Zuni Salt Lake
Thrity miles south of Zuni Pueblo, Zuni Salt Lake is a rare find, a desert oasis. Fed by salty springs in a fragile and arid ecosystem, the lake is seldom more than four feet deep and a stark cone of salt emerges from the center. For centuries, the Zuni people and members from seven other local tribes have made pilgrimages to the lake via ancient trails to harvest the salt for ceremonies. These salt deposits, known as the felsh of the Salt Woman, and the lake itself, are sacred and are just two of the things that nourish the lives of the Zuni, Navajo, Hopi and Apache people. For more than 20 years, Salt River Project threatened the sacred site with its plans to open a coal mine just 11 miles from the lake. Coal mining is a water intensive process and the Zunis feared that a big draw on the desert aquifers would have dried up the spring-fed Zuni Salt Lake. In August 2003, Salt River Project dropped its plans to open the mine, but the US Bureau of Land Management quickly seized the opportunity to auction off the land in and around the Salt Lake Sanctuary Zone, and is considering leasing the land for oil and gas exploration.

For more information

Citizens Coal Council

Background on Zuni Salt Lake and the opposition to Salt River Project Coal Mine

Zuni Salt Lake Coalition Press Release from August 7, 2003

Petroglyph National Monument
Home to thousands of Petroglyph markings and many other archaeological sites, the Petroglyph National Monument is not only a national treasure to all Americans but it is also a sacred place of prayer for many Pueblo Indian tribes. The Unser Middle Road Project, which will build two major freeways through the monument, threatens the sanctity of the land and will severely harm the civil rights of the tribes who have a long history of praying at the Petroglyphs.

For more information

SAGE Council