American Flag Flown Upside Down in Tahoe National Forest Protest

A large American flag is flying upside down from a 7,000-foot peak in Tahoe National Forest.

The distress signal has been featured in several anti-Trump protests, to signal federal land and federal workers are under threat.

A similar protest was mounted by Yosemite workers who hung an upended Stars and Stripes from El Capitan in February.

The U.S. Forest Service has been contacted for comment via email.

Why It Matters

President Donald Trump has fired approximately 1,000 National Park Service workers since taking office in January. The Trump administration has also declared an “Emergency Situation Determination” on national land, making it easier to roll back environmental regulations so they can start cutting down formerly protected trees for the timber industry.

These actions have created anger among people who work at and visit the parks, resulting in protest action being taken first at Yosemite and now at Tahoe.

What To Know

The large flag was hung at the peak of Donner Summit in Tahoe National Forest this week and was first spotted by several locals in the town of Truckee early Thursday morning.

The flag is big enough to be seen from Donner Pass Road, a popular road for hikers, cyclists, and climbers.

Locals believe the flag was hung by rock climbers due to the technical expertise needed to not only reach that sheer side of the peak but also hang something off it.

Filmmaker Eric Perlman, who lives in North Tahoe told the San Francisco Chronicle: “Climbers recognize the [current] damage and danger and want to protest and express their feelings.”

This is not the first action against the Trump administration taken in Truckee. In March, the Truckee Town Council passed two resolutions denouncing Donald Trump’s cuts to the forest service and federal spending freeze.

Truckee Town Council member Courtney Henderson told the San Francisco Chronicle that the cuts are “potentially very catastrophic.”

Now, the Trump administration is not only cutting forest service jobs but is planning to cut into the forest itself. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins distributed a memo on April 3 following Donald Trump’s Executive Order for the “Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production.”

Discussing how to implement her memo, Christopher B. French, Acting Associate Chief of the U.S. Forest Service said: “The value of wood products derived from projects on national forests will play a crucial role in driving economic growth.”

French has said increased logging will also support “essential efforts to reduce wildfire risk and promote forest health.” However, cutting down large amounts of trees will increase carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, in turn increasing the climate change factors behind larger and worsening fires.

Speaking with the San Francisco Chronicle about who hung up the upside-down flag, another Truckee local, Mike Schwartz, said: “Every climber I know would have wanted to do that.”

What People Are Saying

Eric Perlman told the San Francisco Chronicle: “I think it’s completely appropriate because America is in a state of grave distress and needs help from any and all quadrants.”

Brooke Rollins: “I am proud to follow the bold leadership of President Trump by empowering forest managers to reduce constraints and minimize the risks of fire, insects, and disease so that we can strengthen American timber industry and further enrich our forests with the resources they need to thrive.”

What Happens Next

The Yosemite upside-down flag was only up for a few hours. It is unclear how long this flag will be up for, but Perlman has said: “It should stay up there for the next four years.”