While it’s clear that last week’s insurrection was led by right-wing extremists who had been actively encouraged by Trump, fact of the matter is the beliefs he inflamed, and the tactics used precede him. This has been especially clear to environmentalists who have been keeping watch over public lands and ecosystems in the American West. Some would even argue that the January 6 mob took its shape and ideology not in the South so much as the Intermountain West. To explain the backstory and shed some light on what this means in the future, Earth Island Journal editor and Terra Verde host Maureen Nandini Mitra talks with Aaron Weiss, deputy director of the Center for Western Priorities, a nonpartisan conservation and advocacy organization that serves as a source of accurate information, and works to ensure accountability at all levels to protect land, water, and communities in the American West.

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