Mount Rushbama

Greenpeace activists unfurled a massive banner of Barack Obama on Mount Rushmore yesterday, urging the president to speak out on global warming at the Group Of Eight summit in Italy.

The 65-foot by 35-foot banner — which read "America Honors Leaders, Not Politicians: Stop Global Warming" — was hung to the immediate right of Lincoln at about 10 a.m. local time, said Patty Rooney, a spokeswoman for the National Park Service's Midwest Regional Office. She said an undetermined number of people were taken into custody following the incident. Daniel Kessler, a spokesman for Greenpeace, said 11 people were detained, but it was not clear how many of them were Greenpeace employees. No injuries were reported. Park workers are trying to remove the banner, Rooney said, but strong winds have complicated the process. "It is not down yet," she said shortly before noon. She said park workers will assess damage to the 5,725-foot mountain once the banner is down.