The Quechan Nation has been fighting -- and winning -- its battle to protect sacred sites in Arizona and California. The tribe has blocked a low-level nuclear waste dump and a gold mine on sites near its reservation. The latter fight involved the defeat of one of President Bush's controversial judicial nominees. The latest dustup involves a $4 billion oil refinery that the tribe says will destroy sacred sites. A lawsuit has delayed development. "We’re a tenacious people," Quechan President Mike Jackson tells The New York Times. "We’re still here. The cavalry is gone." Jackson has faced criticism for his plans to build a casino on the reservation at a site that tribal elders say is sacred. Some local officials and some developers also say he is difficult to work with. Get the Story:
Far From the Reservation, but Still Sacred? (The New York Times 8/12)
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