~ Nelson Mandela Foundation statement 2020Nov8 ~

"We have not inherited this earth from our parents to do with it what we will. We have borrowed it from our children and we must be careful to use it in their interests as well as our own." - Moss Cass	"If we destroy Creation, Creation will destroy us." - Pope Francis "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." - Gandhi
I have tried very hard to keep politics off my site, but it has become very extremely difficult. It just so happens that all the cutbacks, rollbacks, slashes and brushing off of protections for wildlife and our environment happen to be by the same few certain high-profile politicians. The attacks on our parks, our land, our recreation and our very health have been almost non-stop in the past few years. I realize that I take for granted my awareness, that not everybody takes note of this kind of news, so I put together a list of a bunch of articles you can check out to learn about actions you may not have been aware of.	“Department of Environmental Protection: We are going to get rid of it in almost every form. We’re going to have little tidbits left. But we’re going to take a tremendous amount out.” - Donald Trump
That other guy? National Wildlife Federation Action Fund endorses presidential candidate for first time ever While Biden was Vice President, their administration put in place many protections and wildlife import restrictions. You'll see that mentioned in many of the articles, as much of what they accomplished has now been undone.

If you're here, at a site like this, you probably aren't in favor of destruction of national parks, or wildlife refuges, the stripping and cratering of them for the benefit of a few businesses, or of being sold off for private development and no longer protected for you and your children to visit. You also likely aren't in favor of the loss of coral reefs, biodiversity, or your rights to object. I don't think you're in favor of the canned lion industry, either.

In the past few years, decades of environmental protections have been systematically removed, mainly to benefit fossil fuel corporations and developers, at the cost of our ecosystems, our once preserved lands, our clean water, our very health and our children's future. Being yanked backward isn't progress.

("Fossil fuels" are resources that will run out. They are not renewable, not sustainable, and processing them is highly pollutant, even destructive.)

Trees take decades to mature. Water can remain contaminated for decades, sometimes permanently. Even land can be poisoned. Mountains turned into pits cannot be put back. And extinction is not something animals can recover from. A recently signed bill to aid National Park employees so that there are clean bathrooms for all the extra visitors does not make up for it. What has been wiped out with a few quick signatures, will take decades to restore. And not all of it can be.

WE have been removed from official support of Global Action to protect our environment, our future, our voices ignored and even ridiculed and stifled.

A few have ruined it for the many.

Destruction takes but a moment. Recovery, if even possible, takes generations.

To take such a stance so willfully against protecting and nurturing the places in which we live and our children play is mindboggling to say the least. We can do better.

Below are just some examples of the disregard we've been subjected to. I've linked to most of these sources before, if not these articles, so check this list for incidences and information you may not be aware of. Sources like National Geographic news blogs, The Washington Post and other magazines and newspapers require subscriptions for people to read more than a paragraph, so I skipped ones like that. I also try to link to sources not loaded with ads and which are easy to read, so there's a few you see a lot because they relate information well without being bogged down, but many more sources than what I link here are out there.

I've put the most recent at the top, 2020 down to 2017. It started with a bang. Even just reading the headlines will give you a pretty good idea. I tried to pick ones that weren't too opinionated, but it's hard for people not to be passionate about these things! ^_~

Again, I try very hard to keep politics off my site. It's not my fault a certain very political someone has been boldly centerstage in all of this. Never have I seen such deadset determination to not only not support protections but to actually eliminate protection after protection. Until 2017, assaults like this just did not happen.

Think what happens in the U.S. doesn't affect lions? Think again. Laws and attitude here have been a big influence in the perpetuation of the canned lion industry, poaching and illegal trade that harms the King of Beasts - as well as a lot of other wildlife. There's bits about that all over the GSTK site, but here's a couple of articles specific to lions I haven't linked before. Lion-Hunting by Trump Donors Is Awful, But the Trade in Lion Bones Is Worse The Revelator - 2018Aug - "Experts worry this booming trade could doom the big cats in the wild."

D.C. Circuit upholds Trump's reversal on trophy imports E & E News - 2020June - "The ruling allows FWS to avoid accountability and issue permits to import threatened species without involving or notifying the public." ... "While the decision doesn't address the validity of authorizing imports of threatened animals killed for sport, it does leave the Trump administration to make these crucial decisions behind closed doors and without public involvement." Trump Administration Grants First Trophy Import Permit for Tanzanian Lion Focusing On Wildlife - 2019Sept South Africa’s Fallen Pride: How Law and Government Fail to Protect Lions 2019May - "Flawed laws, vested interests and problematic enforcement have allowed the captive-lion industry in South Africa to boom. Change, one expert writes, may need to come from outside." Trump Admin. Quietly Awards Dozens of Lion Trophy Permits to Hunters, GOP Donors EcoWatch - 2018July

The Trump Administration Is Reversing 100 Environmental Rules. Here’s the Full List. NY Times - periodically updated, last updated 2020July15 as of my writing... a few places cited the same information, this one seemed the easiest read to share. Environmental policy of the Donald Trump administration Wikipedia - 2020 - There's even a Wikipedia entry about it. - He actually had stated, “Department of Environmental Protection: We are going to get rid of it in almost every form. We’re going to have little tidbits left. But we’re going to take a tremendous amount out.” Wow. Trump set to open Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling LA Times - 2020Aug17 - "...one of the world’s last truly wild places — a rugged wilderness in northeast Alaska populated by Arctic foxes, polar bears, caribou herds and more than 200 species of birds. Canada has repeatedly warned about the potential for harm to the Porcupine caribou herd that forages and calves in the area." Trump’s EPA drops methane emissions rule for oil, gas fields PBS Newshour - 2020Aug13 Trump rolls back methane climate standards for oil and gas industry The Guardian - 2020Aug13 - "...revoking rules that require oil and gas drillers to detect and fix leaks of methane, a greenhouse gas that heats the planet far faster than carbon dioxide. ... The oil and gas industry is the biggest source of the pollutant."	To note for clarification: I've seen some places erroneously give a certain someone credit for the recent boon to our struggling National Parks. He, in fact, had just proposed a federal budget that would slash their regular funding by 20million. As the person currently holding the position to, he just officialized this Great Outdoors Act legislation for Congress. It was not his idea. It has been being fought for for years, and many who were against it before, decided now was an opportune time to let it go through. ...and right after that, they removed restrictions on methane emissions... They may not have been able to get away with it all over the years, but their intentions are clear and unabated. "Protect Our Species"
Congress passes sprawling plan to boost conservation, parks PBS Newhour - 2020July22 - "...persuaded the president to support the bill at a White House meeting this year, even though Trump has repeatedly tried to slash spending for the Land and Water Conservation Fund in his budget proposals." Trump looks to scale back environmental reviews for projects PBS Newhour - 2020July15 - Again, he wants to ignore environmental impact and health safety in favor of big companies not being held accountable.	Congress approves billions for US national parks in rare bipartisan push The Guardian - 2020July22 - "After years in limbo for the funding plan, Donald Trump surprised lawmakers when he agreed to back it in March." Trump fast-tracks environmental rollbacks to deliver on campaign promises PBS Newshour - 2020July1 - Destruction under the radar, wasting money, removing safeguards, endangering land and water. ...and killing of bear cubs is fine with them.
New border wall near rare wetlands refuge considered an ‘oasis’ endangered water supply PBS Newhour - 2020Aug - "Contractors working for U.S. Customs and Border Protection began building a new stretch of border wall there in October, pumping millions of gallons of groundwater to mix cement for the 30-foot (9-meter) steel fencing... resulting in the lower water levels within the refuge and even some empty ponds." Waterbound life can't move. Border Wall Construction Threatens Texas Butterfly Sanctuary Smithsonian - 2019Feb	Arizona’s Beloved San Pedro River Is about to Meet the Rising Wall on the US-Mexico Border Earth Island - 2020 July - "...border wall is on track to cut across the riverbed where the San Pedro flows from Mexico to Arizona, threatening to disrupt the river’s course and with it, its vibrant ecosystem." Beloved Wildlife Sanctuaries in Limbo as Trump Declares Border Emergency Audubon - 2019Feb - "Congress voted to block planned barriers at biodiversity hotspots, including the National Butterfly Center. Will the president wall them off anyway?"
Trump’s Slash and Burn The Revelator (Center for Biological Diversity) - 2020June - "The administration has brazenly axed another long list of environmental protections."	Trump Administration Eliminates Protections for Vast Ocean Monument The Revelator - 2020 June - "...the monument represents only about 1.5% of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone in the Atlantic Ocean, but it encompasses the majority of strongly protected marine protected areas in continental U.S. waters. Removing its fishing restrictions would eliminate 84% of ocean protections within the continental United States..." Trump administration moves forward with plan to end wild bird protections PBS Newshour - 2020June5 - "...plans to scale back a century-old law protecting most American wild bird species despite warnings that billions of birds could die as a result. ... Over the past half-century, as new threats to birds emerged, the law also was applied against companies that failed to prevent foreseeable bird deaths, such as oil companies that did not put netting over toxic waste pits despite warnings from federal officials."
Trump dismantles environmental protections The Guardian - 2020May	The Trump administration continues to strip away environmental protections in the face of the pandemic. The Revelator - 2020May - "History shows that the people can fight back — and win."

Trump seizes on pandemic to speed up opening of public lands to industry The Guardian - 2020April - "The secretary of the interior, David Bernhardt, has sped efforts to drill, mine and cut timber on fragile western landscapes. Meanwhile, the EPA, headed by the former coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler, has weakened critical environmental laws and announced in March that it would cease oversight of the nation’s polluters during the Covid-19 crisis." Trump administration allows companies to break pollution laws during coronavirus pandemic The Guardian - 2020March

Last Chance to Voice Support for Key Environmental Law The Revelator - 2020Mar - "The Trump administration wants to gut the National Environmental Policy Act, a move that would silence community criticism of destructive projects and give more power to industry." Courts slow Trump’s agenda to open public lands to oil and gas drilling LA Times - 2020March - "Courts have ordered the government to suspend or void hundreds of leases, finding that the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management made procedural mistakes and violated environmental laws in its haste to increase domestic oil and gas production."

Trump Admin’s Clean Water Rollback Will Hit Some States Hard The Revelator - 2020Feb Trump Budget Proposal Reveals Regressive Environmental Priorities The Revelator - 2020Feb - "The White House’s 2021 federal budget proposal eliminates several important programs and slashes funding for others — like the Endangered Species Act."

Donald Trump's Record on Climate Change Inside Climate News - 2020Jan - "Trump's first term has been a relentless drive for unfettered fossil energy development. ICN's 2020 candidate analysis looks at the president's climate record. ... His administration has undone or delayed—or tried to—most regulatory and executive actions related to climate change, while proposing new ones to accelerate fossil fuel development."

World Wildlife Federation - Paris Agreement information

"As one of its signatories, the US submitted a pledge to cut emissions by 26%-28% relative to 1990 levels by 2025. In 2017, however, the federal government announced its intent to withdraw from the agreement after a new administration took office. ... The Trump administration submitted its official notification of withdrawal on or around Nov. 4 of 2019.

... Fortunately, more than 3,800 leaders from America’s cities, states, tribes, businesses, colleges, and universities have stood up to say they will continue to support climate action to meet the commitments of the Paris Agreement as part of the We Are Still In movement. These leaders have crossed cultural, political, economic, and social divides to take on the challenge of the climate crisis."

Hotbed of Resistance: A Voice From Inside Trump’s EPA The Revelator - 2019Oct - "Regulatory rollbacks are just one small part of the Trump administration’s efforts to limit the effectiveness of the Environmental Protection Agency, but there’s a whole lot more, says a career agency staffer." Overshoot: Trump’s Deregulatory Zeal Goes Beyond Even Where Industry Asks Him to Go The Revelator - 2019Sept - "Automakers, utilities and appliance makers actually oppose some of the planned deregulation. But antiregulation hardliners are winning out."	A Vast Liquidation of Public Lands Is Underway in Alaska Center for American Progress - 2019Sept - "The Trump administration is quietly leading one of the largest liquidations of America’s public lands since the late 19th century. If fully implemented, this effort could result in the transfer, sale, or private exploitation of more than 28.3 million acres of public lands in Alaska, including old-growth forests, subsistence hunting areas for Alaska Native communities, habitats for polar bears, salmon spawning streams, and other backcountry areas.1 It would affect millions of acres in the Tongass National Forest and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge alone."
Trump Administration Slashes Endangered Species Act, Worsening Extinction Crisis The Revelator - 2019Aug - "It took just 30 minutes for Trump administration officials to announce dramatic steps to undermine more than 45 years of successful conservation policy under the Endangered Species Act." Trump administration authorizes 'cyanide bombs' to kill wild animals The Guardian - 2019Aug - "... have, in the past, led to the inadvertent deaths of endangered species and domestic pets and caused harm to humans." They spray a very deadly toxic dust into the air when triggered by anything - including hiking children. The Trump Administration's Changes to the Endangered Species Act Risks Pushing More Species to Extinction TIME - 2019Aug - "- the government will now consider economic factors before categorizing a species as endangered or threatened."	Yep, I reread that to be sure: They want only species that have economic value, monetary value, to be protected. I don't think anyone who comes here agrees with that. Some things are worth more than money.
A 13.5 Million-Acre Lie - The Trump Administration’s Continued Efforts to Undermine Public Lands Protections 2019March - This one has a table showing the places and acreage lost. The Trump Administration Pushes to Delist Wolves — and History Repeats Itself The Revelator - 2019March	Trump Administration Drills Down on Alaska’s Arctic Refuge The Revelator - 2019Feb - "The deeply unpopular plan would benefit a few rich oil companies while threatening people, wildlife and the climate." Shutdown, Drilling and Coal: The Trump Administration’s Holiday Gifts to the World The Revelator - 2019Jan - "The government shutdown could have long-lasting environmental effects, as could several other actions taken by the administration over the holidays."

"It is so easy to break down and destroy. The heroes are those who make peace and build." - Nelson Mandela	Trump Administration Proposes Dramatic Cuts to Endangered Species Act Protections The Revelator - 2018July The Trump Administration’s Awful New Migratory Bird Policy Undermines a Century of Conservation The Revelator - 2018April - "The Interior Department is narrowing protection for migratory birds to cover only deliberate harm such as hunting, but not threats like development or pollution that kill millions of birds yearly." Operating Under the Radar: Top Zinke Aides Undermine Protections for Public Lands and Endangered Species. The Revelator - 2018April - "David Bernhardt, Greg Sheehan and Susan Combs are implementing Trump’s energy-dominance agenda while ignoring Congress and the public."
Trump lifts ban on import of elephant trophies CBS News - 2018March - "...in spite of the fact that the president said in November that he would be "very hard-pressed to change his mind" on the "horror show" of sports trophies." - his sons are avid trophy hunters U.S. Lifts Ban on the Import of African Elephant Trophies Smithsonian Magazine - 2018March President Trump Once Criticized the 'Horror Show' of Trophy Hunting. Now He's Lifting a Ban on Elephant Part Imports TIME - 2018March - "... this is the second time in recent months the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), a federal agency under the Department of the Interior, has moved to ease trophy import restrictions."	At least two of those cite that the ban was lifted because "the court determined that the Obama administration did not adequately observe rules around passing the ban, such as inviting public comment." ...uh, I think thousands of marching protestors against lifting the ban on trophy imports, months before, in 2017Nov was quite a bit of "public comment". I even remember signing a petition, and that there were more than one petition. Pure proof that if we don't get the right people to officially speak up for us, our voices are brushed aside. Remember: I grew up eating venison, but I do not believe in killing just for fun. Lusting after trophies made from animal carcasses is just as bad as using animal parts for snakeoil cure-alls. My trophies are the living, breathing, trumpeting, roaring powerhouses in their natural element. Our thrills and awe are for the living, for life.
14 Environmental Programs Eliminated in Trump’s Budget Proposal The Revelator - 2018Feb - Trump’s proposed budget wipes out funding for numerous programs devoted to climate change, public lands and sustainable energy." Republicans move to sell off 3.3m acres of national land, sparking rallies The Guardian - 2017Jan31	Congress moves to give away national lands, discounting billions in revenue The Guardian - 2017Jan - "In a press release for House Bill 621, Chaffetz, a Tea Party Republican, claimed that the 3.3m acres of national land, maintained by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), served “no purpose for taxpayers”." - "Jason Amaro, who represents the south-west chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, describes the move as a land grab. “Last I checked, hunters and fishermen were taxpayers.”

Remember, I'm just providing information.
This site is about fighting for wildlife and our environment.
We need both to be healthy for us to live healthy.
And life's a lot more fun with vibrant biodiversity! ^_^

"People who will not sustain trees will soon live in a world which cannot sustain people." - Bryce Nelson "Let us put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children." - Sitting Bull

"The truth is: The natural world is changing, and we are totally dependent on that world. It provides our food, water and air. It is the most precious thing we have and we need to defend it." - Sir David Attenborough

Save Habitat: Save Lions.

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Be a steward of the Earth.