Thousands of Claims Threaten Public Health & Sacred Lands
By Klee Benally
Grand Canyon, AZ — In defiance of legal challenges and a U.S. Government moratorium, Canadian company Denison Mines has started mining uranium on the north rim of the Grand Canyon. According to the Arizona Daily Sun the mine has been operating since December 2009. Read the rest of this entry »
Stop Snowbowl! Protest Sat. Dec. 19 At Flagstaff City Hall!
When: Saturday, December 19th starting at 10AM
Where: Flagstaff City Hall on the Rt. 66 side
The struggle to protect the Holy San Francisco Peaks and community health from ski resort expansion and wastewater snowmaking continues.
Although a current lawsuit filed by the Save the Peaks Coalition and community members has halted the ski business’ efforts to make sewage snow, community support is still needed.
In the face of political pressure from the State of Arizona’s Congressional Delegation, (more) the US Forest Service approved a component of the ski area’s proposed development that is not associated with snowmaking.
Regardless of the approval Snowbowl cannot currently expand due to the lawsuit.
While it is unclear as to how long the court case will stop Snowbowl from expanding and making sewer water snow, in the context of the legal battle the Obama administration is doing everything in their power to put wastewater snow on the holy San Francisco Peaks.
When the Arizona Snowbowl Ski Resort opened on Thursday, a small group of protesters held signs and banners to ensure that skiers were aware of public health threats and the desecration of the sacred mountain.
Arizona Snowbowl employees called the Forest Service and County Sheriffs in an attempt to have the protesters and others with them arrested for “trespassing” on public lands. No charges were made.
You can join us in our stand for the protection of sacred places and community health.
PROTEST SNOWBOWL!
When: Saturday, December 19th starting at 10AM
Where: Flagstaff City Hall on the Rt. 66 side
If you can’t join us please visit www.savethepeaks.org for more information on what you can do to help stop Snowbowl and protect sacred places!
You can contact Congress and urge them to convene immediate hearings on the protection of Sacred Places.
Contact info is included below.
Klee Benally
indigenousaction@gmail.com
Online database of current US Congress contacts: http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/
Ann Kirkpatrick, Arizona (D)
1123 Longworth HOB, Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2315 Fax: (202) 226-9739
https://forms.house.gov/kirkpatrick/dc-contact-form.shtml
1515 East Cedar Avenue, A6, Flagstaff, AZ 86004
Phone: (928) 226-6914 Fax: (928) 226-2876
John Kyle, Arizona (R)
730 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-4521 Fax: (202) 224-2207
http://kyl.senate.gov/contact.cfm
John McCain, Arizona (R)
241 Russell Senate Office Building
, Washington, D.C. 20510-0303
Phone: 202-224-2235
Fax: 202-228-2862
http://mccain.senate.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=Contact.Home
John Conyers, Jr., Michigan, (D)
House Committee on the Judiciary, Chair
2426 Rayburn House Office Building,
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-5126
Fax: 202-225-0072
Email: john.conyers@mail.house.gov
NOTE: On July 11, 2008, more than 1,000 Native rights and environmental justice advocates arrived in Washington, DC after walking across the US to raise awareness about key issues affecting Native peoples and the environment. The successful journey, known as the Longest Walk 2, delivered a 30-page manifesto and list of demands to Congress, which included the protection of sacred places.
House Judiciary Chair, US Representative John Conyers (D-MI) promised representatives from the Longest Walk 2 that their issues would be addressed but set no timetable. “The Committee on the Judiciary will hold hearings on each one of these items that you have outlined here,” stated Rep. Conyers.
To read the Longest Walk resolutions go to: www.longestwalk.org
number of views: 569
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, September 21, 2009
CONTACT
media@savethepeaks.org
Concerned Citizens File New Lawsuit to Force Government to Study and Disclose Effects
of Ingesting Snow Made from Treated Sewage Effluent
Flagstaff, AZ — A group of concerned citizens will not let the potential health risks of using treated sewage effluent to make snow at the Snowbowl ski area on the San Francisco Peaks outside of Flagstaff get swept under the rug on a technicality. Although Snowbowl is a private, for-profit entity, the ski area operates on federal land under a special use permit. As a result, the federal government must approve Snowbowl’s plan to use 100% reclaimed sewer water to make snow—something that is not done anywhere else in the world. The City of Flagstaff agreed to sell Snowbowl the treated sewage effluent and off they went, or so they thought. The San Francisco Peaks are well documented as sacred and holy to, at least, thirteen of the tribes in the Southwestern United States, all of whom viewed the decision as a direct threat to their religious and cultural survival. Litigation on cultural and religious issues surrounding the project was appealed all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which recently declined to consider the case. The Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the case left a decision of an en banc panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in place which, as is often the case, went against the tribes. The use of reclaimed sewer water to make snow, however, was not only repulsive to people who hold the San Francisco Peaks sacred, it raised concerns from skiers and the community over the safety of being immersed in, and even eating, snow made from non-potable treated sewage effluent. Read the rest of this entry »
number of views: 510
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.
number of views: 567
Posted by: David V. Hill
Hello Friends,
We are getting information that the uranium industry has mounted a full out battle to stop the MT Taylor Traditional Cultural Property nomination. They have hired a professional to work within the community of Grants to drive the wedge issues. The Grants uranium people are sending letters that have far exceeded the numbers of letters received in favor of preserving MT Taylor.
We need every person to write a letter to the Cultural Properties Review Committee and tell them how they feel about Mt Taylor and why it is important to protect it, so that the Cultural Properties Review Committee can feel strong in approving the TCP due to strong public support.
If this nomination is not successful, the nominating tribes (Navajo Nation, the Pueblos of Hopi, Zuni, Acoma, and Laguna) will not be allowed to reapply again for five years. This will mean that the mining operations can resume on the mountain with no controls or concern for native religious interests. We cannot let this happen. Please write your letter. Please forward this email to anyone that you know who may be interested.
number of views: 591On April 22nd Earth Day, the Navajo Nation Council passed a resolution calling on Obama to protect sacred places. The document also calls on the US to immediately sign onto the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Navajo Nation Council additionally urges the US President to meet with the tribe to discuss the protection of the holy San Francisco Peaks & other sacred places before May 8th 2009.
Obama had previously made statements during his campaign vowing to help tribes protect threatened sacred sites. “Native American sacred places and site-specific ceremonies are under threat from development, pollution, and vandalism,” stated his platform. “Barack Obama supports legal protections for sacred places and cultural traditions, including Native ancestors’ burial grounds and churches.”
Read more here at indianz.com: http://64.38.12.138/News/2009/013723.asp
You can send a message to Obama regarding this issue here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/
Download the Navajo Nation Peaks/Obama Resolution
More info: www.savethepeaks.org
Klee Benally
indigenousaction[at]gmail.com
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. Read the rest of this entry »
number of views: 511 |
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