Supporters of Oak Flat advocate for its protection at critical time for sacred land
Federal district judge hears request for temporary injunction to save cherished site
Editor’s note: In a victory for Apache Stronghold, the temporary injunction mentioned in this story was granted on Friday by a federal judge. Learn more here.
LOUISVILLE — Faith leaders and others who want to protect Oak Flat, a treasured piece of Native American sacred land that is in danger of being obliterated by a proposed copper mining operation, were in Phoenix, Arizona this week to pray and show their support as a push for a stopgap was made in federal court.
The Presbyterian Office of Public Witness and some ministry partners, including Creation Justice Ministries (CJM) and the Poor People’s Campaign of Repairers of the Breach, were among those standing in solidarity with a grassroots group called Apache Stronghold during its fight for a temporary injunction to keep the worship and historic site from being consumed by copper extraction.
Multiple events were held, from vigils to press conferences, to sound the alarm that a land transfer could occur as quickly as mid-June without relief from a judge.
“People, you have to wake up — you have to spread the word — because our Mother (Earth) is dying,” Apache Stronghold’s founder, Dr. Wendsler Nosie Sr., said during a gathering. “Oak Flat is on death row right now by the United States government.”
The Rev. Christina Cosby, OPW’s representative for domestic and environmental policy, has been in Phoenix, and the Presbyterian Hunger Program (PHP) has been monitoring online and taking part in advocacy efforts to save Oak Flat, where Western Apaches have worshiped for centuries.
"The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has a longstanding commitment to standing in solidarity with the Apache family,” said Cosby, who's part of the CJM Board of Directors. “At this critical moment, we continue to stand with the Apache people in defense of Oak Flat. This is sacred work — protecting holy land, upholding Indigenous sovereignty, safeguarding public lands and choosing justice over exploitation."
At that time, supporters were awaiting a decision from U.S. District Judge Steven P. Logan, who was considering a motion from Apache Stronghold to grant a temporary injunction to keep the land, also known Chí’chil Biłdagoteel, from being turned over to Resolution Copper, a foreign mining company. Logan heard the case on Wednesday, May 7. Read his decision in favor of Apache Stronghold here.
The request for the injunction was made after the U.S. government announced in April that it would reissue a final environmental impact statement (FEIS) within 60 days, according to the Arizona Republic newspaper. That would lead the way for the land to be transferred to Resolution Copper as early as June 16.
But Apache Stronghold felt that the transfer should not take place while there's a U.S. Supreme Court appeal pending. "To preserve the status quo and protect the Supreme Court's ability to review the case, Apache Stronghold asked the government if it would agree to refrain from publishing the FEIS and transferring Oak Flat until after the conclusion of its Supreme Court appeal. But the government refused," according to Apache Stronghold's motion for injunction.
In his decision, Logan noted, “It is abundantly clear that the balance of equities ‘tips sharply’ in [Apache Stronghold’s] Plaintiff’s favor, and that even in the short term, they have established a likelihood of irreparable harm should the transfer proceed. Furthermore, they have presented serious questions on the merits that warrant the Supreme Court’s careful scrutiny.
The disputed land is in central Arizona's Tonto National Forest and has long been regarded as a sacred place of worship and prayer. “Oak Flat is the Apaches’ direct corridor to the Creator and the site of sacred ceremonies that cannot take place elsewhere,” Apache Stronghold notes in its motion.
Nosie wants it to be saved not only for the people of today but future generations.
“It’s not about me; it’s about the children; it’s about the ones yet to come,” Nosie said. “It’s about Mother Earth and its children and the blessed gift of water that gives us life.”
According to the Arizona Republic, a federal agency that oversees and supports permits for public lands projects added Resolution Copper’s proposed mine to a new priority list last month along with several others. It is part of the Trump administration’s desire to increase domestic production of critical minerals through an executive order issued in March, the Republic noted.
“The federal government is rushing to give away our spiritual home before the courts can even rule,” Nosie has said. “This is the same violent pattern we have seen for centuries.”
Apache Stronghold is a coalition of Apaches, other Native peoples, and allies from other backgrounds.
People concerned about the Apaches' plight include Jessica Maudlin, who's associate for sustainable living and Earth care concerns for the Presbyterian Hunger Program and vice president of CJM's board.
If Resolution Copper prevails, Oak Flat would be mined using a process that would eventually leave behind a massive crater and lead to permanent eradication of centuries old religious practices, Apache Strong has noted. Events at the site have included coming-of-age ceremonies.
“The attack on Oak Flat isn’t just an environmental or freedom of religious liberty issue,” Maudlin said. “The fact that this site is host to the ceremony that welcomes girls into womanhood means that making it inaccessible to the people who originally lived and tended it is an act of violence against women specifically. On every front, the total disregard for this land in pursuit of extractive industries is just diabolical. People of faith must continue to stand with Indigenous communities in ways that reflect our values of justice, solidarity, and protection of Indigenous sovereignty.”
Creation Justice Ministries chose to have its board meeting in Arizona this week to be in solidarity with Apache Stronghold and others.
“Oak Flat has been a place of prayer and ceremony for generations, and its preservation is critical to Indigenous rights, environmental justice, and faith-based advocacy,” CJM said in a statement. “By convening in Phoenix, we reaffirm our commitment to standing with Indigenous communities, advocating for the protection of sacred lands, and ensuring that our work reflects our values of justice, solidarity, and Indigenous sovereignty.”
During the board meeting on Tuesday, Jennifer Hawks, director of advocacy for Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, gave a presentation on Oak Flat and encouraged others to get involved.
“We are a country that protects religious freedom, and if it protects my religious freedom, then I have to be able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder and protect my neighbors’ religious freedom,” Hawks said.
Though it is sometimes said that only "the 13,000-member tribe on the San Carlos reservation" is concerned, "they are certainly not the only ones who care," Hawks said.
Creation Justice Ministries participated in a vigil that included at least 14 faith leaders representing 10 Christian denominations and communions, according to a news release.
“Oak Flat is as holy to the Apache and other Indigenous people as Mount Zion is to followers of Abrahamic traditions,” said the Rev. Jenny Phillips, a CJM board member who’s director of environmental sustainability for the United Methodist Church General Board of Global Ministries. “To mine Oak Flat is to degrade God's sacred Creation and to literally crater our nation's commitment to religious freedom.”
To learn more about Oak Flat, register for the Solidarity Hour hosted by the Hunger Program’s Global Solidarity Collective at noon May 13 on Zoom, and read this recent blog post by Eileen Schuhmann, associate for global engagement and resources. Register for the May 13 webinar here.
Christina Cosby and Jessica Maudlin contributed to this report.
The Presbyterian Hunger Program is one of the Compassion, Peace and Justice ministries of the Interim Unified Agency of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The Office of Public Witness is the public policy information and advocacy office of the General Assembly of the PC(USA).
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