National Audubon Praises Nomination of Rep. Deb Haaland for Interior Department
Written by Andy McCormick
Representative Deb Haaland
“Our nation’s birds, parks, and lands would be in good hands with Rep. Deb Haaland leading the Department of the Interior,” said David Yarnold, president and CEO of National Audubon Society. “Rep. Haaland is a fierce advocate for wildlife and our public lands in the House of Representatives and her nomination as the first Native American secretary marks an important reckoning for an agency that has historically failed that community.” Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., has been nominated by President-elect Joe Biden to the post of Secretary of the Interior.
The nomination is historic and may be redemptive. Having an Indigenous woman leading the Department of the Interior will provide an opportunity to bring the perspective of people who have cared for the land for thousands of years to a leadership position in the United States Government.
SUPPORT FOR BEARS EARS NATIONAL MONUMENT
Haaland supported the original boundaries of the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. The Bears Ears monument was established during the Obama administration and set up with the Interior Department and the five tribes sharing management of the monument. This was the first time shared management had been implemented for a national monument or park. However, Bears Ears was reduced in size and the shared management plan removed by the Trump administration. Restoring the original boundaries and shared management will undoubtedly be part of Rep. Haaland’s mission as she advocates for sacred lands legislation in Congress.
Rep. Haaland’s website biography describes her struggle as she raised a daughter as a single parent. Both she and her daughter graduated from college and are still paying off student loans. To support themselves she started her own business in the Albuquerque area selling her own Pueblo Salsa and was the first woman to be elected to the Laguna Development Corporation Board of Directors. She earned a degree in Indian Law at the University of New Mexico and has served as a tribal administrator and as New Mexico Democratic State Party Chair. She was elected to represent New Mexico’s 1st legislative district in 2019.
The website reports that she is a 35th generation New Mexican who is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Laguna. Inside Climate News noted that the Sunrise Movement is supporting her nomination. Sunrise developed the Green New Deal, which in turn is sponsored by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY and Sen. Ed Markey, D-MA, both of whom were re-elected in November. Also supporting her nomination are Justice Democrats, an organization that promotes election of Democrats who will work for climate justice.
Indian people have strong roots to the land they have inhabited for millennia. The Snoqualmie Tribe, neighbors of Eastside Audubon in the Snoqualmie Valley, describes this connection on their website. “We are not separate from the lands; what happens to our lands, happens to us. Indigenous communities have been, and always will be, the best stewards of their lands.” Secretary of the Interior-designate Deb Haaland is sure to aid conservation efforts from this perspective. We wish her well in her position.
Photo credit Bob Wick.