Save the Peaks Coalition News Release: Supreme Court Affirms Tribes Have No Religious Rights

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June 6th, 2009   Supreme Court Affirms Tribes Have No Religious Rights, Tribes and others Call For Congressional Action to Protect Sacred Places Flagstaff, AZ -- On Monday, June 8th 2009, the Supreme Court denied the petition by Tribes & Environmental groups to hear the case to protect the holy San Francisco Peaks.   For nearly a decade, the Save the Peaks Coalition, Tribes, Environmental groups, and community members lead an effort to stop the Snowbowl ski area’s plan to expand it’s development on the Peaks, and make snow from treated sewage effluent. The ski resort operates on the Holy Mountain through a lease by the United States Forest Service, which sanctioned the proposed development in 2004.   This is the second time that a petition for the protection of the San Francisco Peaks has been denied by the Supreme Court. According to Howard Shanker, attorney for the Navajo Nation, the Havasupai Tribe, the Yavapai-Apache Nation, the White Mountain Apache Tribe, Flagstaff Activist Network, the Center for Biological Diversity and others, and former congressional candidate: “It is unfortunate that the Supreme Court denied our petition for certiorari.  The Court’s denial serves to perpetuate injustice and the application of bad law regarding the rights of Native Americans to protect sacred ...

News Release: Tribes & Environmental Groups Petition Supreme Court to Protect Sacred Mountain

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The Holy San Francisco Peaks   Take Action: Contact a US Congressional representative here. News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: Tuesday, January 6th 2009 Contact: Klee Benally - Save the Peaks Coalition Email: indigenousaction@gmail.com Website: www.savethepeaks.org Tribes & Environmental Groups Petition Supreme Court in Appeal to Protect Religious Freedom & Environmental Integrity of Sacred Mountain FLAGSTAFF, AZ – On Monday, January 5th 2009, Tribes & environmental groups in Arizona filed a unified petition for the U.S. Supreme Court to hear appeals in a precedent setting legal battle to protect religious freedom and the ecological integrity of the holy San Francisco Peaks. The slopes of the holy San Francisco Peaks, located in Northern Arizona, have been at the center of a historical and lengthy battle that has pitted economic interests on public lands against environmental integrity, public health and cultural survival. Arizona Snowbowl, a small private ski business that leases land from the U.S. Forest Service, is attempting to expand current development and use millions of gallons of recycled sewage water to make fake snow. "This is an important case for the Supreme Court to hear. The Supreme Court, in a split decision, previously deprived Native Americans of First Amendment rights vis-à-vis sacred sites under the control of the federal government." said Howard ...