July, 10 2015, 10:00am EDT
Basin and Range, Berryessa Snow Mountain, and Waco Mammoth to Become Nation's Next National Monuments
The Sierra Club praised today's news that President Obama will designate three new national monuments: Basin and Range in Nevada, Berryessa Snow Mountain in California, and Waco Mammoth in Texas.
Basin and Range, composed of 704,000 acres, is located in the Garden and Coral Valleys of Nevada. The new monument is home to stunning mountain ranges, unique plants and animals, and is the ancestral homeland of Native Americans and the resting place for many historical and cultural artifacts.
WASHINGTON
The Sierra Club praised today's news that President Obama will designate three new national monuments: Basin and Range in Nevada, Berryessa Snow Mountain in California, and Waco Mammoth in Texas.
Basin and Range, composed of 704,000 acres, is located in the Garden and Coral Valleys of Nevada. The new monument is home to stunning mountain ranges, unique plants and animals, and is the ancestral homeland of Native Americans and the resting place for many historical and cultural artifacts.
Stretching just under 331,000 acres, from California's Lake Berryessa to the Snow Mountain Wilderness, Berryessa Snow Mountain is home to breathtaking views, and rare plants and animals, including bald eagles. The monument also features a 5,000-year-old archaeological site and was home to four different Native American tribes.
Waco Mammoth is a paleontological site and museum in Waco, Texas, and is home to the fossils of 24 Columbian mammoths -- the largest known concentration of mammoth fossils.
Combined, these three monuments total over one million acres -- nearly doubling the public lands protected as national monuments under President Obama.
In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:
"The Sierra Club applauds President Obama's historic and unprecedented actions today. By utilizing the Antiquities Act to designate Berryessa Snow Mountain, Basin and Range, and Waco Mammoth, he has continued to add to our nation's outdoor legacy.
"By designating these new monuments, President Obama has ensured that these beautiful, historic landscapes will continue to benefit local communities for generations to come.
"It's really welcoming to see President Obama once again reward the efforts of the hundreds of people over the years who have given their passion, time, and toil to protecting our public lands."
The Sierra Club is the most enduring and influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. We amplify the power of our 3.8 million members and supporters to defend everyone's right to a healthy world.
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Bernie Sanders talks about the oligarchy
While rarely discussed in the corporate press or by most elected officials, argues Sanders, the reality is that a "small number of incredibly wealthy billionaires own and control much of the global economy. Period. End of discussion. And increasingly they own and control our government through a corrupt campaign finance system."
Since the the victory of President-elect Donald Trump in November, Sanders has been increasingly outspoken about his frustrations over the failure of the Democratic Party to adequately confront the contradictions presented by a party that purports to represent the interests of the working class yet remains so beholden to corporate interests and the wealthy that lavish it with campaign contributions.
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According to the newspaper:
Mr. Siri is also representing ICAN in petitioning the FDA to "pause distribution" of 13 other vaccines, including combination products that cover tetanus, diphtheria, polio, and hepatitis A, until their makers disclose details about aluminum, an ingredient researchers have associated with a small increase in asthma cases.
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Ryan Cooper, managing editor at The American Prospect, warned that "they want your kids dead."
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Multiple critics altered Trump's campaign slogan to "Make Polio Great Again."
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Sandy Fonzo, whose son killed himself after being sentenced to juvenile detention, said in a statement: "I am shocked and I am hurt. Conahan's actions destroyed families, including mine, and my son's death is a tragic reminder of the consequences of his abuse of power."
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