Native youth explain their stand against snowmaking

S.J. Wilson/Observer
The Nov. 1 protest vigil in Flagstaff, which swelled to at least 300 members, made its way down Route 66 towards Flagstaff City Hall.

S.J. Wilson/Observer The Nov. 1 protest vigil in Flagstaff, which swelled to at least 300 members, made its way down Route 66 towards Flagstaff City Hall.

FLAGSTAFF -- A new group has added its voice to the many organizations and tribes hoping for a win in federal court against artificial snowmaking.

Youth for the Peaks, made up of young high school and college students, provided an infusion of new energy and a loud, powerful voice against what members of 13 tribes and their supporters call further desecration of the San Francisco Peaks. This group led the Oct. 1 march on Flagstaff City Hall.

Kelley Nez, who serves as the group's president, said that members of the group came together to make their voices--that of the youth--known.

"I would say to all Flagstaff youth who believe in fighting against snowmaking to stand as one voice," Nez said. "We want to shut down snowmaking at the Snowbowl, and we want to shut down disrespect for Native American's beliefs."

Nez explained that Youth for the Peaks dressed in camouflage simply to represent what they believe in, and that they conduct themselves in a sacred manner. She also called to other youth in the group, asking them to break the boundaries of shyness.

"We are saying what we have to say. We are not going to be quiet. This is why I was put here, to fight for the sacred mountains," Nez said.

Rosanda Suetopka Thayer knows the power of youth.

"I hope the judge finds it in his heart to do the right thing," Suetopka Thayer said. "I would like to see students [from the reservations] bussed in for the hearing. After all, this is their legacy."

The protest began with the formation of a circle in downtown Flagstaff at Heritage Square. There, Kelvin Long, director of the group ECHOES (Educating Communities while Healing and Offering Environmental Support), introduced the Youth of the Peaks.

"They are the next generation," Long said, praising them for their courage in coming forward.

Dr. Miguel Vasquez, a professor at Northern Arizona University, called the historic treatment of Native American beliefs, as well as those of people of Hispanic descent--as sacrilegious.

"The Europeans who came to this continent actually debated whether Native Americans were actually human beings, whether they had souls and could understand abstract ideas," Vasquez said.

Calling for the need for multicultural tolerance, Vasquez said that the struggle for the San Francisco Peaks has taught the value of the sacred.

"This is an opportunity as a community to support the Native American community," Vasquez said. "It is my hope that this diverse community can come together and respect them, and know we did the right thing."

Robert Tohe of the Sierra Club's Environmental Justice campaign expressed his gratitude to the youth who had gathered to take up the struggle against snowmaking.

"This issue has been in court for the past month," Tohe said. "I want to make one thing clear. This is not a First Amendment lawsuit. Native Americans are not establishing a new religion. This is something that the general public has a misunderstanding about. Let's get that straight.

"No other group of people have to go into court to [win the right] to exercise their religious beliefs. This is part of our frustration," he said.

Tohe, who has attended the hearings in Prescott, told the crowd that the country and the world at large were watching to see what would happen there.

"Our country has done much to defend the religious rights of people in other countries. The world will watch to see what our country does for the religious rights of Native Americans," Tohe said. "There is much at stake."

Tohe spoke of tribal witnesses' testimony that should never have been discussed in the courtroom--information that should be known only to members of the particular tribes or clans.

"Some have refused to reveal certain information. Some have actually had to pray in the courtroom for forgiveness.

Chemical contamination

Equally shocking was a statement by Paul Torrence, a professor of chemistry at NAU's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Torrence, with more than 40 years of experience in biochemistry, has come forward to assist the Sierra Club in its struggle to stop snowmaking on the San Francisco Peaks.

Tossing a copy of the Forest Service's Environmental Impact Statement into the center of the circle, Torrence told participants that such a report would not pass muster in his class.

"I give this document a big red 'F,'" Torrence said.

Although there are many ingredients contained in Flagstaff's treated wastewater that bother environmentalists, one of the worst, according to Torrence is triclosan.

Triclosan is a broad-spectrum antibacterial/antimicrobial agent that is found in many soaps and cosmetics, and is classified as a Class III drug by the FDA.

"Triclosan is a disinfectant chemical that kills bacteria and viruses. People put it in soaps, detergents, cosmetics and other personal care products," Torrence said during a Nov. 5 phone interview. "They put it there because we have this thing about being pure and sterile. The truth is, triclosan is no more effective than soap, but it is a gimmick.

"What Triclosan does is it causes bacteria to become resistant, so we develop bacteria that are harder to kill."

More worrisome to Torrence and other environmental health advocates that its chemical formulation and molecular structure are very close to some of the most toxic chemicals on earth, the chlorinated dioxins and furans (referred to simply as "dioxin") and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls). Recent research has found that when exposed to UV rays--such as those used to "purify" wastewater or from the sun itself--triclosan converts to dioxin. Torrence stressed that triclosan remains in wastewater despite its treatment. Dioxin has toxic effects in the parts per trillion--one drop in 300 Olympic-size swimming pools.

"We have known for a long time that dioxin accumulates in animals and in humans," Torrence said. "The Forest Service missed big time in approving the making of snow out of treated wastewater. Dioxin is a long lasting carcinogen, and certain kinds have been found in polar bears. It does not degrade readily."

According to Torrence, once radiated in the treatment plant, then further exposed to UV rays on the mountain slopes all winter, dioxin will be introduced into the food chain and eventually into the aquifers.

"If a hunter takes a deer with accumulations of dioxin in its fats, the dioxin will go into the consumer," Torrence said. "If an eagle eats from the flesh of deer with dioxin in its system, the eagle will take in the dioxin, and it goes all the way up the food chain."

Torrence told the group on Nov. 1 that 17 conservation groups have campaigned for the FDA to stop the use of triclosan.

"The FDA's failure to do so is a national scandal," Torrence said. "There is an ongoing attempt to throw science out and reinvent things. We are here under the authority of nature. The Forest Service's action has taken us back to the dark ages of science and you don't need to believe that the earth is flat, that we are the center of the universe and Flagstaff wastewater is harmless for making snow."

As the sun set, the group marched from Heritage Square, south down San Francisco Street, and west on Route 66. The number of protestors swelled to at least 300 as the group crossed the lawn of City Hall and lined the sidewalk. There, the crowd urged traffic and passersby to help stop artificial snowmaking.

After about 20 minutes, the crowd headed around the building to the steps of City Hall where a City Council meeting was underway.

A young Chicano man added his voice.

"We are on the battlefield to get everyone together. We challenge the city council to come out here. We will show them that the peaks are sacred to all of us. We are one race--the human race," he said.

Protestors remained at City Hall for close to two hours, and though the crowd slowly thinned, Mayor Joe Donaldson definitely got the message they offered.

"They can hear you in there," one police officer said. "Good luck on your issue."

Donate to nhonews.com Report a Typo Contact
Most Read