Yurok Nation to Release Condors into Redwood Forests

Wonderful. Prayers that these magnificent flyers are released into the Redwood Forests of the Yurok Nation soon.
We were blessed to see many of the surviving Condors in 2006 when our son Raoul, daughter Liesette and I drove with Janeen Antoine down the Pacific Coast Highway to LA. Janeen spotted them as we were at the top of Big Sur and several were soaring from the high cliffs down to the waters below north of Monterrey Beach. We pulled over to watch them. It was so cool because we could see the underneath of them really close as they swooped down, and, then see the tops of their feathered bodies as they got lower. They were huge with amazing wing spans. I can't remember exactly how many we counted, but there were lots, maybe more than a dozen. 
They were all clearly tagged, and I learned later were part of one of the release programs in So Cal. 
Good thing we took lots of photos. When I shared them, an old friend who grew up in Hollywood told me they couldn't be Condors since there weren't any in California and they were almost extinct. 
Well, both Janeen, and I have seen plenty of Eagles from up close and far away, and these were definitely a lot bigger and were Condors. Feel so blessed by this experience we shared, and deeply grateful, since I know how rare and precious it is. 
That rarity is heartbreaking. The Yurok story of having to get permission from the U.S. Government to release Condors back into their nation after they decide if the environment can support them is painful when it is the actions of the U.S. and their refusal to keep poisons out of the environment that has caused the near extinction of these magnificent birds. Prayers that the return of the big birds will signal a paradigm shift back to protecting and respecting the earth, air and water that we all share.
It is the time of the Eagle and the Condor. We are blessed. 
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/yurok-tribe-to-release-condors-in-california/article_7731592b-dba6-5901-92e1-d4646cfcc93e.html
Yurok Tribe to Release Condors

Good Morning from the Heart of the Mountain on April 7, 2014

Good Morning, my Relatives. It is a good day. The health and balance of the earth, sky and water that are our home are threatened everywhere by destruction and pollution by multinational corporations for greed and profit and by our lifestyles of overconsumption that are out of balance. Please remember that we have only one earth and do whatever you can to stop this madness and begin to walk in balance and respect on our Earth Mother so all can live in a good way. Resist and oppose corporate greed, fossil fuel extraction and the polluting pipelines. Thank you. 

Sun emerges above the Mountain.

North/Northeast

Northeast/East

Due East

East/Southeast

Due South

Southwest/West

Sunlit Hills and the Galisteo Basin with the Manzano and Sandia Mountains in the distance.

Good Morning from the Heart of the Mountain on April 4, 2014

Good Morning, all my Relations. It is a good day. Was blessed to see the Milky Way before Dawn this morning. Sent up sweetgrass, cedar and sage smoke and prayers for each of you, and, for all who are crossing over the Milky Way now to the north, and for the babies who are coming to us from the south. Prayers and good thoughts for them on their journeys, and, for their families and loved ones who are bidding them farewell and welcoming the newborns. The Morning Star rose above the Mountain at Sunrise reminding us all that love is the vibrating energy that connects and uplifts us all. We are all related. Please care for each other and share love, light, compassion and kindness with those you meet on your life path, today, and always. Love you all, no exceptions.

Northeast

East/Northeast

Due East

East/Southeast

Morning Star Over the Mountain at Sunrise

Southeast

Due East

South/Southwest

Morning Greeting from the Heart of the Mountain on March 24, 2014

Good Morning, my Relatives. It is a good day. Sent up sweetgrass, cedar and sage smoke and prayers for each of you for good health, happiness and protections. Have a beautiful day/night wherever you are on our beautiful spinning, revolving and constantly changing and renewing Earth Mother. Love and light. 

Sun emerges above the Mountain each day closer to its Summer House. The cyclical movements of the Sun and Moon and the planets and stars over the days, months and seasons show the beautiful intelligence of creation. Have a good day and enjoy the blessings of life and being alive another day. 

Good Morning from the Heart of the Mountain on March 23, 2014

Good Morning my Relations. It is a good day. The half moon is above and the Morning Star just rose on the south side of the Mountain. I was blessed to be greeted by a beautiful songbird as I went outside to greet the Dawn. The bird was perched at the top of the pinons, and when I whistled back its tune, like my Papi Ethier taught me, it responded with a different tune and waited for me to respond. We talked back and forth with each other with each different tune the bird sent out to me until the cold made me go back inside. A very special morning visit. Have a beautiful day wherever you are, and, don't forget to notice our other relations with whom we share this earth. Sometimes, they will communicate with you, if you take a moment to listen. Love and light, my beloveds. 

           The Morning Star visible above the Mountain in the east, southeast at Dawn.

                 The Half Gibbous Moon above looking towards the south at Dawn.

The Morning Star is bright and visible for just a short time before Dawn, but it is travelling all day between the Moon and the Sun during these early days of Spring.

Heart of the Mountain Alliance

Heart of the Mountain Alliance connects people to protect the exceptional natural beauty, wildlife corridors and habitats, and scenic views of our mountain homes and land.
Grow White Sage for erosion control and prayers.
Grow Sweetgrass in sandy gravel soil irrigated with grey water on north side (needs full sun).
Guidelines for construction advise first, minimize the amount of land leveled or disturbed for building.

http://www.epa.gov/region6/6en/w/sw/sediment.pdf

Chamisa or Rabbitbrush

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ericameria_nauseosa

Morning Prayer

Good Morning, my Beloved Relatives. It is a good day. Sent up sweetgrass, cedar and sage smoke for each of you this morning from the Heart of the Mountain. The Sun rose above the Mountains this morning in its Spring Home on the north slope. Now, watching the Gibbous Moon descend to the west. Sending prayers and good thoughts for you and your loved ones, and, for your enemies and the enemies of our earth, sky and water, as well. May their hearts, minds and spirits be flooded with love and light. May their hurts and wounds be comforted and may they grow in compassion and humanity so they will stop their destructive words and actions. May they be healed and brought back into good relationship with the earth and each other and all people. May these prayers for love and light to grow help bring our world back into balance so all people and all our relations that share our home can live together in peace with justice. Let us make these prayers real by our good loving words and actions. All my Relations. 

The Sun rises above the Mountain on the first Dawn of Spring 2014 in its Spring House.

 Facing the Sun.

The Mountain

The Sun's Winter House is just above the rock outcropping on the south slope of the Mountain.

Facing Southeast

Facing South, the place of gentleness and compassion.

Vista of Arroyo Hondo and Sunlit Hills with the Ortiz, then the Manzano and Sandia Mountains in the distance to the Southwest.

Looking Southwest with our Cerro Tijeras Mountain ridge to the West.

The Waning Gibbous Moon Descending further to the south each day in its monthly cycle.

The constant changes of our Moons' phases remind us that change is constant, but the cycles of growth, fullness, waning and death are ever renewing, ongoing and infinite.

The mountain ridge to the west protects from harsh winds.

Facing West, the place of introspection and looking within.

Looking to the Northwest and, facing the North, the place of wisdom and healing.

Looking to the North and Northeast.

Facing due East, the place of dreams and inspiration.

The Sun, constantly moving, continues to rise.

Blessings for a good day on our beautiful earth for everyone, everywhere.

Good Day Working on the Mountain

Working on Soil Erosion, Forest Rehabilitation and Wildlife Habitat Restoration on the Mountain

Cold afternoon on the mountain under gathering snow clouds was good to work with my honey on soil erosion control and conservation and wildlife habitat restoration on the mountain today. 

 http://www.lasplacitas.org/lpa_pdfs/bmp_ver2.pdf

Best Practices Erosion Control for New Mexico

This link has descriptions with simple clear diagrams of different ways to slow water flow and repair erosion with stones, logs, dirt and a combination of all three.

Erosion from the leveling of the construction site above the steep sloe has exposed the roots of these pinon trees that help block the oversize building from our view. 

Digging, moving rocks and cutting down and moving dead trees is a good workout, too. Barry does the chain sawing of dead trees and we move the logs together. I use the shovel to dig out the arroyos and put the dirt back on the roots of the trees and make dams with tree trunks and rocks to make terraces to retain the earth and water near the trees and shrubs so they will grow healthier in this drought.

 It is heartbreaking when the earth you love is treated so poorly by people whose ugly house the size of a shopping mall in your view. I usually just share photos of the beauty of these views, but in the last few years the construction to the north and up the mountain has been devastating.

The roots on this tree are badly exposed from the erosion. We will build a rock wall on the east and west sides and fill it with topsoil and silt gathered in the arroyos. It should help this tree to grow and hopefully fill out horizontally.

  There is lots of damage done to our north boundary on the mountain slope from a huge 7,000 plus square foot house a new neighbor built above us with a retention pond right to our property line. They leveled the top of the ridge, cutting down lots of big 100 year old pinon trees and a big healthy Ponderosa Pine, which was holding the roots of their ridge and are very rare and hard to grow on our south side of the mountain, and it changed the drainage down the steep slope so lots of trees died.

 We are trying to repair the drainage and cover the exposed roots and try to save the remaining ones and plant new ones to repair the damage.It is sad to see the earth treated with such disrespect. But there are things we can do to heal the scars and help the earth there get healthier.

Here is a helpful diagram of ways to slow down water flow downhill in steep areas.
http://www.drylandsolutions.com/includes/image_resize.php/1.jpg?width=350&image=%2Fresources%2F1.jpg

This link has information on how to get free technical assistance for repairing soil erosion at conservation technical assistance Conservation Technical Assistance

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/technical/

Have a beautiful day wherever you are on our loving earth. 

Give-Away of It Stops with Me Book Cases in Celebration of its 10th Anniversary First Awardees

First 5 Recipients of a case of It Stops with Me Books

Here are the first 5 who I will send a gift of 28 of my books with thanks for their good work for women and families. There are still 7 spots left. So write me with how this can help you in your good work.
Thank you,
Charleen Touchette

# 1- April

• 

  Kareen Lewis a skilled quiltmaker wrote, "I would share them with the tribes in Michigan so they could use them in their social service programs."

• # 2- May

• 
  Donna Ennis wrote, "I would share them with the families at American Indian Community Housing Organization in Duluth. I am donating all of my Native American books to this organization so that they can have a library."

# 3- June

Juanita Blackhawk

ChiMiigwetch

Juanita Blackhawk
Iluminadas Performing Arts
Wellness in the Woods
"Iluminadas Performing Arts is a catalyst for creative expression of social change artists and the active engagement of community.
The world is sustained by three things: By Truth, By Justice, By Peace. Change has come to America - how can we as individual citizens work towards a better future?"

# 4- July

Juanita G Corbine EspinosaJuanita Espinosa has worked for decades since the 1980s for Native Artists, Women and Families in Minnesota and across the nation curating exhibitions that have supported countless Indian Artists.  

# 5- August

Sharon Day

Mississippi Water Walker Sharon Day wrote,

"Charleen

We would be so happy to even have half a case of books.  We have a 14 units of residential housing for Indigenous People with Disabilities including HIV.  We provide case management services to another 50 people and have 200 youth come through our youth programs. The youth programs are geared to teen advocacy on pregnancy prevention, HIV prevention, and smoking prevention and cessation.  We also work with another set of youth on organic growing of medicines and food, and gathering wild rice, maple syrup, and willow, labrador tea (we call it swamp tea), cedar, and heirloom seeds.  If you send a few books, we'd certainly make them available to our program participants, and share some readings with our teen pregnancy prevention program, Ikidowin.  When I read your book, I immediately gave it to someone who was suffering from so many of the same symptoms in hopes that it would help her.  Migwetch for your consideration. I enjoy reading your posts every day and seeing where the moon is by your mountain."  

Sharon M. Day
Executive Director
Indigenous Peoples Task Force
1335 E. 23rd St.
Minneapolis, MN  55404