Last Updated on April 20, 2025
Doo’ko’oosliid is a Dine’ Youth-made film about their community’s relationship with the San Francisco Peaks. The film was put together during a one week Peace and Film Camp in 2011, under the direction of Rachel Tso, youth mentors Camille Manybeads Tso and Kira Butler.
Currently, the San Fransisco Peaks are under threat. As reported by Indigenous Action Media, owners of the Arizona Snowbowl ski area started clear-cutting rare alpine forest in June for their new “designer” ski runs on the Holy San Francisco Peaks.
A few weeks earlier they also began work on their brand new 14.8 mile-long pipeline which would transport anywhere up to 180 million gallons of treated sewage effluent (poopsnow) from the City of Flagstaff to the ski area for snowmaking.
In June, a group of protesters tried to stop construction of the pipeline; unfortunately, the effort was crushed after just a few short hours.
However, since the arrests, an impressive campaign of solidarity and resistance has emerged in support of the Peaks.
For starters, every Saturday at 10AM (for the rest of the summer) “and any big snow day” a prayer gathering is going to be held next to the Snowbowl parking lot, where “We will pray, sing, laugh, love, recreate and share stories about the mountain,” says truesnow.org.
A total of 17 basecamps have also been set up at the Snowbowl, along with a public Cook Shack and medic team.
More on the Basecamps: http://www.truesnow.org/sacred-circle
More on the Cook Shack: survivalsolidarity.wordpress.com.
Eight warriors who have been doing 24-hour security at Sogorea Te (Glen Cove) for the past 100+ days are also now planning to head out to the Peaks. A fundraising campaign has been organized to make sure they get there.
At the rate things seem to be moving right now, the movement to protect the San Fransisco Peaks is going to GROW!
Courtesy of Indigenous Action, here’s a few things you can do to support the Peaks…
1. Converge on the Mountain! Join an established base camp or start your own. More info: www.truesnow.org
2. Contact Flagstaff City Officials and urge them to RESPECT the environment, Indigenous culture, and protect public health by finding a way out of their contract to sell Snowbowl wastewater!
PHONE: (928) 779-7600
EMAIL: council@flagstaffaz.gov
Contact Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and express concern that there was no meaningful public process when the agency approved wastewater for snowmaking. File a complaint and demand full public review!
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
1110 West Washington Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85007
(800) 234-5677 – Toll Free
Northern Regional Office
1801 West Route 66, Suite 117
Flagstaff, Arizona 86001
(877) 602-3675 – Toll Free
www.azdeq.gov/function/compliance/complaint.html
Contact the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), which heads the Forest Service, and urge them to revoke the Special Use Permit for Arizona Snowbowl for greater public interest.
The USDA has been holding hearings on protection of sacred places due to the Peaks controversy. Urge the USDA to immediately place an administrative hold on all development on the San Francisco Peaks!
CALL CRAIG JOHNSON USFS TRIBAL LIASON IN FLAGSTAFF, AZ AT: 928 525 6578.
Tom Vilsack
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20250
Phone: 202-720-3631
Email: TribalSacredSites@fs.fed.us
Send Letters to the Editor of your local papers.
Arizona Daily Sun: rwilson@azdailysun.com
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