Navajo Elders Object To Arizona Snowbowl Chairlift

Coconino National Forest Supervisor Laura Jo West has approved a new gondola style chairlift at Arizona Snowbowl indicating it would cause No Significant Impact. The Dine’ Medicine Men Association objected to this finding by stating, “based on our review of this proposal and the current Coconino National Forest Supervisor Laura Jo West’s Finding No Significant Impact, we see nothing has changed, our rights continue to be violated and the Creator’s Creation continues to be destroyed.”

US Forest Service Regional Forester, Cal Joyner will be reviewing all objections to the project including those from the Dine’ Medicine Men Association. The Medicine Men Association express that an “Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) must be conducted to fully demonstrate the extent of impacts from the proposed project. Without an EIS the Forest Service is not fulfilling their Trust Responsibility to the Tribes and (Indigenous) Nations.”

The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is the agency responsible for protecting threatened and endangered species. The Indigenous Elders indicate “the USFWS willfully neglected to conduct a proper review or site visit of the San Francisco Ragwort, they simply concurred with the Coconino National Forest.” After learning the Forest Service and USFWS based their decision on a 32 year recovery plan the medicine men stated, “This lack of proper review and by using out-of-date data and mapping, both the USFS and USFWS have not properly accounted for (the) Ragworts”. “The Ragwort is a plant we use. Only us, the sacred people, with ties to the land understand this medicine plant”.

The Indigenous Elders state, “We object to the fact the zero feet of impact zone was identified for this proposed project. With the project area being conducted on a very steep talus slope within the critical habitat of the Threatened San Francisco Ragwort, it is negligent for both the USFS and concurring USFWS to accept this project without accounting for an impact zone.”

To protect this threatened ragwort the Elders further expressed, “This project must be withdrawn and Coconino National Forest’s decision reversed. Arizona Snowbowl does not want to protect the Sacred Plant (San Francisco Ragwort), so their special-use permit must be revoked and terminated for the greater public good.”