#save oak flat

Oak Flat is apart of the Tonto National Forest in Arizona, and its been used as a sacred site by the San Carlos Apache (and numerous other tribes) since time immemorial.

Right now, Oak Flat is at risk of becoming a 2-mile-wide, 1,000-foot-deep hole all because of Resolution Copper Mining, a subsidiary of two British–Australian mining companies, Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton.

Before 2014, Resolution Copper Mining failed to secure a land transfer over ten times. It wasn't until the aforementioned year that Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake entered the land transfer on page 1,003 of a military spending bill, at precisely 11 pm, a mere hour before the bill was set to pass.

This was done without the consent of the San Carlos Apache, who use the site to gather sacred medicine and perform coming-of-age ceremonies for girls.

As desperately as the San Carlos Apache have tried to appeal the land transfer, they have been struck down time and time again, usually by a single vote in the wrong direction.

Now, the San Carlos Apache are slated to speak against the land transfer tomorrow morning. If their voices are not heeded, they will take it to the Supreme Court, which will ultimately decide the fate of Oak Flat, the dozens of endangered species that call it home, and the continuity of the Apache religion.

🗝️It's been over 10 years since the fight to protect the sacred lands of Oak Flat, Arizona began. As an activist & musician, I will not stop advocating for what's right & true. I've experienced Oak Flat's remarkable beauty & spirituality. The Apache people have welcomed many with open arms of love + unity + peace. They only want to preserve what belonged to them & what was promised. Please support, standing in solidarity with Arizona, in our fight to protect Oak Flat, the water, resources, religion, & ceremonies of the Apache people.

okay, so, not to be like, That Guy, but its thanksgiving (even tho if ur doing it right it should be really weird this year) and I would just like to step up on my little soapbox for a moment, if you would be so kind as to listen

at this point, I don't think its news to anyone reading this that the US was not built on empty land and happy dreams of freedom and democracy for everyone, so I won’t beleaguer the point

Oak Flat, also known as Apache Leap, is sacred ground to a number of Native tribes in and around Arizona, and its in danger from copper mining 

it has been for years (although I only learned about it last semester in my Native Traditions class in college), and the Apache Stronghold has been fighting the entire time to prevent its destruction, but in their final months the Trump administration is trying even harder to sell it off, so the Apache Stronghold could really use some extra help right now

here is the get involved page of their website, I donated 20 bucks bc I'm a broke ass college student (with some decent white guilt in my back pocket) but if you can’t afford to donate, or you don’t just want to donate, they also have links to petitions and to contact congressional representatives 

okay, stepping down from my little soapbox now, thank you for listening

An 11 square miles of land in Arizona is in jeopardy of transforming into a mine by the company Rio Tinto, which blew up a 46,000 year old Aboriginal site. All these screenshots below are from the Guardian, and further explain what is happening. I will also link the article at the end of the post. 

[Image ID: A screenshot of a Guardian article. The photograph above the article is a desert landscape with a canyon. The brush is sparse, dotting the landscape, it’s light green. The ground and canyon are brown and yellow, and there are spots of more red earth throughout the photo. The article category is “This land is your land” and is written in red text. The title of the article says, “Revealed: Trump officials rush to mine desert haven native tribes consider holy” The caption underneath says, “Administration seeks to transfer ownership of Arizona area to mining company with ties to the destruction of an Aboriginal site.” End Image ID.]

[Image ID: A screenshot of the Guardian article. The text reads, “ “The Trump administration is cutting corners and doing a rushed job to take care of Rio Tinto,” said the Democratic Arizona representative Raúl Grijalva. “And the fact they are doing it during Covid makes it even more disgusting. Trump and Rio Tinto know the tribes’ reaction would be very strong and public under normal circumstances but the tribes are trying to save their people right now.” “ End Image ID.]

[Image ID: A screenshot of the Guardian article. The text says, “Listed on the Nation Register of Historic Places, Oak Flat contains numerous indigenous archaeological sites dating back 1,500 years. If the mine goes forward as planned, it will consume 11 square miles, including Apache burial grounds, sacred sites, petroglyphs and medicinal plants.” 

The next paragraph reads, “Resolution plans to extract 1.4m tons of copper ore by blasting beneath the surface and pulling it out through tunnels. Once all the ore is sucked out, a crater estimated to be 1,000 feet deep and almost two miles across will be left behind.” End Image ID.] 

[Image ID: A screenshot of the Guardian article. The text says, “Last May, Rio Tinto blasted a 46,000-year old sacred Aboriginal site in Juukan Gorge, in western Australia. After widespread public outcry and investor revolt over the destruction, Rio Tinto’s CEO and two other top executives resigned in September.” End Image ID.]

[Image ID: A screenshot of three paragraphs of a Guardian article. The first paragraph says, “Once the final Oak Flat environmental review is released, the land exchange must happen within 60 days. Ownership of Oak Flat could transfer to Resolution Copper before Joe Biden’s 20 January inauguration.”

The second paragraph reads, “ “We are looking at the destruction of some of the Apache’s most significant cultural and historic sites with this project,” said Kathryn Leonard, the Arizona state historic preservation officer.. Federal historic preservation laws focus on ameliorating harms rather than blocking a development altogether, she explained.”

The third paragraph says, “ “Our preservation laws are not set up to prevent this level of loss. It weighs heavily on me.” “ End Image ID.]

Please I am begging you to spread this so we can raise awareness. Here’s the link if you want to read the entire article. 

Here’s another article about the issue, EarthWorks. 

Here’s a petition for support of the Save Oak Flat Act introduced by Congressman Grijalva, supported by Senator Bernie Sanders, with co-sponsors from house representatives of both parties. 

Here is an opinion piece by Raúl Grijalva stating why Rio Tinto will not protect the land, contrary to some of the claims featured in the Guardian article I linked above.

Here is the San Carlos Apache website itself, which has petitions listed on the take action tab including ones from MoveOn and another Support Save Oak Flat Act. 

If you don’t reblog I understand, but I urge you to do so. At the very least could you please sign the petitions I have linked. Under the cut I will list them all again one more time, in long link form this time in case the ones I embedded do not work. 

Bernie Sanders