President Obama is due to arrive in Alaska on Monday, and the White House says he will announce a new official name for North America’s tallest mountain.
The Alaskan peak known as Mount McKinley since the late 19th century will now be called “Denali.”
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said this weekend that, with Obama’s endorsement, she’s issued an order to rename the mountain Denali, its traditional Koyukon Athabaskan name.
Alaskans have been pressing for that change for more than 40 years but they’ve always been blocked by Congress members from Ohio, birthplace of President William McKinley.
The announcement is one of several Alaska-specific initiatives Obama is expected to unveil over the next three days as he travels the state to draw attention to the effects of climate change.
Researchers say the Arctic is warming faster than any other place on earth.
Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at lruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Liz here.
