Trump’s stopping offshore wind projects and opening up sensitive public lands to development, so I wasn’t surprised to read that he’s pushing ahead with a copper mine at Oak Flat, an ecological jewel in Tonto National Forest about an hour east of Phoenix. Walk around the city and you might see signs saying “Save Oak Flat.” The signs have been there for years as environmentalists, religious leaders, and many Native American tribes have battled different administrations, courts, and Resolution Copper for at least two decades.
The defenders of Oak Flat hope to stop a massive mine on sacred land, a blessed place near the San Carlos Apache Reservation where it’s said tribal guardians carry messages to and from the Creator, and where young girls’ coming-of-age sunrise ceremonies are held. Some compare Oak Flat to Mount Sinai for Jews.
“Trump’s decision to launch the Oak Flat land exchange shows his complete disdain for religious liberty, Native American rights and the protection of public lands," said Russ McSpadden, Southwest conservation advocate for [the Center for Biological Diversity].
“Oak Flat is central to the spiritual and cultural practices of the Apache people and other tribes in the region.” He said it is also a biological gem, home to rare desert ecosystems, springs and wildlife.
I’ve camped at Oak Flat Campground for decades and attended one of Resolution Copper’s community meetings about ten years ago, just after the US Forest Service approved the land swap that would turn over the area to the British-Australian mining company. Resolution Copper says they revised their plans after meeting with community and tribal members, but the fact remains the ground will eventually cave in and leave a crater two miles wide and a thousand feet deep. Resolution of course champions “jobs” at the same time DOGE is firing workers at the VA in nearby Globe, Arizona. I guess jobs digging up sensitive, sacred land are more important than those assisting veterans.
Trump’s moving ahead with the land grab even as the US Supreme Court deliberates whether to take up the case filed by the group Apache Stronghold in 2021. This Court has gone out of its way to protect religious liberties in other areas, but given the Court’s makeup Resolution Copper is confident and ready to dig, while Oak Flat’s defenders vow to continue their 20-year campaign to preserve their place of worship.
“The U.S. government is rushing to give away our spiritual home before the courts can even rule — just like it’s rushed to erase Native people for generations,” said Apache Stronghold leader Wendsler Nosie. “This is the same violent pattern we have seen for centuries. We urge the Supreme Court to protect our spiritual lifeblood and give our sacred site the same protection given to the holiest churches, mosques, and synagogues throughout this country.”
The jobs and copper are temporary at best, but pursuing them would destroy a world of beauty and deep spirituality forever.
