It is neither woke nor revisionist to note today, formerly celebrated as Columbus Day and now officially observed as Indigenous People’s Day, that contact between Europeans and natives in North America had disastrous consequenses. The Old World smallpox and other diseases traveling with Columbus and others to the New World wiped out millions of indigenous people in the Americas. On the other hand, the tobacco brought back by Columbus to Europe has killed millions of people since 1492. This widespread transfer of plants, animals and diseases that followed the voyage of Columbus is now refered to as the Columbian exchange. 

Meanwhile, closer to home, the one-year anniversary of the removal of the last four dams on the Klamath River was recently celebrated. Decades of work by Indigenous activists had led finally to the freeing of the river, and the resurgence of the Chinook Salmon population. 

And in Santa Cruz County, the August opening of the Cotoni Coast Dairies National Monument, to be managed under a partnership between the Amah Mutsin Tribal Band and the BLM, reflects an evolving respect for the deep knowledge of their lands held by Indigenous people.

There is much to reflect upon today.

And there are some important dates upcoming in the next week:

My long-winded introduction concluded, let us now proceed to The News.