Cannon Ball, North Dakota: Two weeks after a victory in their fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline, most protesters have cleared out of the main protest camp in North Dakota - but about 1,000 are still there, and plan to remain through the winter.
These folks say they are dug in at the Oceti Sakowin Camp in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, despite the cold, for a few reasons.
Most are Native Americans, and want to support the tribal sovereignty effort forcefully argued by the Standing Rock Sioux, whose land is adjacent to the pipeline being built.
Others say they worry that Energy Transfer Partners LP , the company building the $3.8bn project, will resume construction without people on the ground, even though the tribes and the company are currently locked in a court battle.
Future decisions on the 1,885km pipeline are likely to come through discussions with the incoming administration of Donald Trump, or in courtrooms.
“I’ve seen some of my friends leave but I will be here until the end and will stand up to Trump if he decides to approve the permit,” said Victor Herrald, of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, who has been at the camp since August.
At one point the camp had about 10,000 people, including about 4,000 veterans who showed up in early December.
