Two upcoming events you might be interested in: this weekend, opponents of the ongoing border wall construction — a topic we’ve covered here extensively before — are gathering near Lochiel, Arizona for a solidarity action. And on Wednesday, May 20th, CELDF is hosting an online introduction to direct action training that is free and open to the public. More details on both of these events below.
If you’re new here, this is Truth and Reckoning, a newsletter from the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF). We are organizers, lawyers, and revolutionaries who educate and agitate to confront systemic injustice and restore humanity’s relationship with the Earth. For more than 30 years, we’ve helped communities resist corporate power, reject regulatory false promises, and assert their right to self-governance grounded in ecological balance.
Dates: May 16-17, 11am-6pm PST/MST
Location: Lochiel, Arizona (La Noria) • GPS: 31°19′59.2″ N, 110° 37’11.3” W (map link: https://bit.ly/may16az)
Description:
The Border Wall has divided the San Rafael Valley in southern Arizona along international lines. It is catastrophic for wildlife, who, for survival, cannot be impeded from migration, but allowed to move north and south across their habitats freely, as they have for millennia.
Slow-growing, mature oak trees are being bulldozed and killed without a thought. Irreplaceable Pleistocene-era aquifers, in a time of unprecedented drought and climate change, are being drained for cement. Cross-border watersheds are being bulldozed and blocked with immense boulders sourced from blasting Coronado Memorial National Park.
Coils of razor-sharp concertina wire are being laid out ahead of construction, a dangerous menace to innocent wildlife trying to survive. They are treating our lands like a war zone.
Other places we hold dear are being assaulted as well: Big Bend, Rio Grande River Valley, La Lomita, National Butterfly Center, Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Cristo Rey, Jacumba Wilderness, Cerro Cuchumá and many more—sacred places callously targeted in this endless fantasy our government falsely claims is essential to our security.
On April 23rd, an “intaglio” (a prehistoric geopetroglyph), a sacred site on the south edge of the Las Playas, in Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, was destroyed by “scorched earth” border wall construction. Nothing is spared. Nothing is respected.
We all knew in our bones this was coming, when we planned our first
Bi-National Border Happening on May 31, 2025, a success. The date of this next “happening” lands on National Endangered Species Day, also under attack by the reckless actions of a rogue administration hungry for profit and power. Due to widespread opposition, the ESA Amendments Act of 2025, H.R. 1897, was pulled from a floor vote in the U.S. House auspiciously on Earth Day, April 22, 2026, halting efforts to limit federal authority to protect endangered and threatened species.
Mexican Gray Wolves suffered a surprise attack on their protections with the Gosar Amendment, added at the last minute to the Farm Bill, which changes the criteria for confirming wolf-livestock conflicts, making it easier for ranchers to receive compensation for cattle killed by Mexican Gray Wolves. The amendment passed and heads to the Senate.
You all know what’s happening. We need to summon our collective voices and strengths—do everything we can with everything we have—to fight like hell! Why we continue to show up and speak out, that we care about the land, water and wildlife.
We will be STREAMING LIVE to share this Happening with the global community—those who believe in and are working for—migration as a solemn rite of all living beings. So bring your signs, banners, songs, poetry, fearless heart and creative spirit.
For current updates: rally.forthevalley on Instagram
Register now to join. This will be an accessible learning experience for beginners and seasoned veterans.
Time: Wednesday, May 20th 7:00pm to 9:00 pm ET
Lina Blount is an organizer and writer working on environmental justice campaigns in the Philadelphia area since 2011. Lina currently works as the Director of Strategy and Partnerships for the Earth Quaker Action Team, a grassroots group including Quakers and people of diverse beliefs who use nonviolent direct action to work towards a just and sustainable economy by targeting corporate power. Lina’s view of people power is most shaped by her experiences in the streets, in actions, in meetings, and in multi-year campaigns with everyday people fighting to make a better world for themselves and their communities.
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.