Sandy Bahr, sandy.bahr@sierraclub.org
PHOENIX, AZ -- The Trump administration is expected to release today a final proposal to transfer ownership of Oak Flat, a sacred land to a dozen Indigenous Tribes, to a mining company with ties to the destruction of an Aboriginal site in Australia. The move comes just days before Trump leaves office and comes despite years of opposition from Apache-Stronghold, the San Carlos Apache Tribe, and other Tribal entities, religious leaders, locals, and environmental groups.
Oak Flat is a holy ground where the Apache have prayed and performed ceremonies for centuries. The site is also home to numerous Apache burial grounds, sacred sites, petroglyphs and medicinal plants.
In response Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter Director Sandy Bahr issued the following statement.
“This proposed transfer is shameful, as is the way the Trump administration cheated to push it over the finish line before leaving office. We remain in solidarity with Native leaders and are committed to protecting these precious lands.”
###
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.