Native American tribes win battle over sacred mountain.A federal appeals court has scuttled an attempt by an Arizona ski resort to use treated sewage to create artificial snow on mountain peaks considered sacred by several Native American communities. In late March, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a strong rebuke to the U.S. Forest Service and the Arizona Snowbowl Arizona Snowbowl is an alpine ski resort located on the San Francisco Peaks, 7 miles (11.2 kilometers) north of Flagstaff, Arizona. The base elevation of the facility sits at 9,200 feet (2,804 meters) and the resort receives an average snowfall of 260 inches (650 centimeters). Ski Resort for a proposal to use up to 1.5 million gallons per day of chemically treated raw sewage to create fake snow on portions of the San Francisco Peaks San Francisco Peaks, N Ariz., N of Flagstaff, consisting of Mt. Humphreys, 12,670 ft (3,862 m); Mt. Agassiz, 12,340 ft (3,761 m); and Mt. Fremont, 11,940 ft (3,639 m). in Coconino National Forest The Coconino National Forest is a 1.8 million acre (7,300 km²) United States National Forest located in northern Arizona in the vicinity of Flagstaff. Originally established in 1898 as the "San Francisco Mountains National Forest Reserve", the area was designated a U.S. . The three-judge panel instead ruled in favor of the Native American tribes who argued that the project would substantially burden their religious liberty rights. The Native American communities, including the Hopi, Navajo, Zuni, Acoma and Apache, all regard the Peaks as central to their spiritual beliefs. As noted by the 9th Circuit, even the Forest Service conceded that the "Peaks are sacred to at least thirteen formally recognized Indian tribes INDIAN TRIBE. A separate and distinct community or body of the aboriginal Indian race of men found in the United States. 2. Such a tribe, situated within the boundaries of a state, and exercising the powers of government and, sovereignty, under the national , and that this religious significance is of centuries' duration." The 9th Circuit concluded in Navajo Nation v. United States Forest Service “USFS” redirects here. For the figure skating organization, see U.S. Figure Skating. The USDA Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's national forests and national grasslands. that spraying the natural mountains with treated sewage would substantially burden the religious liberty rights of the Native Americans who regard the Peaks as sacred, pray to them and use water from them in ceremonies. |
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