Illegal Salvage Operation Undertaken Around Mt. Graham Telescopes to Destroy
Habitat
Ongoing Habitat Destruction Blatantly Exceeds Congressionally Authorized
Acreage Destruction
For years, the University of Arizona has been attempting to expand its "toe
hold" on Mt. Graham. Now, under the guise of fighting a fire more than a
mile away, UA is removing all standing snags, and is removing all "dead and
down" woody material from a 50 foot perimeter surrounding its telescope
facility. UA is also trimming the branches of all living trees to the level
of approximately 10 feet above the ground from a 50 foot perimeter
surrounding the facility.
Permission to undertake this sham "fire fighting" salvage operation around
the perimeter of the telescope came from Coronado National Forest Fire
Management Officer Richard Kvale. Mr. Kvale is the former Safford
District Ranger who (1) in 1993, abruptly changed the maps for the Webb
Peak, Grant Vista, Mill Site, and Upper Cunningham Mexican spotted owl
management territories to accommodate the University's request to move the
Columbus telescope to Owl Peak, or Peak 10,298, (2) who, on December 7,
1993, led the illegal, covert destruction of more than 500 old growth
trees on East Emerald Peak, (3) who, in a 1994 affidavit filed on behalf
of the telescope project, lied about the number of trees that he
destroyed, (4) who, in 1994, filed an Affidavit on behalf of the telescope
project, stating that reforestation on Mt. Graham will be successful, and
will be of no future consequence, and (5) who in 1995, lied under oath
claiming that a Court Order providing for "an observer on the mountain"
required Forest Service permission for fulfillment.
On August 31, 1987, the Fish & Wildlife Service stated, "impacts on Emerald
Peak could not be reduced below jeopardy with reasonable and prudent
alternatives."
The ongoing Clark Peak fire on Mt. Graham further accentuates the critical
importance of not fragmenting the heart of the most valuable Mt. Graham red
squirrel habitat for astronomical work that can be done less destructively
elsewhere. The Forest Service has requested a retroactive formal
consultation of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to evaluate these
activities. There never has been a full professional and lawful
consultation on the effects fragmenting the East Emerald Peak area.
Robin D. Silver, M.D., F.A.C.E.P., P.O. Box 39382, Phoenix, AZ 85069-9382
Telephone: (602) 246-4170, Fax: (602) 249-2576, Email: silver@indirect.com
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Comments from NativeNet listowner, Gary Trujillo (gst@gnosys.svle.ma.us):
In order to provide some background on this issue for those who don't know
the details, here's an article forwarded to me recently. Also, I've set up
a Web page consisting of an index to NATIVE-L articles. I don't have time
to review the articles in the index myself, so I can't guarantee that all
of what you find there will be highly relevant, but you should find a lot
of good historical articles to give you a sense of the ongoing struggle.
The URL for the page is:
http://bioc09.uthscsa.edu/natnet/archive/nl/mt-graham.html
Gary
Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 05:28:32 -0500
From: Aaron Osterby <osterby@pioneerplanet.infi.net>
Subject: FYI: Apache call Clinton on promises
A friend of mine asked me to pass on this non-trivial information:
News Release: March 17, 1996
President Clinton to break promise:
will deny Apache religious rights and build observatory on sacred land.
U.S. Forest Service officials admit that they have known of the central
sacred importance of Mt. Graham to the Apache since the earliest planning
stages of the proposed telescope project. President Clinton has the
petition from nearly every one of our traditional spiritual leaders which
says:
"We the undersigned spiritual leaders of the Apache people acknowledge
the central sacred importance of dzil nchaa si an (Mt. Graham) to the
traditional religious practice of the Apache. We oppose the Mt. Graham
telescope project because it will interfere with the ability of the
traditional Apache to practice their religion."
All U.S. partners, except the University of Arizona, have withdrawn from
the telescope project. Only mostly foreign astronomers from Germany, Italy,
and the Vatican remain. It is not surprising that the new Congress would
chose to help foreigners over Indians, it has been consistently hostile
towards Indian sacred site issues everywhere. We are surprised, however,
that in spite of his promises, the Forest Service admissions, and the
statements of our spiritual leaders, President Clinton now apparently
doesn't care either.
But on April 29, 1994, at the White House, President Clinton promised Indian
leaders:
"...to continue my efforts to protect your right to fully exercise
your religion as you wish...No agenda for religious freedom will be complete
until traditional Native American religious practices have received the
protections that they deserve..."
ASC Chairperson Ola Cassadore Davis:
"We are shocked. By lying to us, by building the Mt. Graham telescopes,
President Clinton does what generations of killing and forced separations
could not do...bury the Apache forever."
For information call: ASC San Carlos Office, (520) 475 2543
Apache Survival Coalition
P.O. Box 1237
San Carlos, AZ 85550
Accompanying the News Release is a letter to the editor from Indian Country
Today, dated March 11, 1996:
Apache veteran watches UA destroy tribal holy place
To the editor:
I am a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe and proud to be the Sargeant
[sic] At Arms of our Veterans Organization for our San Carlos Apache people.
We Apaches fought Germany and Italy in World War II. We Apaches do not have
grudges or animosity toward those we fought.
But today the German and Italian governments and Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz.,
are making war on us Apache. They now demand a telescope on top of a sacred
Apache place, Dzil Nchaa Si An or Mt. Graham. It starts four miles from our
present reservation boundary, but for centuries it has been an Apache holy
place.
Rep. Kolbe inserted a last-minute rider exempting the telescope from all
U.S. religious and cultural protection laws. Almost every Republican in
Congress voted for it. Almost every Democrat voted against it.
All North American universities over the past nine years have quit or
rejected this University of Arizona scandal because of its poor visibility
or because they heard our pleas. So far this university can only get two
foreign countries, Germany and Italy, to finance this desecration.
We pray that the families and friends of the Germans and Italians we fought
will hear our plea and ask their governments to show respect for our
beliefs. We pray that Arizonans will replace insensitive people like Rep.
Kolbe.
Kenneth Bread
San Carlos, Ariz.
Aaron Osterby
Weekend Editor
PioneerPlanet -- The Online Service of the Pioneer Press