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SAVE THE PEAKS, STOP THE MINE!AN UPDATE ON THE SIERRA CLUB'S EFFORTS TO SHUT DOWN THE WHITE VULCAN PUMICE MINE ON THE SAN FRANCISCO PEAKS ENCLOSED:
A Tale of Grassroots Activism: Creating Public Demand and Taking ActionThe trail to closing the mine has been a two-year effort to unify diverse voices calling for a common goal: Save the Peaks and Stop the Mine! Listed below are some of the actions taken through the Save the Peaks Campaign to come to the point witnessing the settlement agreement. Navajo Nation Leaders Meet to Discuss White Vulcan Mine
The inclusion of a presentation by the Sierra Club on the White Vulcan Mine into this important meeting was arranged by the Dine' Medicine Man's Association who have been working with the Sierra Club to shut down the White Vulcan Pumice Mine on the sacred San Francisco Peaks, or Dook'oo'osliid to the Navajo. After discussing important issues to the Navajo Nation, Phil Bluehouse of the Medicine Man's Association reminded the leaders of the Peaks' importance to the Navajo people and introduced the speakers from the Sierra Club. Andy Bessler gave a factual background on the Mine and the current status of efforts to shut it down. Hunter RedDay and Kelvin Long of the musical group Bad Moon Rising gave the leaders an account of the Save the Peaks concert in which many different tribes united with one voice to shut down the mine. They also gave messages from their family members and elders who asked them to tell the leaders to take action to protect the Peaks. Sammy James spoke in Navajo about his efforts to travel the entire reservation to collect signatures of Navajos hoping to protect the Peaks. He pleaded with the President to take action. After the presentation, promises were made by President Begaye to shepherd a joint resolution signed by leaders of the 13 Native American Tribes of the Southwest. In addition, the Speaker of the House promised to work with the Sierra Club to get a resolution approved by the Navajo Nation tribal council asking the Forest Service to shut down the White Vulcan Mine. Since the Navajo Nation is the largest and most powerful Native American Nation, they will set the tone for other nations to follow in protecting the Peaks, sacred mountains to over 13 tribes. ACTIVISTS ATTEND FOREST SERVICE HEARINGSOn May 17th, 2000 the Coconino National Forest held a public hearing on their 74,000-acre Mineral Withdrawal of the Peaks. If approved by Sec. of Interior Bruce Babbitt, this protection of the Peaks from the 1872 Mining Law would be one of the country's largest Mineral Withdrawals. A diverse crowd of around 100 people listened as speakers gave eloquent testimony about the benefits of the Withdrawal and why communities around the American Southwest value the Peaks above the cash the Peaks provide to pumice miners for stonewashed jeans. The audience felt some tension when the mine owner's lawyer, Doug Martin and a miner, Darryl Lindsey spoke on the benefits of the public's "denim abrasive needs." They of course, forgot to mention that the only reason the 1872 Mining Law protects the mine is because of the high dollar pumice brings to making stonewashed jeans. The Sierra Club presented the Forest Service with 4 pairs of the jeans petition and over 500 postcards laid out end to end in the meeting hall. In order to bring attention to the hearing and the issue, Sierra Club played TV, radio and print ads about the hearing. Once again, the 60 second radio ads played in Navajo, Hopi, and English. Andy Bessler got to go the Hopi Language class to thank them for helping in translating the ads and gave them more information on the issue. Thanks to this visit at the Hopi High School, a letter to the editor was published in several newspapers including the Navajo-Hopi Observer and the Hopi Tutuveni. Those high school students can really get the basic idea of the issue as the letter below demonstrates! Mining on Peaks disgraceful
President Clinton Get Save the Peaks Message
"Mr. President, there is another area in need of protection here in Northern Arizona," said Sharon Galbreath, longtime Sierra Club volunteer. She handed the President a Save the Peaks button and smiled as the cameras snapped. President Clinton heard from many people there about the need to protect the sacred San Francisco Peaks. In addition, Native American activists Gabriel Yaiva and Carlos Slim of the musical group Bad Moon Rising and Hopi Vetran's Princess Somana Thayer shook hands with the President and Secretary of Interior and spoke to them about their concerns for their sacred mountain. They handed Bruce Babbitt a stonewashed jeans petition including the signature of Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope. Carl's signature included a statement that said, "Bruce, do the right thing." Secretary Babbitt promised the three young Native Americans to visit their lands and listen to their concerns about the mine and the mountain. Sierra Club will be sure that this meeting takes place. Be sure to check out our website for photos of this historic event at www.sierraclub.org/chapters/az SAVE THE PEAKS CONCERT UNITES THE VOICESOn November 13, 2000, the Sierra Club teamed up with Native American activists to host the Save the Peaks concert at the Hopi Veteran’s Memorial Center in Kykotsmovi, AZ. More than 1200 people turned out to sign 1000 letters and postcards to federal officials to stop the White Vulcan pumice mine on the flanks of northern Arizona's San Francisco Peaks. 80 volunteers helped park cars, provide information, worked backstage to support the musicians and talked to the news media. Representatives of 9 Native American tribes spoke or presented statements of unity and support for saving the Peaks, sacred mountains to tribes throughout the Colorado Plateau. The highlight of the event was the arrival of three Hopi runners, who ran in relay starting Friday morning the 102 miles to the concert, arriving to traditional drum war chants and prayers Saturday afternoon after the concert began. The concert ended with noted Hopi reggae rapper Casper doing a finale with the massed bands and a special rap repeating "Save the Peaks". For three days the news media covered the runners, the mine and even gave out directions to the concert. The Arizona Republic, the state's major newspaper, had two color photos and a big story on our event and the Save the Peaks campaign. Perhaps the best quote was that of Hopi runner and former tribal chairman, Ferrell Sekacucu, who noted that he had tried to protest the mine years earlier to no avail, "but maybe now they will listen". Hats off to EPEC Staffers Andy Bessler and Kristen Felan, Chapter staffer Sandy Bahr, Chapter conservation chair Sharon Galbreath, our on-loan staffer from DC David Schneider and the host of volunteers and supporters for making this landmark event happen! BACKGROUNDThe White Vulcan Pumice mine extracts pumice stone from the Northeast slopes of the San Francisco Peaks just outside of Flagstaff, AZ. Tufflite, Inc., operators of the mine, is submitting a new operating plan to the Forest Service in the near future. Included in the new plan is a 30-acre expansion of their current 90-acre pumice extraction operations. Once the operating plan is submitted, the Forest Service will begin the NEPA process complete with public scoping.
The Sierra Club began the Save the Peaks campaign to shut down this mine and to protect the San Francisco Peaks. To date, we have engaged in various efforts to direct public pressure on the mine owners and the Forest Service. For example, we have helped encourage comments sent to the Forest Service opposed to the mine and supportive of a 74,000-acre Mineral Withdrawal. All but two (the mine owner and his lawyer) opposed the mine and supported the Withdrawal. Comments also support listing the Peaks on the National Register of Historic Landmarks as a Traditional Cultural Property. Here is a quick summary of the status of the campaign and what is coming up in the future. Native American Names for the San Francisco Peaks Including Spanish and English TranslationsLanguage Group Name Translation Source
FOREST SERVICE ACTIONSIn conversations with Forest Service (FS) officials, they too understand the flaws with the 1872 Mining Law. Although the law restricts their ability to tell the mine, "no," the FS, as we see it, is making a good faith effort to remove the mine from public land. Below are descriptions of some of these efforts: TRADITIONAL CULTURAL PROPERTY NOMINATIONAs part of their legal requirements under the National Historic Preservation Act, the FS will nominate the Peaks to the National Registry of Historic Places as a Traditional Cultural Property. This nomination will require extensive consultation with 13 Native American tribes and the State Historical Preservation Office (SHPO). A review of potential impacts from the mine will be completed under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and will result in a Memorandum Agreement signed by the Forest Service, the tribes, and the SHPO office. Obviously, this consultation process will identify adverse effects of the mine on the Peaks. MINERAL WITHDRAWALThe Forest Service is moving along with their 74,000-acre mineral withdrawal of the lands encompassing the Peaks and the White Vulcan Mine. If this withdrawal is approved by Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbit, it would prevent any further mineral development on the Peaks for the next 20 years. Whether or not the White Vulcan Mine's expansion plans would be prevented by this action is yet to be determined, but there is a good chance it would stop the White Vulcan Mine in their tracks. SIERRA CLUB ACTIONS
As part of the Sierra Club's efforts to shut down the White Vulcan Mine, we raised public awareness and encouragedthe Forest Service to take action. In addition to the thousands of postcards sent to Jim Golden, Forest Supervisor, we also sent stone-washed jeans petitions. The petitions, written on actual stone-washed jeans, contain over 500 names. The text of the jeans petition reads, "We the underpants feel this petition has two legs to stand on: 1) we support the 74,000 acre Mineral Withdrawal of the San Francisco Peaks and 2) we support the closure of the White Vulcan Mine." The results of the Save the Peaks Campaign show that grassroots activism works. Although the mine will be shut down in Febrary, 2001, we need to continue our efforts to protect lands of cultural and ecological diversity. As long as the 1872 Mining Law is still on the books, special places like the Peaks are still under threat! Andy Bessler Updated 10-3-00 Sierra Club, Grand Canyon Chapter, 202 E. McDowell Rd, Suite 277, Phoenix, AZ 85004, (602) 253-8633 |
On January 11th, 2000, Navajo activists Sammy M James, Hunter RedDay and
Kelvin Long traveled to Window Rock with Sierra Club organizer Andy Bessler
to give a briefing to the "Three Branches" meeting. This meeting is attended
by the three top leaders in the Navajo Nation along with 20 members of
their staff: Navajo Nation President Kelsey Begaye, Navajo Nation Council
Speaker of the House Edward T. Begay, and the Chief Justice of the Navajo
Nation Supreme Court Robert Yazzie.
On the same day as Sierra Club activists were talking to the President
of the Navajo Nation, other Sierra Club activists were bending the ear
of President Clinton while he visited the Grand Canyon to sign Executive
Orders creating 3 new National Monuments and expanding another.
The white pumice, a volcanic "tuff," is used to lighten concrete, added
to dry soils to help aid water retention, and most importantly, as the
stones in stone-washed jeans. Tufflite sells the larger pumice stones
to the "garment finishing industries" located in El Paso, TX and California
which wash blue jeans with the pumice stones to create the soft and worn
look of stone-washed jeans. Unfortunately, this larger pumice is classified
as "locatable," the same classification as gold, silver, and other "hardrock"
minerals. The 1872 Mining Law governs hardrock minerals and greatly restricts
federal agencies' ability to protect public lands, because it puts mining
above other uses of the land. Provisions of this law also allow the miners
to "patent," or buy our public lands for as little as $5.00 an acre and
therefore creating private land.