The Bureau of Land Management gained an ally this week while the Goshute Tribe lost one in the battle over the Long Canyon Mine.
In an expected move Newmont Mining announce it would support the BLM’s side in the appeal filed by the Goshute Tribe against the Long Canyon Mine. While Newmont came out in favor of the BLM’s decision to approve its own mine was beyond question the action or rather the non-action of the Wells Shoshone may have dashed the Goshute effort to stop the mine.
“We have no plans to even bring up the mine on the agenda,” said Wells Band Vice Chairman Paula Garcia Wednesday. “Opposing the mine is not an issue with us.”
Garcia’s comments contradicted those of Zelda johnny Goshute cultural observer who insisted a week previous that the Wells Shoshone would support the Goshutes in their appeal.
Last month the Goshute Tribe of Ibapah appealed the BLM decision to permit construction of the Long Canyon Mine.
According to a press release from the Goshutes the appeal asks the courts to reject the BLM finding that there are no significant archaeological finds within the project.
The massive open-pit mine would permanently destroy or remove thousands of Tribal cultural resources.
“The Long Canyon Mine area is a vitally important part of our cultural history and its destruction will erase a critical part of who we are as a people,” said Zelda Johnny, a Tribal Cultural Monitor and Tribal Council Vice-Chair.
The 45-page Tribal appeal is supported by documents showing the BLM refused to share known information about Tribal cultural items in the area and that the BLM insisted the Tribe waive legal claims in order to have access to the BLM’s Tribal information.
“How can our Tribe evaluate the impact of this proposed mine when the BLM would not give us access to the information about our historical ties to the site?” said Tribal Chairwoman Madeline Greymountain.
The administrative appeal is a required first step in the appeal process. “The Tribe is committed to forcing the BLM to follow the law and allow the Tribe a full and fair opportunity to participate in the federal review process before this special place and tribal artifacts are permanently destroyed forever. The BLM has failed its trust responsibility in this case,” said Goshute Attorney Paul Echo Hawk.
But without support from the Shoshone chances of the appeals success are greatly diminished. Instead of presenting a united front of all local Native American communities of the region, the Goshute risk being perceived as anti economic development.
The Wells Band of the Western Shoshone believes we can have preservation and economic development at the same time,” said Gracie Begay tribal chairwoman. “We have been meeting with the BLM, Newmont and the Ibapah Goshutes for months now. We had no idea that they would do this now.”
No side in the coming fight is disputing whether there have been artifacts discovered in the construction process.
The disagreement is whether those finds have been ‘significant’.
Even according to Johnny while there have been finds of ancient hearths, tools and poetry shards there have been no discoveries of petroglyphs, permanent or even semi-permanent hunting or agricultural sites in the area.
The death of those finds could be devastating to the Goshutes case both in and out of the court room. While an ancient hearth can have archaeological significance especially if it is so old that it could add to understanding the peopling of the Americas it is still just a charred hole in the ground.
A petroglyph on the other hand or a well preserved wikiup gives a glimpse into the mind of ancient man.
While that description can be subjective in terms of archeology there can be no argument that the impact the new mine would have on the local economy would be significant.
In full page ads Newmont mining announced about 200 positions for the new mine located 29 miles west of Wendover and 30 miles east of Wells.
The economic benefit the mine promises could be the reason why the Wells Shoshone have not joined the Goshutes. Located inside the Wells City limits the Wells Band would directly benefit from the new mine in terms of jobs and providing goods and services to miners.
On the other hand the Goshute reservation located about 100 miles from the mine site would probably see little if any good from Long Canyon.
While expected Newmont’s entry in the case on the BLM’s side could bring needed back up in terms of resources to the often over taxed and out spent federal agency.
