Every week at All Saints Church we put our faith into action. This week our focus is on Oak Flat, or Chi’chil Biłdagoteel, a site sacred to the Apache and other tribal communities in Arizona — and protecting the land from copper mining. For generations upon generations down to the present day, native peoples have gathered at Oak Flat, Arizona (known to the Apache as Chi ‘chi Bildagoteel) to harvest acorns and plants for ceremonial prayer, medicinal purposes, and to gather for other cultural reasons.

Unfortunately, it sits atop a copper deposit and, currently, the federal government plans to transfer the land to Resolution Copper Mining, unless Congress takes action. If the land is transferred and copper mining moves forward, the land will be devastated. Therefore, we are urging our members of Congress and President Biden to enact the Save Oak Flat Act (H.R. 1884/S. 915) to protect the sacred land of Indigenous peoples.

For centuries Chi’chil Biłdagoteel has been central to the worship, prayer, and traditional ceremonies of local tribal communities. The site is integral to the culture and identity of the San Carlos Apache, Tonto Apache, White Mountain Apache, Yavapai Apache, Yavapai Prescott Indian Tribe, the Gila River Indian Community, the Saltwater Pima Maricopa Indian Community, Pueblo of Zuni, Hopi Tribe, and more.

In 2014, Congress passed legislation that mandated the federal government transfer around 2,400 acres of Tonto National Forest land to Resolution Copper Mining in exchange for land elsewhere. If the transfer is finalized, the site would be environmentally devastated, scarred by a crater two miles wide. The mine would also be extremely water-intensive in a state experiencing a long-term drought. This is an all too frequent example of Indigenous Peoples suffering the worst effects of environmental degradation for an economic project whose benefits will mostly accrue elsewhere.

Currently, the land transfer is postponed and the subject of several lawsuits seeking to prevent the swap.  However, the land is still at risk, and the best way to guarantee the long-term protection of the land would be through federal legislation. The Save Oak Flat Act (H.R. 1884/S. 915) would immediately repeal the law requiring the land swap of the Forestry Department land in the Tonto National Forest to Resolution Copper Mining.

Please send letters to your United States senators, your member of the United States House and President Biden supporting the Save Oak Flat Act (H.R. 1884 / S. 815).

Options to Take Action:

1. Download a PDF copy of the Action Letter to sign and mail to your United States Senators, your member of the House of Representatives and President Biden.
   Action Letter              Action Letter for Outside California
2. You may adapt the message and/or the action letter for a personal email.
3. Use the action in support of the Save Oak Flat Act on the Episcopal Public Policy Network website.

Episcopal Church Resolutions

• ECEC 038 (not yet published online)
• 2012-A131: Express Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples
• 2018-A011: Affirm Commitment to Address Environmental Racism

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If you ever need to look up your member of the U.S. House of Representatives or your U.S. Senators check here: www.house.gov and www.senate.gov.