemorate the revolution with different activities. The Guna General Congress, through the Ministry of Information and Communication, have decided to also broadcast for three days of what we are calling ‘Experimental Radio: the Voice of the Guna People.’ It is the first initiative emerging in Guna Yala, to broadcast our information to our community via radio. Part of the commemoration is, of course, acknowledging the World Radio Day.
      'We are taking on all the responsibility. Our experimental radio does not yet have the required authorization from the Panamanian government. However, we are claiming our right to freedom of expression and to access these frequencies and to use our transmission equipment to broadcast to our communities.
      'We do not know what the national authorities’ reaction will be. We are going to broadcast in our territory which is legally constituted. Furthermore, our reach will be limited to the Guna Yala territory.'
      The Second Sagla, the local authority of the Nalunega community in the Guna Yala region says, 'We consider communication among our communities of utmost importance.'
      “We should not have to go begging for frequencies because it is our right. It is a human right and we call on our governors and tell them that the democratization of communication is a basic right. We have the right to access these tools for our development.
      'We are asking our peoples to stay united in order to have this right reach our communities. On World Radio Day, we, the people of Guna Yala, send greetings to all our brothers and sisters that work in radio,' says Merry.
      Cultural Survival Deputy Executive Director, Mark Camp says, 'We stand with the people of Guna Yala and the Guna General Congress in their decision to exercise their right to establish their own media. Cultural Survival believes that community owned and run radio stations and other forms of media are critical to Indigenous communities’ self-determination."

"#SOSPuebloShuar: Respect the Right to Free, Prior, Informed Consent in Ecuador," Cultural Survival, December 22, 2016, https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/sospuebloshuar-respect-right-free-prior-informed-consent-ecuador, stated, " Cultural Survival condemns the action of the Ecuadorian government in the raiding of the Shuar federation, FICSH (Federación Interprovincial de Centros Shuar), and the arbitrary detention of its president, Agustin Wachapa, on December 20, 2016.
       The Shuar have been organizing to defend their ancestral lands from the development of a Chinese copper mine. Under the San Carlos Panantza copper project, the Ecuadorian government conceded 41 thousand hectares of land to the Chinese mining company ECSA for a period of 25 years. The project, currently in the exploration phase, is estimated to deliver around $1200 million USD in annual profits.
       To make way for the mine, the Shuar community of Nankints was evicted in August 2016 without their Free, Prior and Informed Consent, in violation of Convention 169 of the International Labor Organization, the Ecuadorian constitution, and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
       Since the evictions, violent clashes have broken out between individuals seeking to regain control of their homes and ancestral lands and military and police who are stationed to guard the property and employees of the mine. Now, the government has declared a “state of exception” in the province of Morona Santiago, and militarized the community of Nankints with hundreds of military personnel, tanks, and trucks, and helicopters. The state of exception strips Indigenous residents of the rights to freedom of movement, freedom of association, freedom of assembly and inviolability of the home, among others.
       Cultural Survival joins COICA (Coordinadora de la Organizaciones Indígenas de la Cuenca Amazónica) in making the following demands:
      We urge for intervention by neutral third parties in order to find a dialogue that does not deepen and aggravate the existing conflict.
      We call for an immediate demilitarization of the community of Nankints, insuring the continued respect for human rights and collective rights of the Indigenous Shuar people, guaranteed by the Ecuadorian constitution in article 57. 20.
      We demand the immediate release of Shuar leader and human rights and environmental defender Agustin Wachapa, and for him to be treated in accordance with the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.
      We condemn the Ministry of the Environment in Ecuador for their December 20th call to close the grassroots environmental organization Accion Ecologica.
       Take Action: Defend Environmental Defenders! Stand with Acción Ecológica and the Shuar!"

"Organizations denounce Peru government’s failure to protect uncontacted tribes," Survival International, March 9, 2017, http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/11608, reported, " In an open letter to the Peruvian authorities, Survival International, Rainforest Foundation Norway and Peruvian indigenous organization ORPIO have denounced the Peruvian government’s failure to protect uncontacted tribes.
       The organizations are calling for the government to create an indigenous reserve, known as Yavari-Tapiche, for uncontacted tribes along the Peru-Brazil border, and to put a stop to outsiders entering the territory.
      In the letter the three organizations state: 'Uncontacted tribes are the most vulnerable peoples on the planet. They have made the decision to be isolated and this must be respected…
       'The Yavarí Tapiche region is home to uncontacted peoples. Despite knowing of their existence and enormous vulnerability, the government has failed to guarantee their protection…
       'These tribal peoples face catastrophe unless their land is protected. Only by creating the proposed Yavarí Tapiche indigenous reserve and implementing effective protection mechanisms that prevent the entry of outsiders, will the indigenous people be given the chance to determine their own futures…
       'We are also concerned about the government’s refusal to exclude oil exploration within the proposed reserve…. No exploration or exploitation of oil should ever be carried out on territories inhabited by uncontacted Indians…
       'We believe that the oil company Pacific Stratus is poised to begin operations this year in areas where there are uncontacted tribes…
       'By failing to both create the reserve and to rule out oil exploration, Peru is violating both domestic and international law…
       'If the government does not act urgently to protect the uncontacted peoples of Yavarí Tapiche, we fear that they will not survive. Another tribe will disappear from the face of the earth, before the eyes of the world.'
      Survival’s Director Stephen Corry said: '“ We’ve repeatedly called for the Yavarí-Tapiche indigenous reserve to be created and for oil exploration to be ruled out, but the government has dragged its feet. The lives of uncontacted Indians are on the line but once again, economic interests take priority.'
       Background Briefing
      - The Yavarí Tapiche region is part of the Amazon Uncontacted Frontier. This area straddles the borders of Peru and Brazil and is home to more uncontacted tribes than anywhere else in the world.
      - Pacific Stratus, part of Canadian oil company Pacific E&P, began its first phase of oil exploration in 2012, despite protests from indigenous organizations and Survival International. It is believed that the company will begin its second phase soon.
      - Oil exploration is devastating for uncontacted tribes. Over 50% of the Nahua tribe died as a result of exploration in the 80s.
      - The indigenous organization ORPIO is suing the government over the threat of oil exploration.
      - National indigenous organization AIDESEP has been calling for the creation of the reserve for over 14 years."

"Peru: Indigenous people sue government over uncontacted tribe," Survival International, February9, 2017, http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/11573, reported, " An indigenous organization in Peru is suing the government for failing to protect uncontacted tribes from invasion and oil exploration.
       AIDESEP, Peru’s national indigenous organization, is taking Peru’s Ministry of Culture to court for failing to meet its legal obligation to map out and create five new indigenous reserves and to protect the highly vulnerable uncontacted peoples that live inside.
      In 2007, Peru awarded Canadian oil company Pacific E&P the right to explore in Yavari Tapiche, a proposed indigenous reserve in the Amazon Uncontacted Frontier. AIDESEP has been calling for the creation of the reserve for 14 years, and Survival International has been leading the global campaign for uncontacted peoples’ right to determine their own futures.
      Campaigners fear that uncontacted Indians in the area could be wiped out by violence from outsiders and diseases to which they have no resistance. Oil workers run the risk of coming into contact with uncontacted people, and the exploration process involves thousands of underground detonations which scare away the Indians’ game.
       The Matsés tribe , who live near the proposed reserve, have been protesting against the government’s failure to bar oil exploration. At a recent tribal meeting, one man said: 'I don’t want my children to be destroyed by oil… That’s why we’re defending ourselves… and why we Matsés have come together. The oil companies… are insulting us and we won’t stay silent as they exploit us on our homeland. If it’s necessary, we’ll die in the war against oil.'
      Another indigenous organization, ORPIO, is bringing another lawsuit over the threat of oil exploration.
      Survival’s Director Stephen Corry said: 'Uncontacted tribes are the most vulnerable peoples on the planet, but Peru’s authorities seem to consider oil company profits more important than peoples’ land, lives and human rights. This failure to create indigenous reserves is not just an environmental catastrophe, it could also lead to entire peoples being wiped out forever.'”
       Background briefing
      - AIDESEP is Peru’s national organization for Amazon Indians. It lobbies for indigenous Peruvians’ human rights.
      - AIDESEP filed the Legal Compliance Action with Lima’s Superior Court of Justice, with the support of legal organization IDL.
      - The Peruvian Ministry of Culture is responsible for mapping out and protecting tribal territories. Uncontacted tribes are supposed to have their land protected under Peruvian law but, in reality, protection is often inadequate or non-existent.
      - Peru has also ratified ILO 169, the international law for tribal peoples, which requires it to respect tribal peoples’ human and land rights.
      - Uncontacted tribes in the Amazon Uncontacted Frontier that could be wiped out without robust land protection include uncontacted members of the Matsés tribe.
      -   Many of the Matsés were forcibly contacted by American missionaries in 1969, following violent clashes with settlers in the area. Contact brought violence and disease and killed many members of the tribe.
      - The 5 proposed Reserves are Yavari Tapiche, Yavari Mirim, Sierra del Divisor Occidental, Napo Tigre and Cacataibo.
      We know very little about uncontacted tribes. But we do know there are more than a hundred around the world. And we know whole populations are being wiped out by genocidal violence from outsiders who steal their land and resources, and by diseases like flu and measles to which they have no resistance.
      Uncontacted tribes are not backward and primitive relics of a remote past. They are our contemporaries and a vitally important part of humankind’s diversity. Where their rights are respected, they continue to thrive.
      Their knowledge is irreplaceable and has been developed over thousands of years. They are the best guardians of their environment, and evidence proves that tribal territories are the best barrier to deforestation."

"Brazilian tribal leader fronts global protests for land rights," Survival International, April 18, 2017, http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/11660, reported, " A global wave of protest organized by Survival International has called for a halt to the destruction of tribal peoples’ land, lives, and human rights in Brazil, on the country’s Day of the Indian.
       Survival supporters and members of the public demonstrated at the Brazilian embassy in London, demanding land rights for the Guarani and other tribes across the country . They were joined by Guarani activist Ladio Veron.
       Protest actions also took place in Brazil, the United States, Spain, Italy and Germany.
       Ranchers and agribusiness have forced the Guarani off their ancestral land in central Brazil into lives of poverty. Many are forced to live on roadsides, drinking polluted water and living in makeshift camps.
       Their plight has been described by the UN as a humanitarian crisis. The tribe also suffers the highest suicide rate in the world.
       Ladio Veron is currently touring Europe to raise awareness of his people’s plight. He said of the Guarani’s campaign to return to their ancestral land: 'We will resist at any price. All we have left to lose is our lives.'
       The Guarani face harassment by gunmen hired by ranchers and other powerful vested interests on an almost daily basis. When they try to reoccupy the land which is rightfully theirs under Brazilian and international law, they frequently suffer violent reprisals.
       Tribes nationwide are forcefully opposing a wave of anti-indigenous proposals currently being debated by politicians. If passed into law, they could give anti-Indian landowners the chance to block the recognition of new indigenous territories, and break up and steal existing ones. This would be disastrous for Brazilian tribes, and could lead to uncontacted tribes being wiped out.
      Survival International is leading the global fight for tribal peoples’ land rights. The theft of tribal land destroys self-sufficient peoples and their diverse ways of life. It causes disease, destitution and suicide. The evidence is indisputable.
      Survival’s Director Stephen Corry said: 'The assault on Brazilian Indians is back with a vengeance. Tribal people are dying as Brazilian politicians deliberately allow ranchers and soya barons to steal and destroy Indian territory. The key to tribal peoples’ survival and prosperity is to ensure their land remains under their control. We are doing everything we can to secure it for them.'”

"Brazilian Indians parade and protest at Rio Carnival," Survival International, February, 27, 2017, http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/11597, reported, " Brazilian Indians paraded and protested at the renowned Rio Carnival, to raise global awareness of their land struggle and the serious threats they face.
       17 indigenous leaders, including Kayapó leader Raoni Metuktire, paraded with the Imperatriz Leopoldinense samba school in its ensemble which focused on the destruction of tribal territories in the Amazon rainforest.
       The lyrics of the school’s songs expose the destruction Indians have faced since the colonization of Brazil, and criticize the ongoing theft of tribes’ land for the Belo Monte mega-dam and other projects.
      The music has provoked outrage and anger among anti-indigenous politicians, and has led to racist comments by a TV presenter who said that Indians will 'have to die of malaria.'
      Indigenous leader Sonia Guajajara said at Carnival: 'Thanks to the samba school for giving us another tool in our struggle, as we face powerful economic and political interests. Carnival can strengthen our fight.'
       Attacks on indigenous peoples in Brazil are intensifying: Violence against their communities has increased, and Congress is debating several proposals which would drastically weaken indigenous peoples’ control of their lands. Tribal people and their allies, including Survival supporters around the world, are fighting the proposals.
      Babau Tupinambá, an indigenous leader, said: 'Indigenous peoples will not stop fighting for our rights. We will not stop fighting to exist.'
      Around the world, industrialized societies subject tribal peoples to genocidal violence, slavery and racism so they can steal their lands, resources and labor in the name of 'progress' and 'civilization.' The theft of tribal land destroys self-sufficient peoples and their diverse ways of life. It causes disease, destitution and suicide. The evidence is indisputable."