A North Dakota judge today refused to authorize riot charges against award-winning journalist Amy Goodman for her reporting on an attack against Native American-led anti-pipeline protesters.
"This is a complete vindication of my right as a journalist to cover the attack on the protesters, and of the public's right to know what is happening with the Dakota Access Pipeline," said Goodman. "We will continue to report on this epic struggle of Native Americans and their non-Native allies taking on the fossil fuel industry and an increasingly militarized police in this time when climate change threatens the planet."
District Judge John Grinsteiner did not find probable cause to justify the charges filed on Friday, Oct. 14 by State's Attorney Ladd R Erickson. Those charges were presented after Erickson had withdrawn an earlier charge against Goodman of criminal trespass. Goodman had returned to North Dakota to turn herself in to the trespassing charge.
The charges in State of North Dakota v. Amy Goodman, stemmed from Democracy Now!'s coverage of protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. On Saturday, Sept. 3, Democracy Now! filmed security guards working for the pipeline company attacking protesters. The report showed guards unleashing dogs and using pepper spray and featured people with bite injuries and a dog with blood dripping from its mouth and nose.
Democracy Now!'s report went viral online and was viewed more than 14 million times on Facebook and was rebroadcast on many outlets, including CBS, NBC,NPR, CNN, MSNBCand the Huffington Post.
On Sept. 8, a criminal complaint and warrant was issued for Goodman's arrest on the trespassing charge.
"These shifting charges were a transparent attempt by the prosecutor to intimidate Amy Goodman and to silence coverage of the resistance to the pipeline," said Reed Brody, an attorney for Goodman. "Fortunately, these bully tactics didn't work and freedom of the press has prevailed."
The pipeline project has faced months of resistance from the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and members of more than 100 other tribes from across the U.S., Canada and Latin America.
Goodman is the host and executive producer of Democracy Now!, a national, daily, independent, award-winning public television/radio news program that airs on over 1,400 stations worldwide. Goodman has co-authored six New York Times bestsellers and won many of journalism's highest awards in more than three-decades working as a reporter.
Reposted with permission from our media associate Democracy Now!
...The rate at which Arctic sea ice is shrinking due to climate change continues to make headlines as scientists monitor and predict what is "becoming a journey into uncharted territory."
Recent data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center revealed sea ice in the Arctic hit its summer low point, tying 2007 for the second lowest extent on record.
With global temperatures on the rise and already at levels not seen in 100,000 years, melting Arctic sea ice is only expected to get worse as temperatures there are warming at least twice as fast as the global average. Mark Serreze, the director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center, said he wouldn't be surprised if the Arctic were "essentially ice free" by 2030.
"Dramatic and unprecedented warming in the Arctic is driving sea level rise, affecting weather patterns around the world and may trigger even more changes in the climate system," according to the World Meteorological Organization.
As part of his climate change documentary, Before the Flood, Leonardo DiCaprio visited the Arctic with National Geographic explorer-in-residence Dr. Enric Sala to see for himself what is happening in the region.
While walking with DiCaprio on the edge of the sea ice in the high Canadian Arctic, Sala told him that "we will not be able to stand on the frozen sea anymore in about 25 years."
Scientific projections, he said, show that by 2040 there's going to be almost no sea ice left in the entire Arctic.
Sala sat down with National Geographic to answer five questions regarding the critical state of Earth's sea ice, and what it means for us. Watch here:
...By now you might have seen the terrifying video of a 10-foot great white shark breaching a diver's cage off Isla Guadalupe in Mexico. Although the operator of the diving vessel, Solmar V, has called this a "one in a million" occurrence and the diver escaped unharmed, interesting questions have been raised about the broader use of wildlife as entertainment.
Coming face-to-face with a great white shark is a dream for many adrenaline seekers and can be a lucrative source of tourism dollars for shark encounter operators. According to The Guardian, Isla Guadalupe is a major hotspot for great white shark cage diving, with excursions as low as $100 or as high as several thousand dollars.
However, animal rights activists have long campaigned against using wildlife as a tourism activities. "Animals aren't actors, spectacles to imprison and gawk at, or circus clowns," animal rights organization PETA says. Just last week, TripAdvisor announced its decision to ban ticket sales or generate booking revenue from tourism experiences where travelers come into physical contact with captive wild animals or endangered species.
During a dive, tourists are submerged underwater in a steel cage as chum is thrown from boats to lure sharks. Critics argue that feeding or baiting a wild shark with chum might affect its natural behavior and put people at risk. Florida has banned the feeding of sharks for this reason.
"When people feed sharks, it can change their behavior and cause them to start associating people with food," Ryan Brown, spokesman for Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., told the Sun Sentinel last month. "This puts divers at risk, especially those who aren't diving in a protective cage. Florida law prohibits shark feeding in state waters, but the practice is currently unregulated in federal waters further from shore."
Solmar V managing partner Jorge Cervera Hauser said that the company has been injury-free since it opened in 2004 and that their cages have been inspected and reinforced.
"There is always room for improvement and measures are being taken so that incidents like this don't happen again," Solmar V wrote in a Facebook post.
Overall, shark attacks are rare. According to Oceana, "over the past five years (2006-2010), an average of 4.2 fatal shark attacks have taken place each year worldwide."
And what about the safety of the sharks themselves?
Take this video for instance. You may have noticed that the shark was bleeding from the gill and the dorsal fin. These great predators cannot swim backwards, making it more difficult for the creature in the video to escape from the cage. Sharks cannot close their eyelids to protect their eyes when attacking prey, adding a measure of unpredictability.
"When a great white shark lunges and bites something, it is temporarily blinded," the cameraman wrote in a description for the video. "They also cannot swim backwards. So this shark lunged at the bait, accidentally hit the side of the cage, was most likely confused and not able to swim backwards, it thrust forward and broke the metal rail of the cage."
The shark did not suffer any serious injuries, Hauser said. Additionally, sharks are not usually harmed in any way from shark cage diving activities.
Shark Diving Unlimited owner Michael Rutzen argues that shark cage diving plays a role in conservation and education.
"We have to show people these animals to ensure their survival," he told Responsible Travel. "It's no different from viewing leopards and lions."
Great white sharks are currently listed as "vulnerable" on the World Wildlife Fund website. The organization states that these sharks are "decreasing in numbers and are rare due to years of being hunted by man for fins and teeth, and often as a trophy for sport fishing. The great white shark is often caught as bycatch by commercial fisheries and can also become entangled in meshes that protect beaches."
Andrew Evans of National Geographic Traveler argued that shark cage diving has done little to stop the biggest threats against sharks.
"Shark cage diving has not ended the Asian market for shark fin soup, or countered overfishing, or preserved ocean habitats or passed legislation to ban the killing of specific species of sharks. Nor have I ever met a reputable marine biologist who condones the commercial business of shark cage diving," Evans wrote. "In my opinion, shark cage diving makes a mockery of real conservation efforts to preserve an animal that is in rapid decline (so far, we have lost 90% of the world's shark population since 1950)."
A bow hunter in New Jersey has apparently killed a popular local black bear, Pedals. Wildlife lovers are outraged as the hunter has been reportedly bragging about the kill.
Pedals, the upright-walking bear, which once had 22,000 fans on a now-defunct Facebook page, was just one of 549 bears killed by hunters during a controversial expanded hunting season. Reaction was so negative on both sides of the issue that a Facebook page dedicated to the bear was shut down Saturday night. A new Facebook page, RIP Pedals The Walking Bear, posted a plea to "please be respectful of others."
Anger may have been provoked by the defunct site's post, which read, "The hunter who has wanted him dead for nearly three years had the satisfaction of putting an arrow through him, bragging at the station."
The New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife confirmed that it had pictures of an injured black bear brought into the Green Pond check station in Rockaway last week, but said it could not determine the identity of the bear. A statement posted by the division read:
"Upon arrival to check stations, bears are weighed and measured around the head. DNA samples are taken and a tooth is extracted to determine the bear's age. But without any prior scientific data taken from a bear, it is not possible to verify the identity of a bear that has been harvested."
It is believed that Pedals walked upright due to injuries to both front paws. Black bears are not endangered, and are found throughout the state of New Jersey. Native to the state, they were hunted indiscriminately following European colonization. The state says there are about 3,600 today, a sharp increase since the 1970s. Only one fatal attack by a bear has ever occurred in New Jersey's history. The victim was a 22-year old Rutgers University student who was hiking with a group of friends in Passaic County in 2014 when he was attacked.
State officials maintain that hunting is necessary to regulate the population of black bears in New Jersey, and has spent $9 million since 2000 on black bear management. However, state senator Raymond J. Lesniak has introduced a bill that would ban bear baiting and establish trash disposal rules that would reduce access to human food waste, as has been implemented in other areas with high bear populations. The bill would also eliminate the October and December bear hunting seasons.
In the State Assembly, four legislators are seeking to end hunting of black bears in New Jersey. They are Tim Eustace of Bergen County along with Grace Spencer, Raj Mukherji and Thomas Giblin, all of Passaic County.
Aspen, Colorado residents have gotten used to living with black bears in this tiny, high-altitude resort town. Trash receptacles must be bear-proof, doors are kept locked and food has to be kept away from decks and unattended vehicles. Bear sightings, even downtown, are not uncommon. The city has taken a progressive approach to bear management, avoiding the unnecessary death of bears and protecting its citizens and visitors. In 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Wildlife Services killed 3.2 million animals, including black bears, mountain lions, wolves and bobcats.
Meanwhile, fans of Pedals mourn the bear's loss. Posting on the Facebook page, Kelly Champan Cherhan wrote, "This is heartbreaking!!!!" Angela Lindsay Paulson added, "I lose sleep over this too." Michael Kenneth Watson commented, "So very upset, who shoots a handicapped bear? Why?"
At this time, the identity of the hunter has not been confirmed.
Production of the official fruit of Florida continues to plummet as the first forecast from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the 2016-2017 growing season indicates a 14 percent drop in the state's orange crop.
On Wednesday, the USDA predicted farmers will have enough oranges to fill 70 million boxes for the season. Last season, Florida produced 81.5 million boxes, a 52-year low. This latest forecast shows that the region is in the midst of the worst orange harvest crisis since records began in 1913, according to The Guardian.
After the announcement, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam said that the forecast is disheartening and further proof of the difficult times facing Florida's citrus industry which has been dealing with citrus greening, an incurable bacterial disease that can kill a tree within two years.
Citrus greening disease on mandarin oranges.T.R. Gottwald and S.M. Garnsey / USDA
"Production of our state's signature crop is down 70 percent from 20 years ago, and the future of Florida citrus depends on a breakthrough in the fight against greening," Putnam said. "We must continue to support our growers and provide them with every tool available to combat greening."
The state has set aside $8 million in the budget to help fight against greening, in addition to $14.7 million for a citrus health response program within the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, reports The Tampa Bay Times. Farmers themselves have put $100 million into fighting the disease that is spread through hurricanes and storms that hit the state.
"Farmers are giving up on oranges altogether," Judith Ganes, president of the commodities research firm J Ganes Consulting, told The Guardian. "Normally after a freeze or a hurricane [which both kill lots of trees], the growers would replant 100% of their plants. But the disease has been spread all over by hurricanes, and made it totally uncontrollable. Farmers are giving up and turning to other crops or turning land over to housing."
This, in turn, is causing the steep rise in wholesale prices and companies are getting more creative in how they sell their juice in stores either by making the cartons smaller or blending the juice with other fruits or water.
So far, The Guardian reports that these methods have kept prices from increasing in grocery stores for now, in addition to the fact that demand for orange juice is down.
"U.S. consumers have it in their mind that orange juice is high in sugar, which it is, but it's natural sugars that don't contribute to obesity," John Michalik, a beverages expert at the Canadian division of the market research group Global Data, said. "People are not having the full breakfast at home like they used to. Now almost all breakfasts are a coffee and sandwich or snack on the go."
While some farmers may be abandoning the orange industry, Michael Sparks, vice president and CEO of grower group Florida Citrus Mutual, which represents many of the 62,000 people employed in the state's citrus industry, said Wednesday that their farmers are not giving up yet.
"The 2016-17 citrus season is here and we are cautiously optimistic heading into it," he said. "The all Florida orange forecast number of 70 million boxes is about what we expected, and although it's low, Florida growers will again use their trademark resilience to bring consumers the best citrus in the world."
...North Dakota has charged journalist Amy Goodman and filmmaker Deia Schlosberg for doing their jobs: reporting and documenting the peaceful protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. This string of arrests constitutes nothing less than a war on journalism and a victory for fossil fuel interests that have banked on the pipeline.
We call on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to act to protect the first amendment rights of those attempting to tell the stories of the water protectors fighting the risky pipeline. The DOJ must investigate the arrests of Amy Goodman and Deia Schlosberg at the hands of North Dakota police.
The first amendment is not only a cornerstone of our bill of rights, but the right to free speech and freedom of the press is critical to addressing our climate chaos. We need brave journalists to tell the stories of injustice that are occurring at the hands of the banks and fossil fuel companies seeking to extract every last drop of fossil fuels for profit—no matter the cost.
We applaud Goodman and Schlosberg for courageously documenting the peaceful actions at Standing Rock and call upon Attorney General Loretta Lynch to investigate their arrests and act to protect the first amendment rights of those attempting to tell the stories of the water protectors fighting this risky pipeline.
On Saturday, hundreds of people temporarily stopped work at multiple construction sites at the site of the $3.8 billion Dakota Access Pipeline. One person reportedly delayed work for up to six hours by locking to an excavator. At least 14 people were arrested.
Democracy Now! began covering the action just after dawn, from the main resistance camp in Cannon Ball, North Dakota. Watch here:
A federal appeals court recently rejected a bid by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to permanently halt construction on part of the Dakota Access pipeline, paving the way for the Dakota Access company to resume construction on private lands adjacent to Lake Oahe on the Missouri River.
A decision on whether the pipeline can proceed under the river rests with the Army Corps of Engineers. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe argued that construction of the $3.8 billion pipeline is destroying cultural artifacts and sacred sites, including a sacred tribal burial ground that was bulldozed on Sept. 3, Labor Day weekend, when Dakota Access pipeline's guards unleashed dogs and pepper spray on the Native Americans. Since then, members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and others have set up a permanent encampment across the street from the bulldozed burial ground. They call it the Sacred Ground Camp and say they'll continue to fight the Dakota Access pipeline.
We are joined by Dave Archambault II, chair of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Watch here:
Democracy Now! is broadcasting live from Mandan, North Dakota, across the street from the Morton County Courthouse, where more than a half-dozen people will appear in court today on charges related to the ongoing resistance to the construction of the $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline. At least three people are due in court today on felony charges after locking themselves to heavy construction equipment.
Morton County also issued an arrest warrant for Democracy Now!'s Amy Goodman on Sept. 8, five days after we released our on-the-ground video report from Labor Day weekend showing the Dakota Access pipeline company's security guards physically assaulting nonviolent, mostly Native American land protectors, pepper-spraying them and unleashing attack dogs, one of which was shown with blood dripping from its nose and mouth.
The original charge against Goodman was criminal trespass, but due to lack of evidence, State's Attorney Ladd Erickson has filed a new charge against Goodman: "riot." If Judge John Grinsteiner approves the new riot charge, she will be appearing in court today at 1:30 p.m. CT to challenge it. Watch here:
Reposted with permission from our media associate Democracy Now!
...The Center for Biological Diversity added $10,000 on Friday to the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for shooting and killing an endangered wolf earlier this month in south-central Oregon. The wolf—a female known as OR-28, who recently had a pup—was found dead Oct. 6.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is also offering a $5,000 reward in the case.
OR-28. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
"The illegal killing of wolf OR-28 is heartbreaking. She was a pioneering animal, one of the first wolves to make the journey from northeastern to western Oregon," said Amaroq Weiss, the center's West Coast wolf organizer. "OR-28 was also a first-time mother, who leaves behind her mate and single pup to fend for themselves. This was a cowardly crime. I hope the perpetrator is caught quickly."
Because she lived in the western two-thirds of Oregon, OR-28 was protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. Poaching a protected species is punishable by a heavy fine and jail time. In 2015 the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife reported six wolf deaths due to illegal shootings, ingesting poison or from suspicious but unknown causes. This is the highest number of illegal and suspicious wolf mortalities recorded in Oregon in a single year. Only one of the 2015 wolf deaths resulted in a conviction.
Anyone with information about this case can call the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at (503) 682-6131 or the Oregon State Police Tip Line at (800) 452-7888. Callers may remain anonymous.
News of OR-28's death comes on the heels of a statewide poll that found that the vast majority of Oregonians—from both rural and urban areas—oppose hunting as a way to manage wolves and believe wildlife officials wrongly removed state protections from wolves last November. The poll also revealed that most Oregonians believe nonlethal methods should be the primary focus in reducing conflicts between wolves and livestock.
"Oregonians love wolves and want them protected. The poaching of OR-28 is a disgusting crime that shouldn't go unpunished," Weiss said. "Someone out there almost certainly knows who did this, and I really hope they'll step forward and help secure justice for this wolf."
...The oldest giant panda living in captivity was euthanized Sunday in Hong Kong after her health rapidly deteriorated over the past two weeks, according to officials at Ocean Park. She was 38 years old.
Jia Jia celebrates her 38th birthday at Ocean Park in Hong Kong.Ocean Park / Facebook
As her health declined, officials say Jia Jia's appetite dropped drastically. She went from eating 22 pounds of food per day to less than seven and her weight also declined.
"Over the past few days, she has been spending less time awake and showing no interest in food or fluids. Her condition became worse this morning. Jia Jia was not able to walk about without difficulties and spent the day laying down," Ocean Park said. "Her state became so debilitated that based on ethical reasons and in order to prevent suffering, veterinarians from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and Ocean Park agreed to a humane euthanasia for Jia Jia."
The average life expectancy of Jia Jia's species is under 20 years in the wild, and around 20 years under human care.
"This is a day we knew would eventually come, but it is nevertheless a sad day for everyone at the park," the park said.
Born in the wild in China's Sichuan province in 1978, Jia Jia, whose name translates as "excellence," was given to Hong Kong in 1999 where she served as an important animal ambassador for her species.
Park officials say their panda-related educational programs are the most popular among guests and students and have helped raise public awareness on the importance of protecting giant pandas and their natural habitat.
"We are proud of her contribution to conservation," the park said.
Jia Jia's species has been under threat of extinction due to development in China's Yangtze Basin region, the panda's primary habitat. However, recent numbers shows that conservation efforts are working.
In September, giant pandas' status was downgraded on the Red List of Threatened Species from "endangered" to "vulnerable" pointing to the 17 percent rise in the population in the decade up to 2014, when a nationwide census found 1,864 giant pandas in the wild in China, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
Due to the threats they face in the wild and their low birthrate, captive breeding programs have become key to ensuring their survival. During her time at Ocean Park, officials say Jia Jia gave birth five times to six panda cubs, according to Hong Kong Free Press.
The park plans to establish a memorial area beginning Oct. 22 for guests to pay tribute to their beloved animal ambassador.
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