Apache Stronghold, one of our Coalition member groups, will be hosting an Anniversary March from the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation to Oak Flat. Please attend and help spread the word. Take a look at the flyer for more information.
For more than a year, Apache Stronghold has been encamped at Oak Flat to protect it from Rio Tinto’s distructive mining plans.
Please contact your Members of Congress today and ask them to cosponsor the Save Oak Flat Act to repeal Section 3003 of the National Defense Authorization Act.
Last December in the closing days of the 113th Congress in the dead of night, Rio Tinto’s Congressional supporters stuck the Oak Flat land exchange onto a must past national defense bill. The land exchange became Section 3003 of the defense bill. Section 3003 has nothing to do with national defense, but Rio Tinto’s supports knew that the land exchange would not pass on its own.
In June of this year, Congressman Grijalva from Arizona introduced HR 2811, the Save Oak Flat Act, which will repeal Section 3003 and keep Oak Flat as public land. As of now, 36 members of Congress from both parties have cosponsored this bill.
With your help, that number will grow and the bill will pass and protect Oak Flat!
Thanks,
Roger Featherstone, Director
Please contact your Congressional Representative today and ask him/her to cosponsor the Save Oak Flat Act to repeal Section 3003 of the National Defense Authorization Act.
Last December in the closing days of the 113th Congress in the dead of night, Rio Tinto’s Congressional supporters stuck the Oak Flat land exchange onto a must past national defense bill. The land exchange became Section 3003 of the defense bill. Section 3003 has nothing to do with national defense, but Rio Tinto’s supports knew that the land exchange would not pass on its own.
The National Park Service is accepting comments about placing Oak Flat on the list of National Historic Places as a Traditional Cultural Property because of its sacredness and significance to Native American Tribes.
The nomination would list Oak Flat as a Traditional Cultural Property on the National Register of Historic Places. (Note that the nomination uses the Apache name for Oak Flat, Chi’chil Bildagoteel.)
Please take action and sign a letter to the National Park Service (who is responsible for making the final decision on adding Oak Flat to the list) to help protect Oak Flat.
The deadline for you to sign the letter is noon (Arizona Time) on Monday, June 29, so act now.
Come to Oak Flat May 30 – 31 to protect Oak FlatThe Apache Stronghold will be hosting a concert, and spiritual and educational events this weekend at Oak Flat.
A concert featuring traditional Apache songs and Native American musicians will begin at 11:00 am on Saturday May 30 at Oak Flat. Entertainment will continue all afternoon and culminate with Apache Mountain Spirit Dancers (around 5:00).
Sunday’s events will begin at 8:00 am with a traditional Apache Holy Ground ceremony. Holy Ground will be followed by concurrent educational and action events including an art project, an eco tour, a spiritual tour, and an Apache community meeting.
All events are free and open to the public. Everyone is encouraged to attend.
Meals will be provided, but bring warm clothes (for the evening), sun protection (during the day), and a chair. Bring camping equipment if you plan to camp overnight.
Oak Flat Campground is located south of US Highway 60 4 miles east of Superior, AZ. You will see a Highway sign for the campground coming from either direction on Highway 60. Follow signs into the campground.
The land near the Oak Flat Campground is a sacred site to the indigenous tribes in the area, including the Apache. The new law allows Rio Tinto a run-around to avoid complying with indigenous rights to the land. Activists have been working for many years on the issue and actions are being planned this winter throughout the region to raise awareness and stop the destruction of this wild and sacred space.
The US Forest Service is accepting comments on a preliminary Environmental Assessment of a plan of operations to conduct baseline hydrological and geophysical testing on their proposed toxic tailings location for Rio Tinto’s proposed mine at Oak Flat.
The deadline for comments in April 12, 2015.
Rio Tinto wishes to dump toxic tailings on public land managed by the US Forest Service north of Highway 60 between Superior and Queen Valley (roughly across the street for Boyce Thompson Arboretum). Rio Tinto wants to drill 16 groundwater testing and monitoring wells, 41 geotechnical drill holes, and 32 deep geotechnical test trenches. They want to “improve” more than 12 miles of Forest Service roads, use either illegal or user constructed roads, and go off road to disturb another 11 acres.
Saturday, February 7 will be a day of speakers, music, inspiration, and sharing to protect Oak Flat.
Please attend the gathering and to bring your friends, family, and colleagues.
Saturday will be a beautiful day in a beautiful place. It will be a great way to learn more about Oak Flat, why we are protecting it, and what you can do to help.
Oak Flat Campground is located south of US Highway 60, 4 miles east of Superior, AZ. You will see a Highway sign for the campground coming from either direction on Highway 60. Follow signs into the campground.
The land near the Oak Flat Campground is a sacred site to the indigenous tribes in the area, including the Apache bands. The new law allows Rio Tinto a run-around to avoid complying with indigenous rights to the land. Activists have been working for many years on the issue and actions are being planned this winter throughout the region to raise awareness and stop the destruction of this wild and sacred space.
Yesterday, December 12, the US Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The Defense bill contains the Oak Flat land exchange.
Please contact President Obama and ask him to veto the NDAA. This is our only step left to stop the land exchange from becoming law.
You’ve taken action many time to help protect Oak Flat and I’m asking you now to take action one more time to protect Oak Flat.
There are so many reasons that attaching the land exchange to the NDAA is a terrible idea. But let’s face it, RIo Tinto’s supporters knew that this was there last best chance to give Oak Flat to a giant foreign mining company.
Every day we were learning more about how critical Oak Flat is for religious freedom and environmental protection and Rio Tinto knew they needed to act fast. So, they buried the land exchange deep in a anrelated bill.
Let our President know that the NDAA must be vetoed until the Oak Flat land exchange is removed.
After you have sent your letter to President Obama, also sign a petition asking the President to stop this Apache land grab.
Contact your Senators today to remove the Oak Flat land exchange from the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
In a highly controversial move last week, the US House of Representatives buried the Oak Flat land exchange deep in the House version of the NDAA. For 10 years, the land exchange has failed to be become law for very good reasons:
President Eisenhower placed Oak Flat off limits to mining 60 year ago and it remains an ecological, spiritual and recreational haven.
In spite of the will of Congress not to pass the Oak Flat land exchange, its supporters snuck the bill into the defense bill (Section 3003 on page 1103 of a 1,600 page bill). The language of the bill was changed, but is still completely unacceptable.
Please contact your Senator immediately and ask him/her to remove Section 3003, (the new number for the Oak Flat land exchange) and to pass a clean Defense bill.