I had to write an argumentive/synthesis research paper about how Indians are portrayed in the mass media. I chose to write about the Protection of The San Francisco because it was under the topic of contemporary issues that my professor handed out. The basics of this paper is to have all the information from the sources and then include my own analysis in the end. I have the intro, history and the body paragraphs down, but I'm still working on the conclusion.
Can someone just help me edit my research paper? Check for grammar and see if this whole thing makes sense? I never really done a paper where I collect all the info and write my own analysis in the conclusion. Helpful suggestions about this is welcomed too.
THANKS !!
INTRODUCTION
When people hear the words San Francisco, they think of all the major tourist attractions and the very bi-polar weather. But when you add the word Peaks after San Francisco, others think of the Native Americans or the Snow bowl ski resort. The Yavapai-Apache Chairman Vincent describes the peaks as "one of the sacred places where the earth brushes up against the unseen world" (Corbin, 2009). The San Francisco Peaks are located north of the city of Flagstaff, Arizona which is surrounded by three 12,000 foot volcanic peaks that rise out of the Colorado Plateau south of the Grand Canyon. Within land that is administered by the United States Forest Service. The place is sacred to thirteen tribes in the Four Corners and is a main place where the medicine men collect their herbs for the healing ceremonies. However, since the 1979 the United States Forest Service decided to turn The San Francisco Peaks into a ski-resort since they have the rights to control what activities can happen at the Peaks. The Native Tribes does not control the activities at the peaks. This stirred up a conflict because in 2009, the resort received permission to use recycled wastewater in order to make additional snow. Using recycled wastewater to make additional snow is not a good idea because it raises health, environmental, economic and religious concerns for the Native Americans, members of the ski-resort and the San Francisco Peaks that can lead to dangerous side effects in the long run.
HISTORY
The history of San Francisco Peaks dates back to the 1800s. In the late 1800s, the peaks were deserted but its beauty is what led the tourists to come back year after year. The controversy between the Peaks began with the construction of the ski lodge began in the 1930s and a proposal for the development of shops, restaurants and lodges happened in 1969 but several tribes disagreed to this proposal which prevented further expansion. In 1979, more development of the ski resort occurred because the Forest Service asked for a new lodge, paved road, additional parking and four new lifts which made the native people in the area to protest that the remodeling affected their rights of religious freedom. The Hopi and Navajo protested about this situation but it didn't work out so well, because in 1980, the Forest Service approved the paving of an access road in the Peaks. Three years later the lawsuit that the Hopi and Navajo filed to stop the development was denied, because the judge said that the expansion may have "offended" their beliefs, but the Forest Service met all the provisions in the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978.
A new fashion for stone-washed jeans is another conflict that affected the land-use on the San Francisco Peaks in the 1980s. The White Vulcan Pumice Mine, which is located on the eastern slope of the mountain, is what created the "stone-washed" jean effect. The mining is a very dangerous process that removed all vegetation from the underground soil. President Clinton's Secretary wanted to close the mine. The head leader of the mine named Tufflite made an agreement to shut the mine and try to restore the site in five years. The mining company also gave up its other forty-nine mining places and sold some of it to a private buyer. After that the government dropped the lawsuit and paid Tufflite one million in the fall of 2000. The Forest Service took extreme action to protect the San Francisco Peaks from all the new mining claims for 20 years (Snell, Nov. 2000)
The history of the San Francisco Peaks seemed like a never ending journey of conflict. Another conflict arose in February of 2004 when the National Forest of the ski-resort called for artificial snowmaking on about two hundred acres of terrain using wastewater. The National Forest supervisor said, This decision will allow for a consistent ski season and provide an economic boost for the city of Flagstaff" (Star, 773). A large coalition responded to this statement by saying this could raise health and environmental concerns so they tried to get it appealed to the United States District Court. On January 11th, 2006 the United States District Court approved the Snowbowl's request to make snow out of the wastewater. Now the coalition is working on a variety of way ranging from protests, rallies and marches to spread the concerns of using wastewater to make artificial snow.
BODY
Many of the tribes voiced out their opinions about the effects of the artificial snow would have on their religion. Because of the expansion of the Peaks, which also interfere with their religious freedom, several tribes like the Navajo Nation; Hopi; Havasupai and other organizations like the Flagstaff Activist Network, and the Dine Medicine Men's Association, filed a landmark lawsuit against the United States Forest Service. Vincent Randall (Yavapai-Apache Nation Councilman) said, "The proposed expansion project, including the introduction of reclaimed wastewater onto the mountain will interfere with the ability of the Apache Crown Dancers to guide our lives leading the mountain to be ineffective and killing the spiritual force within the Peaks" In a written statement to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), it states, "The Navajo people believe the Doko'oo'sliid (San Francisco Peaks) to be the residence of the Holy People who have influenced, guided, and supported the Dine (Navajo) from the tribes. Misuse or desecration of this area is seen as a gross sacrilege by Dine (Navajo) and members of the tribes" (Benally, 2005). The Navajo and Hopi defended that they pray in the mountains. Navajos collect sacred herbs from the slopes of the peak. The chairman of the Hopi Tribe warned that if the ski resort remains or is expanded, our people will not accept the view that this is the sacred home of the Kachinas. The basis of our existence will become a mere fairytale (Corbin, September 1, 2001). A 35-year-old who is a Navajo who spent half of his life defending for the Peaks described this situation as ruining their religion by saying, "Our identity is based on our relationship with these sacred places and this-having the source of our spiritual renewal become so contaminated-is a direct threat to our survival" (Kassar, Aug. 23, 2011). The use of reclaimed sewage on the San Francisco Peaks as planned by the City of Flagstaff and Snowbowl will have a direct negative impact on the Hopi Tribe's frequent and vital uses of the Peaks (Indigenousaction, August 24th, 2011). After a variety of tribes expressed their feelings about the issue of making artificial snow, they formed a group to protect The San Francisco Peaks. It was named The Save the Peaks Coalition. Formed in February of 2004, the Coalition had played an important role not only expressing their religious views on this issue but also addressing the inherent human rights concerns (Benally, 2005). Sending sewage water throughout the mountains to mix with pure water is an abuse to a place of worship, especially in a land where water itself is sacred. To pollute what the Natives call home is to attack the cultural and spiritual traditions of virtually all of the local tribes (Corbin, 2001).
The making of the artificial snow causes economic concerns to The San Francisco Peaks. Water plays an important role in the economy as well as snowmaking. The water cycle makes an impact which raises concerns of snowmaking on the surrounding land. Abe Springer (professor of Hydrogeology at Northern Arizona University) is convinced that using a safe fluid waste stream to produce snow will reduce the availability of groundwater in the peaks. The people of Flagstaff approved the future sale of up to thirty million gallons per year of the treated water in order to make snow. If the treated water were to be used on the slopes, Professor Springer points out that about 75% is expected to be lost due to sublimation. The preliminary water budget estimates the volume of water lost to sublimation and evaporation would amount to about 6% of Flagstaff's current water use. This would lead to a net loss to the ground water resources at Flagstaff. (Star, Nov, 2011).The Hopi Tribe also believe the Snowbowl will result in a very large net economic loss for the community by showing an illegal contract that defines the production sales and the effect of using reclaimed wastewater. The minimum increase in profits that are anticipated by the Snowbowl and small economic benefits to the area are far more outweighed by the much higher costs including the environmental damage not only for the community but also the Hopi Tribe. If the illegal contract goes through, users of the Peaks will be harmed if the effects of the reclaimed wastewater cannot be confined to the ski area (Indigenousaction, Aug. 24th, 2011).
One of the main concerns with using wastewater to make artificial snow is the health and environment risks that affect the plants, animals and humans. A survey conducted by the US Geological Survey found that clean wastewater can contain a variety of different organic chemicals. Dr. Catherine Propper (professor of biological sciences at Northern Arizona University) stated, "The ski-resort Flagstaff's treated sewage water contains pharmaceuticals, hormones, industrial pollutants, carcinogens and endocrine disruptions. Even if the staffs of the ski-resort, tribes and other professors know this kind of information, they can't really warn the customers to not eat the snow because they can take it as false information" (Star, 773). Eating the snow can cause serious damage according to an endocrine website, "In wildlife, endocrine disrupters cause abnormalities and impaired reproductive performance" (European Commission Environment, 2011). Reclaimed water when passed through hospitals or mortuaries could carry spirits of the dead along with it. These spirits as part of the water draining from the Peaks would then damage the plants and affecting the tribes ritual purity. From a Hopi and Navajo perspective, any plants that would come into contact with reclaimed water would be contaminated for medicinal purposes (UNSR, September, 2011). For humans and the native people, if they eat or consume parts of the snow, the endocrine disrupters are responsible for the apparent changes seen in the human health patterns over recent decades. These include unusual sexual development, behavioral and reproductive problems (European Commission Environment, 2011).
If the plan of using wastewater to make snow does go through, Snowbowl ski-resort would be one of the first resorts in the world to use one-hundred percent wastewater which makes critics have second thoughts and question wondering in their minds. The San Francisco Peaks is a place similar to nature. It's natural, calm and relaxing. This sacred place is meant for animals to roam around and for the tribes to live their lives. Andy Bessler (environmental justice organizer for a Sierra Club in Flagstaff) states, "When you put these substances into a delicate alpine, the environment like the Peaks, there is going to be big impacts to amphibians, other animals and soil" (Kassar, 2011). The staff at the ski-resort really has to think twice before making this final decision. If they want the ski-resort to be a good business, they have to analyze and understand the long-term effects of using one-hundred percent waste-water instead of jumping into conclusions (Kassar, 2011).
Because the natural melting snow goes into a purifier within the mountain that is then piped to provide water for Flagstaff, the tribes fear the wastewater in the manufactured snow will pollute the pure mountain water. Back in 1997, the Snowbowl wanted to add another 66 acres of trail, make a major upgrade of existing ski runs and expand the facilities to full build out, relying on the 1979 Forest Service decision. This would involve cutting 76 acres of trees and thinning an additional 48 acres in order to increase the size of the ski-resort by 47 percent. Cutting this large amount of trees could increase soil erosion and damage the habitat of wild animals, incliding the endangered Mexican Spotted Owl. The expansion of the proposal triggered several years of environmental review and public comment before receiving approval from the United States Forest Service (Corbin, 2001).
