Tag Archives: Indigenous People

A vast majority of women serving in Congress today are there because they won tough open primaries. So, when an elected official retires or moves up to higher office, EMILY’s List jumps on the opportunity to get a pro-choice Democratic woman to run for that seat.

So you’ve read all the news stories about the waves of House retirements, right? Well so have we. Watch our behind-the-scenes strategy briefing about some EMILY’s List women currently trying to fill those seats by competing in open primary races:

Thanks for watching,

Jess McIntosh
Communications Director, EMILY’s List

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

NOAA … Stop midrange sonar & explosive testing

04/08/2014 Nativegrl77

Stop the testing of midrange sonar and testing of explosives in the Pacific Northwest.

Petition by Mary Powell

To be delivered to Commander of the Pacific Fleet, Mark Matsunaga Public Affairs Officer, National Marine Fisheries Services/ NOAA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Governor Jay Inslee of Washington, Governor Sean Parnell of Alaska and 2 other targets (click here to see more)

Petition Statement

The Naval Pacific Fleet should not be allowed to test a midrange sonar system damaging to threatened and endangered marine mammals in an area extending from Alaska to Northern California, including the inland waters of Washington. Additional training and testing should be curtailed until the cumulative effects of their activities have been studied in this already very stressed ecosystem.

There are currently 7,457 signatures. NEW goal – We need 7,500 signatures!

Sign the petition

The inland waters of the Eastern North Pacific particularly Puget Sound and the Salish Sea are experiencing stress already and the science and governmental action needed to prevent or remediate problems is not being supported. The Navy’s EIS admits that Midrange sonar testing is damaging to threatened and endangered Dolphins and Whales who are dependent on the use of sonar for hunting. The Navy already conducts hundreds of explosive tests and training exercises in the test area with potential for ingestion of pollutants, entanglement, physical damage, and stress on the entire marine environment. These stressors can be cumulative and have widespread affects on the whole ecosystem besides threatened and endangered mammals. The Environmental Impact Statement can be viewed at: http://www.nwtteis.com

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

On #GivingTuesday Help Protect the Amazon from Big Oil

12/03/2013 Nativegrl77

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Photo of Patricia Gualinga by Boris Andrade in Gatopardo magazineWonderful news for Giving Tuesday!

Ecuador‘s 11th Round Oil Auction that threatened millions of acres of rainforest and indigenous territory is over and it ended last Friday as a dismal failure! Because of your support we were able to see a reduction in the initial oil blocks from 21 to 13 and two extensions to the auction – doubling its original duration – because the bidders weren’t bidding. Of the hundreds of international oil companies that were invited to bid, only 4 ultimately did so. In part due to the tremendous pressure generated by Amazon Watch once we accompanied our indigenous allies around the world demonstrating that communities will oppose every effort to drill on their lands.

Please celebrate on this Giving Tuesday by contributing so we may continue to stand with our allies in defending the Amazon from Big Oil.

For the past two weeks we have highlighted the work of our partner and friend, Sarayaku-born activist and leader Patricia Gualinga. While she is pleased that the 11th Round is over and failed overall, Patricia remains concerned about the future of her community, the Amazon and our global climate.

Upon hearing the results of the 11th Round, she said:

“Petro Andes, a Chinese company, has made an offer in the 11th Oil-Licensing Round that affects 6,000 hectares of the sacred territory of Sarayaku, sacred land of our ancestors. From Sarayaku, we once again express our whole-hearted rejection of oil development on our territory. This company will not enter our territory. We will defend it with our lives.”

Please continue to stand with us to make more victories possible and keep up this integral fight for the future of the Amazon, for the indigenous peoples there, and for our global climate. Help us to support Patricia Gualinga as she continues to be one of the powerful voices of indigenous leadership and justice in the Amazon.

Thank you from all of us at Amazon Watch on this Giving Tuesday and every day.

Branden Barber
Director of Engagement

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Help Make Sarayaku’s Victory a Reality!

07/24/2013 Nativegrl77

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Help Make Sarayaku’s Victory a Reality!

This Thursday is the one-year anniversary of the historic court decision for Sarayaku and indigenous rights. It’s also the deadline for the government to apologize and pay reparations. Sixty members from the community will be traveling to Quito to hold the government accountable and to make sure that what happened in their territory is not allowed to occur again. Join the Cause to show your support for Sarayaku today!

Last July the Kichwa of Sarayaku, an indigenous community from Ecuador’s Amazon, won a landmark legal victory against the Ecuadorian government at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. The decision, which the Correa administration said it would respect, establishes new guidelines on the right to consultation of indigenous peoples and has widespread implications not only for governments of Latin American countries but also for multinational companies operating there.

Amazon Watch and our allies are doing all we can to support the community’s journey from the Amazon to the National Assembly in Quito, but we need your help to make it a reality. Please support Sarayaku in the culmination of their fight for justice and accountability for indigenous rights in the Amazon and beyond. Join and support the Cause today!

For the Amazon,

Adam Zuckerman
Environme