hey new york

The Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Texas could lose 715 acres to SpaceX under a federal land exchange proposal.

Congress created this wildlife refuge in 1979 to protect its diverse wildlife, including rare species like ocelots, aplomado falcons, and migratory birds such as piping plovers, red knots, green jays and Altamira orioles. The refuge protects some of the best habitat in the United States for the endangered ocelot and is one of the last remaining expanses of public lands in south Texas. SpaceX’s rocket launch activities have already been impacting nearby habitat and destroying shorebird nests, and wildlife can’t afford this lopsided deal.

The Center for Biological Diversity is suing the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to stop this harmful land giveaway, and we need your support.

Namaygoosisagagun First Nation/Collins has burned to the ground. The entire community is nothing but ashes after being quickly consumed by wildfires. They did not have any support from emergency services, and no one offered aid. The community saved themselves by escaping into boats because no one came.

Mishkeegogamang and Cat Lake have lost power. Families are ending up in shelters with nothing. Armstrong, Lac La Croix, Whitesand, Gull Bay, Lac des Mille Lacs are currently in the fires path and all members are being evacuated.

All this loss, all this devastation, and it was entirely preventable.

After steadily underfunding wildland firefighting and purposefully excluding Indigenous wildland firefighters and Indigenous wildfire organizations from wildfire operations, firefighter training, decisionmaking, and resource exchanges, in 2025, Doug Ford slashed the forest firefighting budget.

It's hard to ignore his decision to cut funding and leave us out of adequate fire training (even though we've lived with forest fires for thousands of years—far longer than settlers have been in Canada—and made sure fires like the ones we're all seeing today were prevented through kinisitotēn) when, despite making up less than 5% of the population, we account for 42% percent of all wildfire evacuations in Canada.

And when we are successfully evacuated, we face discrimination and racism—like Kashechewan—because it's always been easier to blame us than it is to blame the true culprit: denialism, corportate greed, and colonization.

The people of Collins and every other impacted community deserve better.

Right now, the AFN is currently accepting donations to help Collins First Nation. If you're able to, please consider donating.

ONWA (Ontario Native Women's Association) is another great place to donate to. They have outreach vans going to motels and inns and offering food, water, resources, and cultural support to those impacted by the wildfires.

Other places to consider donating to are Mikinakoos Emergency Fund, Red Cross, True North Aid, Indigenous Climate Action. You can also send donations directly to Whitesand First Nation via e-transfer ([email protected]) and they request that you add your full name in the e-transfer comment section to receive a tax receipt.

*Before sending money, verify that the appeal appears on an official First Nation, Tribal Council or registered charity channel.

If you can't offer financial support, please consider donating items of need. Moontime Connections is currently accepting drop-off donations. If you live in the Thunder Bay area, Namaygoosisagagun Health Office is also taking in donations! They can also bemailed to Superior Inn Hotel & Conference Centre at 555 West Arthur Street, Thunder Bay, ON, P7E 5P8.

items needed are: food, diapers, medical masks, men’s and women’s joggers (all sizes), children’s clothing (newborn to size 14), children’s shoes, summer clothing, men’s clothing, toiletries (lotion, Vaseline, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, etc.), strollers, adult depends-all sizes, dog & cat food

My daughter is not just a child going through a phase of illness; she is a story of patience being written before my eyes every single day. She is suffering from severe anemia, and this illness does not only exhaust her small body, but it sometimes steals her energy and the innocence I used to see in her daily details—in her smile, her small steps, and in her eyes that once were full of life. Yet despite everything, she still fights in a way only those who have lived through pain can understand; she gets up despite exhaustion, smiles despite fatigue, and continues her day as if she is telling the world that weakness is not the end of the road.

I sometimes see her pale and worn out, as if her small body is carrying more than it can bear, and I feel as if my own heart is the one falling ill instead of hers. Still, in every moment of pain, I discover a hidden strength that is unlike that of children—a gentle yet firm strength that makes me believe healing is near no matter how long the wait may be. She is not weak as some might think; she is a little fighter waging a silent battle with severe anemia—a battle that cannot be seen but is felt in every breath that tires her and every moment she needs rest.

Today is Eid Al-Adha, a time of celebration for Muslims around the world. This Eid is particularly important to us, and it centers around charity. Those who have the means have an obligation to feed those less fortunate than us, to take care of those who struggle to take care of themselves.

Amal and the Shehab family (@danashehab) are still in Gaza, and still living through unimaginable circumstances. Amal gave birth in the midst of a genocide, and she and the Shehab family are doing everything they can to survive in their current circumstances. This Eid, please donate anything you can to Amal's family and the Shehab family (link below). They and everyone else in Gaza deserve to have a day full of joy and celebration, so let's do what we can to help make that happen for them!