Anne Minard / Indian Country Today

Belinda Ayze, Navajo, of Flagstaff, Arizona, holds a protest sign during a rally on December 21 to oppose snowmaking with treated wastewater on the San Francisco Peaks.
Hardy activists braved single-digit temperatures in Flagstaff on December 21 to protest Arizona Snowbowl, the resort atop the sacred San Francisco Peaks that will soon blanket its slopes with snow made from reclaimed wastewater.
Tribal and environmental opponents of snowmaking toted signs with the slogans “Protect Sacred Sites, Defend Human Rights,” and “Danger: Shi*tBowl; Health Hazard” in front of Flagstaff City Hall, during an all-day protest meant to coincide with the kickoff of Snowbowl’s 75th ski season this week. It will be the first season during which the resort will spray the treated effluent on a site held sacred by 13 tribes.
“What needs to happen is the government needs to afford the same rights to Native Americans that everybody else in this country enjoys,” said Klee Benally, a long-time Navajo activist on behalf of the San Francisco Peaks. He believes the failure to protect the mountain is a violation of freedom of religion for people who consider it holy.
Protester Belinda Ayze, Navajo, said this issue is one in a series that activists in her family have been publicizing and protesting for generations. Continue reading →
Tags: Occupy Wall Street, politics