Big Mountain, Black Mesa Struggle Continues/Spring Caravan from the Bay & NCoast

Greetings friends of Big Mountain and surrounding Dineh communities of
Black Mesa,

As the New Year begins there are new and rather startling developments
taking place on Black Mesa. That said, let us honor all the hard work that
grass roots organizations have done in contributing to the Mojave
Generating Station shutting down, the protection of the N-Aquifer and the
closure of the Black Mesa mine.

# Black Mesa Mine closes & the relocation office disbands. Victory? Not
according to many families of the Big Mountain communities. THE STRUGGLE
CONTINUES.
RIGHT NOW there is an amendment on the congressional floor that sets a new
timetable for the forced relocation of a number of Navajo families on
Black Mesa. This bill, S1003, comes at a time when the world's largest coal
company, Peabody Coal, prepares not only to continue, but in fact to
expand its strip mining of American Indian lands. The company plans on
drawing down yet another high-quality residential aquifer in the process.
However, something stands in Peabody's way: Indigenous people live on the
land above where the water and billions of tons of low-sulfur coal lie. As
with their ancestors many generations back, these people live on the land
that is the base for their tradition, their spirituality, their water and
their livelihood. http://blackmesais.org/struggle_continues05.htm

# Struggles Continue Despite Black Mesa Mine Shut Down By Bahe Y. Katenay
Yes! Finally, we can all breathe a little easier the cleaner air, but it's
only temporary. The environmentalist and local Indigenous activists' point
of view may not see the whole picture. No, not in terms of keeping the
Black Mesa Mine operating and letting it suck-out all the ancient pristine
aquifer. But in terms of the human and economic cost that the local
indigenous mine workers and their families are going to face.
http://blackmesais.org/struggles_continue1105.htm

# Stay with a family on Black Mesa. Come as an organized work crew over a
few days or weekend, or stay for a few weeks to longer. Honor these
traditional elders by volunteering to give them comfort and peace by
herding
sheep, by organizing work crews to go to home sites, and/or by providing
other essential but appropriate skills such as holistic therapy and
renewable energy technologies. There's a Cultural Sensitivity Packet at
http://www.blackmesais.org for new to Dineh culture and for tips on what
to bring.

# This spring a caravan will be traveling to Black Mesa from Northern
California and the San Francisco Bay Area. Carpenters, gardeners,
permaculture practioners, mechanics, body-workers, sheepherders, anyone
willing to put in a hand, join the caravan! Contact BMIS for details.
blackmesais [at] riseup.net