#cottonwood-trees — Public Fediverse posts

Border agents pepper-spray #Arizona border 'tree sit' #protesters, arrest activist who locked self to truck

#BorderPatrol raids campsite of protesters trying to save last tree set to be razed by #BorderWall construction in Southern #Arizona

Mia Kortright
Updated Oct 7, 2026, 10:34 pm Originally posted Oct 7, 2026, 8:51 pm

"Activists trying to protect a centuries-old cottonwood in the path of border wall construction in Southern Arizona stopped work again Wednesday, after one person locked themselves to a construction vehicle and another remained in the tree.

"Border Patrol agents used pepper-spray on the protesters Wednesday evening, while the woman was tethered to a gravel hauling truck used in border wall construction.

"That marked the third day the site, dubbed "Camp O:Shad" by the activists, has been raided by Border Patrol agents.

"An activist had spent nearly seven hours locked to a gravel hauler used in construction Wednesday evening, and was still locked to it after 9 p.m. when BP agents attempted to take her into custody while using what appeared to be tear gas on surrounding protesters. It took agents about 30 minutes to saw through the device she used to lock herself to the vehicle before she was driven away from the site in a white Border Patrol pickup truck around 10:30 p.m.

"Other protesters could be heard on a live stream of the incident, calling 'We love you' to her throughout the evening.

"Minutes earlier, the activists said, agents started firing pepper balls while pushing the hauler with the person still locked to it. Demonstrators said agents also threatened to take her 'to the middle of nowhere where no one can hear you scream.'

"Activists said they called 911 Wednesday evening and asked for medical help. Patagonia Fire Department personnel responded, but were 'turned away' by Border Patrol officials.

"The group has camped at a property in the small hamlet of #LochielAZ since late July in an effort to prevent a small grove of Frémont #CottonwoodTrees , each estimated to be about 200 years old, from being demolished in #BorderWall construction.

"Construction crews this summer razed three of four in a cluster on the side on the United States side of the border. The final one, which the group named 'Grandmother,' was knocked down on Monday, the first day of the raid."

Read more:
https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/100726_lochiel_protests/border-agents-pepper-spray-arizona-border-tree-sit-protesters-arrest-activist-who-locked-self-truck

#IndigenousNews #IndigenousSovereignty #USPol #BorderPatrol #ProtectTheSacred
#CulturalErasure #LochielAZ #Sonora
#DefundDHS #NoBorderwall #Resistance #ResistanceIsFertile #TrumpsWall #TribalSovereignty #NoBorders

The ‘grandmother’ #CottonwoodTrees bulldozed for the #BorderWall

After a 71-day protest, the last of the 100-plus-year-old trees was cut down southeast of Tucson.

Stephanie Casanova October 7, 2026

"Armed #BorderPatrol agents raided a protest camp in #Lochiel, in southeast #Arizona, making way for contractors to cut down the last standing cottonwood tree Monday morning for a double border wall, after protesters protected it for more than 70 days.

"Activists in Lochiel said at least 10 people had been arrested as of 8 a.m. during the ongoing raid. Border Patrol agents ignored demands for a warrant as they entered the private property and destroyed tents, according to news releases from activist groups on the ground.

"Dubbed the #GrandmotherTree , the cottonwood cut down Monday was hundreds of years old. It was one of several that lined the edge of private property along Border Road, a dirt road that runs along the U.S.-Mexico border, in a remote area of Arizona in the San Rafael Valley about 25 miles east of Nogales.

"U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Monday in a statement to #ArizonaLuminaria that it has now removed all four cottonwood trees on federal land in Lochiel that were marked for removal."

Read more:
https://www.hcn.org/articles/the-grandmother-cottonwood-trees-bulldozed-for-the-border-wall/

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/E18rW

#ResistanceIsFertile #ChingaLaMigra #NoBorderWall #USPol #Mexico #DefundDHS

#BreakingNews - Violent Arrests Underway at #Lochiel #TreeSit: #GrandmotherCottonwood Cut Down -- '#NoBorderWall'

The Last Remaining Grandmother Cottonwood Cut Down Just Now after Violent Arrests at NO Border Wall Tree Sit in Lochiel

By #BrendaNorrell, #CensoredNews, Oct. 5, 2026

#LochielAZ -- "After violent arrests at the tree sit in Lochiel this morning, the last remaining grandmother cottonwood was cut down. Screams could be heard during violent arrests around the tree that many have come to love. #Oodham women joined in the dramatic #protests, standing in front of massive #BorderWall construction trucks.

"Laiken Jordahl said, 'Just horrible footage of #DHS contractors toppling the last of four #AncientCottonwoods to build double border walls across the #SanRafaelValley.The wall cuts through the key remaining #WildlifeCorridor for #endangered #jaguars between Arizona and #Sonora, where human border crossings are seldom seen.'

" 'A #ProtestCamp had occupied and protected this tree for more than 60 days, halting construction. The camp was raided and campers were arrested this morning."

" 'This wall will effectively lock the remaining jaguars in the U.S. into solitary confinement, while permanently marring one of the last remaining #WildPlaces along the Arizona border.'

"Screams can be heard as a woman is attacked and thrown to the ground in a violent raid on the Lochiel tree sit at the border, east of #NogalesAZ.

" 'You're stepping on her!'

" 'There's barbed wire there!'

" 'Come now! US #BorderPatrol illegal and violently invaded camp. Multiple violent arrests. Camp standing strong against genocide and tyranny,' was the alert from #TierraLibre, #NoBorders this morning."

Source (includes photos):
https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/10/breaking-news-mass-arrests-underway-at.html

#ProtectTheSacred #MurderPatrol #DefundDHS #IndigenousSovereignty #EndangeredSpecies #USPol #BorderWall #CottonwoodTrees #GrandmotherCamp #GrandmotherTree #CottonwoodTrees #ProtectTheSacred #NoBorderWall #TohonoOodhamNation #TreeSitters #Resistance
#MutualAid #CulturalPreservation #QueerActivists #IndigenousActivists

#Queer #Activists Are Living in a Tree to Stop #Trump’s #BorderWall

In southern #Arizona, a predominantly #queer and #femme #ProtestCamp is risking arrest to protect a #cottonwood and stop a $500 million border wall project.

by John Washington, August 12 2026

Excerpt: "#KateScott, one of the key organizers on the ground in #Lochiel, said that despite the constant leering, clamoring construction, horn honking, and general unpleasantness of the local construction crews, 'a peace permeates this land.'

"She and others refer to the #CottonwoodTrees as 'grandmothers' after what she described as an ' #Indigenous women youth-led #solstice ceremony' that took place in Lochiel in late June. Scott, who is a co-founder of the #MadreanArchipelago #WildlifeCenter, was one of the first activists to try to protect the #cottonwoods as part of a broader effort to stop border wall construction.

" 'The #bees, the #MonarchButterflies, the #WildOregano,' Scott said, listing the species she and others have marveled at and taken comfort in. 'And all the while the #grandmothers are guiding us.'
Scott reflected on how it was a 'great loss' to watch the hundreds-year-old cottonwoods get destroyed.

"She’d spent much of the summer camping out near or directly underneath the cottonwood. This moment, she said, felt like a tipping point. 'I think people will be emboldened by our actions.' "

Read more:
https://www.lookoutnews.org/lochiel-tree-protesters-against-border-wall-protest/

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/wW8VN

#USPol #LochielAZ #GrandmotherCamp #GrandmotherTree #CottonwoodTrees #ProtectTheSacred #NoBorderWall #TohonoOodhamNation #NoBorders #TreeSitters #Resistance
#MutualAid #CulturalPreservation #EndangeredSpecies #QueerActivists #IndigenousActivists

Dispatch from the emerging #BorderWall #blockade camp – #LochielAZ

by thecollective, August 22, 2026

Except: "This camp has illuminated a potential flashpoint for more widespread confrontation against the state, channeling the mounting frustrations against the Trump administration into clear targets with logistical vulnerabilities. Many are choosing to directly confront the machinery of state violence for the first time in their lives. People who spend time at camp are having transformative experiences, finding themselves more capable, courageous and driven to fight than they had previously believed.

If new initiatives continue to emerge, this could be just the beginning of a catalyzing cycle of struggle. The forces of tomorrow’s battles for liberation have an opportunity to converge, experiment, and train themselves today in the southern borderlands and at the offices and homes of complicit contractors.

"With the current situation, every single person who comes to camp ready to work makes a huge impact. Skills in tree climbing and blockades are valuable, but all the work of maintaining a camp is just as needed. Anyone who is ready to get to work and bring conviviality to camp should start making plans immediately. Small, coordinated groups would be especially valuable. Even a few days at camp can be enough time to improve infrastructure, teach new skills, broaden political horizons and offer a break to the overworked locals.

"Similarly, any efforts to expand the struggle could make big impacts. Fisher has operations in many states, and wall construction is underway or threatened all across the border, notably in #BigBendTX, where a sizable campaign against it has been building. If accessible on-ramps to confrontation continue to open up, there seem to be many people eager to step into whatever roles they can.

"For those who want to contribute to the building up of revolutionary forces, particularly if you come from anti-state and direct action backgrounds, here is a clear opening. Talk with your comrades where you live. Check in with your contacts in #Arizona. Pool your resources and send a crew or even just one person to #Lochiel as soon as you can. Find out how else you can contribute to the struggle, and take it as an opportunity to grow your own skills and invite new comrades into collaboration.

"The incredible beauty of this land cannot be understated. Grandmother is situated in a lush valley full of towering #cottonwoods and myriad wildlife. Epic lightning storms come out of nowhere. The arid climate is currently exploding with life from the generous monsoon rains. An absence of industrial noise leaves space for cicadas, coyotes, migratory birds, rustling cottonwood leaves and small cattle herds to be heard. Jaguars and ranchers alike ignore the imaginary line, casually stepping across to live freely as anyone should. Border patrol agents lurk along roadsides while white trucks and heavy machinery move workers and materials along a steep dirt road to strengthen the colonial infrastructure of severance. Amidst all of this, a handful of brave souls are hauling water jugs, rigging tarps, singing, dancing, dreaming and strategizing. You ought to come meet them."

https://anarchistnews.org/content/dispatch-emerging-border-wall-blockade-camp-lochiel-az

#GrandmotherCamp #USPol #Resistance #NoBorderWall #NoBorders #TreeSitters #USPol #GrandmotherTree #CottonwoodTrees #ProtectTheSacred
#TohonoOodhamNation #MutualAid
#MurderPatrol #CulturalPreservation #AnarchistNews

Masked and Armed U.S. #BorderPatrol Agents Threaten #LandDefenders in #Lochiel Again Today

#CensoredNews , August 29, 2026

LOCHIEL, Arizona -- "U.S. Border Patrol Agents swarmed the Tree Sit at Lochiel, threatening land defenders who shut down border wall construction this week in a bi-national and peaceful protest of construction of the border wall east of #NogalesAZ .

"Land Defenders said, 'Another big show of force from masked Border Patrol this morning.'

" 'We are facing extreme harassment, but we remain resilient and committed.'

" 'Camp is ongoing, and we need your support. The tree sit holds strong and will not be intimidated,' land defenders said today, Saturday, as they protect a Grandmother cottonwood tree from destruction for the border wall."

Source:
https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/08/masked-and-armed-us-border-patrol.html

Protect Lochiel

"Help us stop them from destroying ancient cottonwood trees and cultural sites at the border"

Support Grandmother Camp:
https://givebutter.com/stop-destruction-in-lochiel-oxsxdp

#USPol #LochielAZ #GrandmotherCamp #GrandmotherTree #CottonwoodTrees #ProtectTheSacred #NoBorderWall #TohonoOodhamNation #NoBorders #TreeSitters #Cottonwoods #Resistance #MutualAid #MurderPatrol #CulturalPreservation

O'odham Women Join Tree Sit and Shut Down #BorderWall Construction in #Lochiel, #Arizona

by #BrendaNorrell , #CensoredNews
August 28, 2026

"O'odham Women Join Tree Sit and Shut Down Border Wall Construction in Lochiel, ArizonaFederal agents shut down the prayer camp on the Tohono O'odham Nation at the border."

https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/08/oodham-women-join-tree-sit-shut-down.html

#LochielAZ #TohonoOodhamNation #TreeSitters #NoBorderWall - #GrandmotherCamp #USPol #TrumpsBorderWall #RespectTheTreaties #LandBack #NoBorders #IndigenousCulture
#ProtectTheSacred #CulturalGenocide #OldGrowthTrees #Cottonwoods #BorderWall #Resistance #Oodham #EndangeredSpecies #CottonwoodTrees

#Activist #TreeSit in #Ancient #Cottonwood Continues Against #BorderWall Construction in #Arizona

August 19, 2026, via @DemocracyNow_Headlines_rss

"A protest camp in the small border town of Lochiel, Arizona, is seeking to stop federal contractors from building another portion of President #Trump’s border barrier with Mexico. At the center of the protest camp is a 200-year-old cottonwood known as a '#grandmother' tree, with activists sitting in the tree to physically stop its destruction.

" 'People are successfully forcing the government to stop, to slow down, or at least change course on border wall construction,' says journalist John Washington, a staff writer for the queer news outlet Lookout and author of multiple books about immigration. 'They’ve been very clear that this is both an environmental and a political fight.' "

Watch / listen / read:
https://www.democracynow.org/2026/8/19/arizona_activists_protest_border_wall

#USPol #TreeSitters #TrumpsBorderWall #RespectTheTreaties #LandBack #NoBorders #IndigenousCulture
#ProtectTheSacred #CulturalGenocide #OldGrowthTrees #Cottonwoods #BorderWall #Resistance #EndangeredSpecies #CottonwoodTrees #TreeSitting #GrandmotherCamp #GrandmotherTree

#NoBorderWall - #GrandmotherCamp in #LochielAZ Expanded to #TreeSit on the #Mexico Side

“From #Minnesota to Mexico, #ResistanceIsFertile !”

via #CensoredNews, August 18, 2026

"A defender of #GrandmotherTree phoned into the celebration for the 55th anniversary of friendship park to discuss what is happening in Southern #Arizona and how the defenders of Grandmother tree have stopped border wall construction,' Kate Scott said today at the tree sit in Lochiel.

" #FriendshipPark is a #binational site sitting directly on the #USMexico border, split between San Diego, California, and Playas de Tijuana, Baja California.

"Defending Grandmother isn’t just about
protecting an ancient tree, it’s about building a community of land defenders across the whole southern border & beyond. If we can stop construction here, we can do it anywhere!"

"We hope what is happening down here in Lochiel, AZ inspires you to take action in your community,"

Source [includes photos]:
https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/08/no-border-wall-grandmother-camp-in.html

#USPol #TreeSitters #TrumpsBorderWall #RespectTheTreaties #LandBack #NoBorders #IndigenousCulture
#ProtectTheSacred #CulturalGenocide #OldGrowthTrees #Cottonwoods #BorderWall #Resistance #ResistanceIsFertile #EndangeredSpecies #CottonwoodTrees

How important is a title for a blog in the grand scheme of things?

Rojie’s prompt today, May 26th, is:

If you could steal one trait from any blogger, what would it be?

I don’t know that there’s any one trait I’d want to steal from another blogger, it’s more something I’d like to copy from the entire blogging community, or at least the bloggers I follow. Some bloggers get dozens of responses to their blogs every day and they take the time to reply to each one of them and that’s not something I do. I blogged about this not so long ago but the search feature here doesn’t seem to work so good and I can’t find it to link back. So what I would like to steal from most every active blogger I follow is active engagement and gratitude.

About two weeks ago I punched some holes in the bottom of a 2-gallon plastic bucket and scooped some potting soil into it. Then I I sprinkled a bunch of Black-Eyed Susan seeds I got at the library across the top. The seeds were so tiny and they reminded me of chia seeds and I wondered if a person could eat them but the internet told me that the seeds are toxic to humans and I took that as a no. It also told me that handling the leaves, stems, or roots can cause a rash so that’s good information to know in case anything grows. And I think something is growing which is the whole reason for me talking about it now. Actually, I don’t think, I know something is growing in the bucket, I just don’t know what. It’s cottonwood time here in Minnesota and female cottonwood trees are dropping tens of millions of fluffy seeds that are floating around outside like snow and you can see in the picture below that some of them have landed in my little pot. So I could be growing cottonwood trees. Or it could be dandelion fluff and I’m growing dandelions which would be nice. Did you ever rub a dandelion under your chin as a kid and then if your chin turned yellow that meant you were in love?

Here’s my bucket of unidentified sprouts. Cottonwoods, dandelions, Black-eyed Susans, something that hitchhiked here on the Orion? Updates to follow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B55yVruFzJY&list=RDB55yVruFzJY&start_radio=1