Sacred Mountain Wins, Another Loses
This week has been a provisional wind for the sacred Mount Taylor, in New Mexico and a loss for the sacred San Francisco Peaks in Arizona.The San Francisco Peaks, located in Northern Arizona, are sacred to the Navajo, Hopi, Havasupai, Hualapai, and Apache Nations as home to their deities. As reported in the Arizona Republic, the San Francisco Peaks, lost a long court battle when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a case filed by the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Nation contended that using artificial snow made from wastewater, was akin to dumping sewage on their sacred mountain. The Ninth Circuit Court had previously ruled against the Navajo and in favor of the management of Arizona Snowbowl.One major problem in the San Francisco Peaks case concerns mandated multiple uses of federal land by the public. The court ruling said religious use can not trump the mandated mixed use of federal lands. The Arizona Snowbowl is a permitted use within the Coconino National Forest.In the 1970s-1980s, a coalition of Native Americans and environmentalists had fought Snowbowl in court to prevent the resort’s owner from making “improvements.” That case was also lost in appellate court and the Supreme Court refused to hear the case.For more background information on these sacred mountains, consult Edwin Bernbaum’s Sacred Mountains of the World.