National Lands or Oil Fields

By Lauren Matthews

Our national lands are in danger. Areas like small nature preserves and natural structures are considered national lands. Areas like Yellowstone and other national parks are not considered national lands. According to The Guardian, “In a single line of changes to the rules for the House of Representatives, Republicans have overwritten the value of federal lands”. This means these national lands are being transferred over to the state. It doesn’t sound that bad but some states plan to sell this land to oil companies. This sale could destroy small nature preserves and land areas by allowing oil companies to build machinery on this land.

It will damage the nearby wildlife and, for all we know, take these natural treasures away from us forever. Our national lands deserve to be preserved and viewed by people. They most definitely don’t deserve to be covered in the machinery of oil companies.  

The Republicans also are on the move to have our national parks have “double uses” as oil fields. According to Esquire, a political news company, “Ryan Zinke, the nominee for Interior Secretary … Republican, and who professed his allegiance to the "Gifford Pinchot" model for "multiple use" of our public lands” these public lands include not only national lands but national parks as well. We are losing nature to oil. These changes are only the beginning and, with the changes to the government, we can only stand up for these natural treasures. With the absence of the knowledge of how invaluable these little pockets of nature are in our modernized world, we have only one option. We have to stand up for the land. If the nation's citizens don’t stand up for the preservation of nature, no one will. The trees can’t speak for themselves so it is us who have to speak for them.

• To read more about the National lands go to https://www.theguardian.com.

• To read more about National Parks being “multi use” go to http://flipboard.com

Sixth Graders Should Have Feld Trips

By DaYahni Harris

Why do the eighth graders get field trips and 6th graders get none? I know there is a budget, but there could be a way that we could have a fundraiser, and we could at least put a few dollars into a sixth-grade field trip account. It does not have to be a lot of money; we can add it up every year until a future sixth grade class gets the field trips they should have.

Here are some words from some of our current sixth-grade students.

Khyla Young said, “I really love art and think that we should go to an art museum.”

Tanner Clasen, “loves  Minecraft,” and thinks “we should go on a gaming field trip.”         

The current sixth graders may not go on a field trip, but maybe there are some sixth-grade field trips in the future?  I hope so!