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Following the racial justice movement of 2020, more Americans are interrogating racism in all aspects of U.S. history. This extends to Thanksgiving, considered by many Indigenous people to symbolize the beginning of genocide, land left, and erasure of culture. Today on the news, we return to our conversation with Adesbah Foguth, a Diné archeologist and former interpretive ranger at Chaco Canyon National Historical Park. Through the Native Power Rangers Instagram account, Adesbah dissects language, showing how certain words inflict harm on Native American people and their history. Plus, a number of controversial historical monuments were taken down by racial justice protesters or removed by authorities this year, including some in our region.

Show Notes:

Photo: Chaco Canyon National Historical Park

Native Power Rangers on KZMU
https://www.kzmu.org/native-power-rangers-on-kzmu/

San Juan County residents are speaking out against a proposal from the Lisbon Valley Mining Company that they say will irreparably damage drinking water and ruin livelihoods like cattle ranching. Although the Lisbon Valley mine has operated for years with traditional open pit mining, the company is applying for permits on a different process that involves pumping sulfuric acid into the ground through a ring of injection wells. Staff from the Utah Division of Water Quality say this would not impact any water sources used for drinking, but residents disagree. And later, instead of hosting a gathering of hundreds for their traditional Thanksgiving community meal, Moab nonprofit WabiSabi is gearing up for delivery.

Show Notes:

Photo: A past community Thanksgiving meal/WabiSabi

Utah Division of Water Quality Public Hearing Notice
https://documents.deq.utah.gov/water-quality/facilities/lisbon-valley-copper/DWQ-2020-023283.pdf
Comments will be accepted through Friday, December 4th. They can be addressed to:
Drummond Earley
dearley@utah.gov
801-536-4088

The Salt Lake Tribune: Ranchers, landowners worry copper mine’s plan will taint groundwater in San Juan County
https://www.sltrib.com/news/2020/11/21/ranchers-landowners-worry/

WabiSabi Thanksgiving
https://wabisabimoab.org/thanksgiving

There’s been a lot of chatter this year around transportation issues in the Moab area and how to solve them. Elected representatives are working on a number of solutions and some will soon be outlined in the Moab & Spanish Valley Regional Transportation Plan. The Utah Department of Transportation is driving this long-term plan, with input from regional stakeholders like Grand County, Moab City, San Juan County, and state trust lands. But they need more community members to share ideas for safety and connectivity improvements across the valley. And later, a private developer’s plan to pipe water from Utah to Colorado has been denied – again.


Show Notes:

Moab & Spanish Valley Regional Transportation Plan
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/c88e2a05a7e64d2ea5a646041d4e7975
Moab & Spanish Valley Community Survey
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/C8CWF59

In a rare press conference last week, the CDC urged Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving, emphasizing rising case counts and overwhelmed hospitals across the country. Utah continues to experience record-breaking hospitalizations, with over 90 percent of the state’s ICU beds currently occupied. CDC leaders have said social gatherings are driving the recent surge in cases across the country. While health experts are emphasizing the importance of not mixing households, Utah is dropping its recent restrictions on social gatherings from a mandate to a ‘recommendation.’

Show Notes:

CDC Guidance: Celebrating Thanksgiving
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays/thanksgiving.html
Utah Guidance: Holidays
https://coronavirus.utah.gov/holidays/
Utah COVID-19 Case Count Data
https://coronavirus.utah.gov/case-counts/

The Salt Lake Tribune: Utah coronavirus cases up 2,244 Monday, as state drops restrictions on social gatherings
https://www.sltrib.com/news/2020/11/23/utah-coronavirus-cases-up/

Today we jump right in to our Weekly News Reel, hearing first-hand from reporters and editors about the unique stories they write and beats they cover in the area. First up, Times-Independent staff writer Carter Pape starts off with their continued coronavirus coverage. As of Friday morning, Grand County is reporting 70 active COVID-19 cases, and testing is revealing a nearly 21 percent positivity over the past seven days. Next, Moab Sun News editor Maggie McGuire outlines a few stories from their latest edition, including community members advocating for a different approach to the ATV/UTV noise issue.

Weekly News Reel! Mentions –

The Times-Independent: Households spreading coronavirus in Moab
https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/households-spreading-coronavirus-in-moab/
The Times-Independent: Vaccine could be in Utah by month’s end
https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/vaccine-could-be-in-utah-by-months-end/
The Times-Independent: Building at Arroyo Crossing set to begin early in 2021
https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/building-at-arroyo-crossing-set-to-begin-early-in-2021/
The Times-Independent: Tourism to fund public health, UTV enforcement
https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/tourism-to-fund-public-health-utv-enforcement/


Moab Sun News: Just how loud are they? A standardized sound test could identify the noisiest UTVs
https://www.moabsunnews.com/news/article_d5dc1c1e-2aa6-11eb-b209-336f9a1eeca4.html
Moab Sun News: Grand Potato Hunt – Local church is reaping – and sharing – the fruits of their labor
https://www.moabsunnews.com/news/article_3a8385ee-2aac-11eb-b786-5bff3bbeb9a6.html
Moab Sun News: Eagle Eye opens – Work on the Raptor Route mountain bike trail system continues
https://www.moabsunnews.com/news/article_16ed7e70-2aaa-11eb-9354-7750ca329e4c.html

Wyoming is in a unique position to become a key exporter of wind energy to other states across the West. But talk from state lawmakers about raising taxes on renewables has led some industry experts to speculate that wind developers are losing patience. It’s causing some to wonder if those developers will soon take their business – and tax revenues – elsewhere. Our partners at KHOL report on Wyoming’s wind rush potential. Plus, the Interior Department is facing criticism for putting up barriers to conservation projects nationwide.

Show Notes:

KHOL: Could Wyoming Miss Out on the Latest Wind Rush?
https://891khol.org/could-wyoming-miss-out-on-the-latest-wind-rush/

KZMU is part of a new collaboration reporting on the impacts of fossil fuels coordinated by the Rocky Mountain Community Radio Coalition. Today's story from KHOL is the first in a series airing over the next two months.