You might be wondering why my journey from Santa Fe to Fairbanks has involved starting in Boston with a pit stop at Niagara Falls.  First of all, it's as dizzying as it sounds.  Secondly, in solidarity with my travel companion based on the East Coast, it was the least I could do to ensure that we were in this long haul together. 

Our trajectory had us breeze right past Niagara Falls.  After many dashed opportunities to see this natural wonder, this time, I couldn't pass it up.  And I'm so glad I didn't.   The view was a symbolic one to mark a worrisome week of weather warnings.  It aptly set the tone for the reason why I'm heading up North: to cover the climate crisis. 

 I have to say, standing on that observation deck at Niagara, the ancestral lands of the Mohawk, and overlooking the sheer force of nature and its largely preserved beauty - it all seemed incredibly fitting. Niagara Falls is an example of what is possible when we think compassionately about the impact we, as humans, have on the land.

The way state park officials tell it, early environmentalists founded a Free Niagara movement in the 1860s after mills and factories started to sprout up along the river.  They were concerned about the impacts of exploiting the waterway for commercial interests - and they were right.  It's one of the rare moments in American history when nature overpowered industrialization. 

He explained to them that settler-made dams were depleting the tribe's treaty-protected sustenance fish runs and ultimately killed himself after his insistent pleas were repeatedly ignored.  Today, the equivalent is locking one's Indigenous self to pipeline construction equipment in an effort to shut down energy projects like Enbridge's Line 3.  The message is still the same: protecting the land is not a Native issue; it's a human issue.

This week was a warning as American's find their footing in a waning pandemic - a "get back to normal" tenacity that is becoming apparently unacceptable.  From the gobsmacking heat wave in the Pacific Northwest, the wildfires that have now ensued, a random tornado warning in Washington DC, and on and on.  The hopeful sign is that media outlets like this one in Colorado are starting to up their game in how they cover the climate crisis.  

Here's a few ways to not feel so lost in all of this chaos: 

• Take part in Plastic Free July

• Read how Recycling in America is a Mess and think of how we can fix it

• And as your pondering, livestream the Brown Bears of Katmai Nat'l Park

• Ditch your car. Ride a bike. (I'm selling my vintage Raleigh by the way) 

Hat tip to my good friend, Katie, by the way, for that link to the bears 🐻 And a big shout-out to Igor Limansky of Utah for winning the Pueblo Pottery Giveaway!  I've got some ideas for my next gift once I get settled in at Fairbanks.  

Enjoy the weekend friends,

Exact degrees Fahrenheit that set an all-time heat record in Oregon, June 28: 117°F

Preliminary death toll from the Oregon heat wave as of July 3rd: 94

Total wildfires ignited near Mount Shasta, Ca., an hour's drive from the Oregon border: 3

Number of federally recognized Native nations in California affected from last year's fires: 32

Number of people who died in the Miami Beach condo collapse, June 24th: 18

Maximum amount of Miami property in U.S. dollars that could be underwater by 2050: $23B

Estimated tons of greenhouse gases that Enbridge Line 3 oil, when burned, would emit: 193M

Number of coal-fired power plants to produce an equal amount of emissions: 45

Approximate barrels per day Line 3 would cross Indigenous lands and fragile ecosystems: 760K

Total arrests made during the Treaty People Gathering in opposition of Line 3: 179

Total length in feet of a black "pipeline" snake included in a blockade at the White House: 100

Total number of U.S. states to declare a climate emergency: 1

Total number of known Native nations that have declared a climate emergency: 1

Number of jurisdictions across 34 countries declaring similar emergencies prior to the US: 1990

Total length in feet of a totem pole made by Lummi Nation carvers on its way to DC: 24

People lay their hands on a 24-foot totem pole to offer blessings Thursday at Shoshone Falls. The 5,000-pound totem pole was carved from a single Western red cedar. PAT SUTPHIN, TIMES-NEWS

I'll admit, I'm a hard sell when it comes to organizing and activism in Indian Country - but the Red Road to DC Totem Pole Journey is just too good to ignore.  Have you been following this trek across Indian Country?  The official trip kicks-off late next week, but the House of Tears Carvers from Lummi Nation in Washington State can't seem to hold back.  They carved an ancient tree into a 5,000 lb. totem pole in honor of protecting sacred landscapes and are letting so many people take part. Here's how: 

+ Head to their website and see if the totem pole is passing through a rez near you

+ Sign one of their many Actions to protect Indigenous lands 

+ Follow along on Facebook and show and share your support