Post by Okwes on Sept 6, 2006 17:49:35 GMT -5
Apaches will defy mine deal that threatens sacred lands
*Kathy W. Kitcheyan*
www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/0828kitcheyan28.html
Editor's note: /The following is in response to the Thursday editorial
"Firm hand needed to guide mining deal," which supported efforts in
Congress to effect a complex land exchange to enable the Resolution
Copper Co. to begin site preparation for a huge underground copper mine
near Superior./
Our position is simple and straightforward. For the Apaches, this area,
which includes Oak Flat campground and Apache Leap, belongs to the Gaan,
who are our sacred Crowndancers.
Since time immemorial, we have found refuge there and gathered precious
medicinal herbs and traditional food there.
Our goal is to protect these sites from potential ruin. Once they are
lost, they can never be regained. Our people will not sacrifice our
ancestors' legacy and our children's future for the political expediency
of moving legislation forward that does not protect these sites.
/The Republic's /editorial stated that tribal concerns have been
"satisfactorily addressed." However, this is simply not true. The fact
is that SB 2466 does not contain provisions that adequately protect our
sacred sites.
For example, the Oak Flat Campground will be closed after two years due
to safety concerns associated with the mining process.
Also, while the conservation easement accommodates the town of
Superior's concerns over its scenic view, as well as the rock-climbing
communities' concern over its continued recreational enjoyment in that
area, it does not address the Apache people's cultural, religious and
historical concerns.
When Resolution Copper Co. was putting together this land exchange
package over the past few years, it reached out to many groups to
discuss the legislation but it never approached the San Carlos Apache
Tribal Council.
Resolution Copper never once sat down with the council to discuss the
land exchange, and instead, chose to rely on the U.S. Forest Service's
representations of the tribe's views.
We are now in the process of trying to learn as much as possible about
the potential impacts of the proposed mining on this land, including the
environmental effects and the impact on our sacred sites. Resolution
Copper is still trying to determine the extent of the impact of
operations on the site.
Resolution Copper has indicated it is not sure what the extent of the
"crinkling" on the surface would be from the mining but that it would be
at least a mile in diameter.
Also, we understand that it is still trying to determine what the impact
of the mining would have on the water table below the surface.
In order to bypass objections to these impacts, we understand that
Resolution Copper is pushing for the land exchange to be exempt from the
National Environmental Policy Act. If this occurs, then the
environmental impacts will not have to be assessed on the project.
The Apaches will not, under any condition, allow our ancestral lands to
be compromised. No society would allow for the religious desecration of
their sacred sites and neither will the Apache
*/The writer is chairwoman of the San Carlos Apache Tribe.
/*
*Kathy W. Kitcheyan*
www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/0828kitcheyan28.html
Editor's note: /The following is in response to the Thursday editorial
"Firm hand needed to guide mining deal," which supported efforts in
Congress to effect a complex land exchange to enable the Resolution
Copper Co. to begin site preparation for a huge underground copper mine
near Superior./
Our position is simple and straightforward. For the Apaches, this area,
which includes Oak Flat campground and Apache Leap, belongs to the Gaan,
who are our sacred Crowndancers.
Since time immemorial, we have found refuge there and gathered precious
medicinal herbs and traditional food there.
Our goal is to protect these sites from potential ruin. Once they are
lost, they can never be regained. Our people will not sacrifice our
ancestors' legacy and our children's future for the political expediency
of moving legislation forward that does not protect these sites.
/The Republic's /editorial stated that tribal concerns have been
"satisfactorily addressed." However, this is simply not true. The fact
is that SB 2466 does not contain provisions that adequately protect our
sacred sites.
For example, the Oak Flat Campground will be closed after two years due
to safety concerns associated with the mining process.
Also, while the conservation easement accommodates the town of
Superior's concerns over its scenic view, as well as the rock-climbing
communities' concern over its continued recreational enjoyment in that
area, it does not address the Apache people's cultural, religious and
historical concerns.
When Resolution Copper Co. was putting together this land exchange
package over the past few years, it reached out to many groups to
discuss the legislation but it never approached the San Carlos Apache
Tribal Council.
Resolution Copper never once sat down with the council to discuss the
land exchange, and instead, chose to rely on the U.S. Forest Service's
representations of the tribe's views.
We are now in the process of trying to learn as much as possible about
the potential impacts of the proposed mining on this land, including the
environmental effects and the impact on our sacred sites. Resolution
Copper is still trying to determine the extent of the impact of
operations on the site.
Resolution Copper has indicated it is not sure what the extent of the
"crinkling" on the surface would be from the mining but that it would be
at least a mile in diameter.
Also, we understand that it is still trying to determine what the impact
of the mining would have on the water table below the surface.
In order to bypass objections to these impacts, we understand that
Resolution Copper is pushing for the land exchange to be exempt from the
National Environmental Policy Act. If this occurs, then the
environmental impacts will not have to be assessed on the project.
The Apaches will not, under any condition, allow our ancestral lands to
be compromised. No society would allow for the religious desecration of
their sacred sites and neither will the Apache
*/The writer is chairwoman of the San Carlos Apache Tribe.
/*