Son of Sandor

Jacqueline “Jackie” Cochran was the first woman to fly faster than the speed of sound. At the time of her death in 1980, she held more speed, altitude, and distance records than any other pilot in aviation history…of any gender. https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/how-jacqueline-cochran-shaped-aviation-history-over-four-decades

The US Department of the Interior has issued a new interpretation of what constitutes harm under the Endangered Species Act, removing habitat destruction from the definition. It marks the most sweeping rollback of the 1973 law yet, and the change is set to take effect in September. https://www.activenorcal.com/what-the-endangered-species-act-rollback-means-for-northern-californias-salmon-owls-and-shrimp/

The first reference to the Giant Sequoias of Calaveras Big Trees by Europeans was in 1833. The first Sequoia to be found, the Discovery Tree, was at the time the largest known tree in the world, so in 1853 the company’s owner cut it down and turned it into a traveling exhibit. The much larger South Calaveras Grove of Giant Sequoias, purchased in 1954 for US $2.8 million, equivalent to US $33.6 million in 2025 dollars, have been added to the park to bring the total area to over 6,400 acres (2,600 ha). The North Grove contains about 100 mature Giant Sequoias; the South Grove, about 1,000. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calaveras_Big_Trees_State_Park

@elaterite Washoe Sheriff photos.

May 6, 1951 NYT One of the national park areas, the 750,000-acre Yosemite in California, celebrates its 100th birthday this year, since 1951 is the centennial of what the Park Service calls Yosemite's "effective discovery." Actually, pioneers first saw the now world-famous valley in 1833, but word of its beauties did not come to public attention until 1851. https://www.nytimes.com/1951/05/06/archives/vacationing-in-the-national-parks-demand-for-lodgings-rising-costs.html

Yosemite descends into all out chaos after subtle rule change. The scenes come after the Trump administration scrapped Yosemite’s time-entry reservation system earlier this year following cuts to the National Park Service staffing levels. https://nypost.com/2026/05/06/lifestyle/yosemite-reservations-system-causes-chaos-for-drivers/

@Gargron@mastodon.social It's not over. It's still 2025 here for another 6 hours!