How about Arlington National Cemetery?
Barrick Gold wants to do the equivalent.
And the federal government is proposing to let them.
TAKE ACTION: Tell the Bureau of Land Management to deny a proposed mine
on sacred Indian lands in Nevada
Canadian-based Barrick Gold, the largest multinational gold mining company in the world, wants to build a gold mine on the slopes of Mt. Tenabo in Nevada. And the federal government is proposing to let them do it.
A Most Sacred Site
Mt. Tenabo is sacred to the Western Shoshone Indians. The mountain is central to their religion -- and has been for countless years. Western Shoshone visit the mountain and the valley below (the proposed location of the mine pit) for prayer ceremonies, gathering of sacred plants, fasting, and vision quests. The Mountain also contains Western Shoshone gravesites.
All of which would be destroyed by Barrick's mine.
A Willing Accomplice to Destruction?
The U.S Bureau of Land Management is currently reviewing the proposal to build the Cortez Hills gold mine. The Project, if approved, would be one of the country’s largest gold mines. And it would be almost entirely on public land controlled by the BLM (though used by the Western Shoshone).
Please take action!
Let BLM know that this mine should be denied! Please send/amend the letter below to the BLM. Tell the BLM that this mine should not trump the rights of the Western Shoshone, or the environment. For talking points, or to get more information, please click "learn more".
Thanks,
Dan Randolph, Great Basin Mine Watch
Instructions:
- Read the sample letter and modify if you can. Personalized letter text and/or subject headers increase the impact of your letter.
- Clicking "Send My Message" will send your letter via email to the Bureau of Land Management.
>>For More Information:
Mine proposal background
The Project, although termed as an "expansion" of the existing Pipeline and Cortez mines, is really a new gold mine complex. It would be located on the slopes of Mt. Tenabo, a mountain sacred to the Western Shoshone Indians, who have lived in the area since time immemorial. The Project would blast the new Cortez Hills mine pit, covering over 900 acres and would blast a 2,200 foot hole into Mt. Tenabo. The overall Project would generate 1,577 million tons of waste rock, 53 million tons of tailings waste and 112 million tons of cyanide-laced heap leach material. The Project would mine approximately 8 million ounces of gold. At a conservative price of $700/ounce, Cortez would reap over $5.6 billion.
Mt. Tenabo background
Mt. Tenabo has been, and continues to be, used by Western Shoshone people as a central part of their religious practices and world view. Western Shoshone visit the mountain and the valley below (the location of the mine pit) for prayer ceremonies, gathering of sacred plants, fasting, and vision quests, among other uses. The Mountain also contains Western Shoshone gravesites. All of these values and uses will be destroyed by the Project. In addition, the Project will involve massive pumping of groundwater to keep the mine pit dry, which will dewater sacred springs and streams on and around Mt. Tenabo.
