On Sunday, the Red Road to DC totem pole journey joined local organizations at the Counselor Chapter House in New Mexico as part of our efforts to honor and protect sacred sites that are at risk due to development and infrastructure projects. We displayed the totem pole by Lummi Nation carvers and met with local hosts from the Diné CARE, Native American Voters Alliance Education Project, All Pueblo Council of Governors, and the Pueblo Action Alliance.
Chaco Canyon and the surrounding area are home to many of the sovereign nations’ cultural resources and sacred lands. The Bureau of Land Management has proposed to permit 4,000 new wells and over 500 new drilling permits under the newly drafted Resource Management Plan in the ancestral homelands of the Navajo and Pueblo nations. More than 91% of the public lands surrounding the Chaco Canyon Cultural historic park are already occupied by energy companies under the federal fossil fuel leasing program.
“The fight to Protect Greater Chaco encompasses the fight against the climate crisis, the fight for inherent Tribal sovereignty, the fight against resource extraction and exploitation, and the fight to address the adverse health impacts on the communities who live in the region,” said Julia Bernal, Pueblo Action Alliance Director.
