A group of people in Lochiel, Arizona, have been occupying a cottonwood tree for 66 or 67 days to prevent its destruction for the border wall.

Posted by Behind the Bastards, Oct 3, 2026Checked Nov 2, 2026

Polygraph verdictTrue

Sources: 4 support1 context
Said: 1 time·
Confidence: 72%

Behind the BastardsOct 3, 2026

Sources show activists occupied the 'grandmother' cottonwood in Lochiel, Arizona, starting in late July 2026 (July 27 to 29), which puts the occupation at about 66 to 67 days as of the October 3 post date, and that the tree sit halted construction in the immediate area.

A guest makes this claim. Listeners heard it, so it counts against the post, and on the guest's own record.

This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.

What was said

… Finally, here is a quick message from James Stout, who is out in the field. Hey, everyone, it's James. I wasn't able to join the rest of the gang for Ed today because I was in Lochiel, Arizona, where a group of people have been defending a cottonwood tree against destruction for the building of the border wall. They have so far been able to stop construction. I believe it'll be 66 or 67 days if you hear this on the day it comes out, and they have done so by occupying this giant cottonwood tree 24/7. If you're not familiar with cottonwoods, they're very important trees in this ecosystem. They often grow near water. …

Behind the Bastards · Oct 3, 2026· from the transcriptPost →

What we found

Supports. Multiple outlets say activists began a tree sit in the cottonwood in late July 2026, with AZPM/LOOKOUT dating the occupation to July 29 and the Ecologist to a July 27 cutting of three other trees.[3][4]

Supports. Sources report the tree sit was ongoing and had halted construction in the immediate area before the October 5 raid, consistent with the claim that protesters were stopping construction.[2][3][5]

Supports. High Country News describes the protest as lasting 71 days before the October 5 removal, and The Intercept says it ran for more than 70 days, consistent with a count of roughly 66 to 67 days as of October 3.[2][5]

Context. Snopes rates the broader claim that Trump's administration cut down the tree as Mostly True, confirming the tree was felled on October 5, which postdates the claim and does not contradict it as of October 3.[1]

Context. The post's date of October 3 is consistent with the claimed 66-or-67-day count, and the extraction faithfully reflects the passage's wording about occupying the tree and stopping construction.