Category Archives: Sacred Sites

Art, Heart Beats Light, New York University Photo and Emerging Media, NYU, Outside my window, Photography, Sacred Sites, Sacred Sky Sacred Earth, Sky, Something to be excited about (in a good way)

Pictures at an Exhibition

“Pictures at an Exhibition,” as in I have one included in a group exhibition.
Night, a 2007 image from an installation of Heart Beats Light is included in New York University’s Photo and Emerging Media 2014-2015 Faculty and Staff Exhibition.  The exhibition opened on September 2, 2014 and closes on October 9, 2014.  The show is in two locations: the Gulf + Western Gallery (1st Floor, rear lobby) and the 8th Floor Gallery, 721 Broadway New York, NY 10003.

My piece is at the 721 Broadway location.  Admission is free and open to the public.

NYU’s Photo and Emerging Media faculty and staff of 2014-2015 include Ulrich Baer, Matthew Baum, Michael Berlin, Wafaa Bilal, Terry Boddie, Isolde Brielmaier, Kalia Brooks, Mark Bussell, Edgar Castillo, Iliana Cepero Amador, Charlotte Cotton, Yolanda Cuomo, Erika deVries, Thomas Drysdale, Brandy Dyess, Cate Fallon, Adrian Fernandez, Kara Fiedorek, Nichole Frocheur, Mark Jenkinson, Whitney Johnson, Elizabeth Kilroy, Elaine Mayes, Editha Mesina, Charles Nesbit, Lorie Novak, Paul Owen, Karl Peterson, Christopher Phillips, Shelley Rice, Fred Ritchin, Joseph Rodriguez, Bayeté Ross Smith, Abi Roucka, Peter Terezakis, Cheryl Yun-Edwards, and Deborah Willis.
Night, Peter Terezakis, Heart Beats Light, Yuha Desert 2007
Peter Terezakis, MPS
New York University Artist in Residence
http://www.terezakis.com
http://www.allthenamesofgod.com
http://www.sacredskysacredearth.com

Earth, Gregory Canyon, Petition, Sacred Sites, Sacred Sky Sacred Earth

Support SB 833 : Protect Sacred Sites and Clean Drinking Water

Support SB 833 : Protect Sacred Sites and Clean Drinking Water

[emailpetition id=”4″]

RE: SB 833 (VARGAS) Water Quality and Sacred Site Protection in San Diego County – SUPPORT

Dear Governor Brown:

I would like to take this opportunity to ask you to please sign SB 833, by Senator Juan Vargas. This bill would prohibit the operation of a waste disposal facility within 1,000 feet of a drinking water source and within 1,000 feet of a site that is listed with the Native American Heritage Commission as sacred to a federally recognized Indian tribe. This bill would put a stop to the proposed Gregory Canyon Landfill project, which would be built on the border of the Pala Indian Reservation and next to the San Luis Rey River.

The Gregory Canyon Landfill presents numerous environmental problems, not the least of which is the threat to water supplies. The San Luis Rey River flows past the mouth of the landfill site; two California Water Authority pipelines that supply drinking water to San Diego County are located within the landfill footprint; and a vital groundwater aquifer lies underneath the site. A landfill in Gregory Canyon would unacceptably threaten the safety of these water sources.

A landfill in Gregory Canyon would also desecrate Gregory Canyon and Medicine Rock, two sites that hold tremendous religious significance for Native Americans throughout southern California. SB 833 would help insure that these irreplaceable sacred sites are protected for future generations.

Protecting precious water and respecting the religion and culture of Native American tribes is of utmost importance, which is why I respectfully urge you to sign SB 833 and protect Gregory Canyon forever. I respectfully ask you to preserve the Earth and Sky which are Sacred to both Native and non-Native Americans who have made this great land our home.

Sincerely,

Stop Gregory Canyon: Save Sacred Sites and Clean Drinking Water
Stop Gregory Canyon: Save Sacred Sites and Clean Drinking Water
Earth, Sacred Sites

Thinking of Fracking, GMOs, and other things….

2 Comments

The earth is the LORD’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.– Psalms 24, 1-2

China Leads Investment in Fracking the United States
“Last week Chinese oil giant Sinopec (SHI) invested $2.2 billion in the U.S. firm Devon (DVN, Fortune 500) that gives Sinopec a one-third stake in oil and gas fields Devon is developing in Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Colorado and Michigan.
And the French company Total (TOT) recently paid $2.3 billion to U.S. oil and gas firm Chesapeake for a minority stake in some Chesapeake (CHK, Fortune 500) fields, mostly in Ohio, while Spain’s Repsol paid $1 billion for a minority share in fields being developed by Oklahoma-based Sand Hill Energy.” – CNN MONEY

Earth, Liberty Quarry, Petition, Sacred Sites

Banned by the Valley News Network and recent posts elsewhere

North County Times and the Fallbrook Valley News like to delete my comments on articles related to Liberty Quarry.  I wonder why?

I came across some interesting articles the past 24 hours and have posted some comments which I am reproducing here:

Since AB-742 was recently introduced, Granite has been crying for “local government” to decide the issue. Given LAFCO’s denial of the City of Temecula’s original annexation plans due to a request from Granite, I’d be tempted to say some of the $10 million dollars that Garry Johnson has invested spoke louder than local government.

This fight is far from over:  Granite will not go away easily.

Support AB 742. Join both Native American and non-Native Americans to enact legislation which will save Native American sacred sites as well as the LAST wild river and LAST coastal wildlife corridor in Southern California:  http://www.ab-742.com
________

EVERYONE needs to stay committed to the political process. We MUST elect officials of integrity – and vote them OUT of office when they cease to represent us.

“The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may retain control over the instruments they have created.” – Brown Act, 1953   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Act

Peter  Terezakis
5:53am on Thursday, September 15, 2011

———————

Tribe, Granite Fight Over Sacred Site

The construction company and the tribe argued about whether a site near a proposed quarry is sacred.

Granite cares about nothing except converting rock into cash.  They will continue to use their time-tested scripts to achieve goals and ride over local communities using millions of well-placed dollars to grease the wheels of the corrupt to do so.

Support AB 742. Join both Native American and non-Native Americans to enact legislation which will save Native American sacred sites as well as the LAST wild river and LAST coastal wildlife corridor in Southern California: http://www.ab-742.com

Peter Terezakis

6:36am on Thursday, September 15, 2011

——————–

County Planning Commission Rejects Mining Operation
Village News Network
… of its fifth and final public meeting regarding the 414-acre Liberty Quarry, … The city of Temecula attempted unsuccessfully in 2009 to annex the land …

• Quarry jobs:  Most would be taken by unemployed union members from outside of the area.
• There is no way to put a lid over the entire quarry.
• Winds blowing over the quarry will create a partial vacuum pulling material into the atmosphere.
• superfine particulate matter will mix with moisture in the air and form an aerosol which will not fall to the ground.
• ” Editor’s note: This story is actually from a news service; it is not an article written by one of our writers.”  – That is a pathetic excuse for how YOU have chosen to portray this issue to YOUR public.
• “….the news service is from Los Angeles who was there and they are in no way in Granite’s back pocket…”  This is an equally pathetic statement proven wrong by the contents of the article.

The Editor and Staff ought to be embarrassed for printing Granite’s press release spin as fact.  If FVN was at all concerned about advertising from the community which it ostensibly represents; this article would never have come to print.    Since you chose to endorse this article the only question is how much money are you directly taking from Granite or its affiliates?

Support AB 742. Join both Native American and non-Native Americans to enact legislation which will save Native American sacred sites as well as the LAST wild river and LAST coastal wildlife corridor in Southern California:  http://www.ab-742.com

Peter  Terezakis

Note:  This following comment on the article published above was removed twice by the Village News Network editors and/or staff.  After answering a challenge question on a return visit to prove I was not a SPAMBOT, I was allowed to post this same text a third time.   When assembling this page I went to check to see if my comment was still up.  As of today, my computer has been banned from their network.

Granite Construction Corporation, Sacred Sites

Thank you Temecula Patch

As one of the individuals who is involved in opposing the construction of Liberty Quarry, I would like to thank Temecula Patch for helping to publicize our collective efforts at protecting all which is at risk.

Temecula Patch, Peter Surowski
Letter writing Campaign Fights Quarry

Once we have stopped Liberty Quarry, it will be important for each  friend of the project to continue their efforts to protect the river and the land and to make this protection permanent for future generations.

Electronic signing of the petition to support AB 742 goes to the attention of selected members of the California State Assembly and Senate, as well as to the Governor.

The City of Temecula has been opposing the quarry since at least 2005.   On March 8, 2011 the City Council of the City of Temecula passed Resolution No. 11 formally opposing the Liberty Quarry project.

After having spent $784,000 to annex property and debunk the Granite-funded Environmental Impact Report, the City of Temecula was unable to dissuade Granite Construction Corporation from pursuing their objective.

It was on August 4, 2011 -after the failure of every conceivable course of action by the community and local government to stop Granite had been exhausted – that the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians came forward with the decades overdue AB 742.

It is important that elected representatives, Granite’s management, members of the media, and any interested individual, know and understand that both Native and non-Native Americans are intractably opposed to a gravel pit -by any name- on this land.

The quarry would destroy the LAST wild river and LAST coastal wildlife corridor in Southern California. The fact that it contains sites which are sacred to a people who have lived here for 10,000 years is something we can all understand.

Let your elected representatives know that you Support AB 742
http://sacredskysacredearth.com/ab-742/

Earth, Sacred Sites

Et Tu, KPBS? “Casino Money Goes To Protecting Indian Sacred Sites”

BY ALISON ST JOHN
September 2, 2011
The article on the KPBS website may be read in full here

I admit to being upset by the article referenced above.
So much so that I wrote the following – which KPBS has elected to leave visible.
————————————————

Great headline! Maybe the author could work in, “Granite Construction Corporation receives $29 Million Dollars of Federal stimulus money for work on roads within the Navajo Reservation and uses $10 million to destroy sites sacred to the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians.

Or a fact or two about the project:

The quarry would be a mile and a half long and as deep as the Empire State Building is tall. It would be one of the largest gravel pits in the nation. Blasting would occur every day that the quarry is open (six days) and operation would be from 7 am until 10 pm. Deforested areas visible from the highway (due to loss of ground water) would be painted green.

A note about the involvement of local government:

The communities surrounding the site selected by Granite Construction Corporation have been fighting the proposed quarry since at least 2005. Documentation to this effect is available to the public via PDF of the Temecula City Council. Over 40,000 residents, 500 local businesses, and 140 area physicians have signed petitions protesting the proposed quarry.

On March 8, 2011 the City Council of the City of Temecula passed Resolution No. 11 opposing the Liberty Quarry project after spending $784,000 to annex properties and analyze/debunk Lilburn’s EIR paid for by Granite Construction Corporation. Lilburn’s motto of “Getting to Yes” gives insight into their methodology.

It was only after the failure of local communities and local government to stop Granite Construction’s plans that the Native American community became involved. Now both Native and non-Native Americans are doing their utmost to prevent the project.

On Wednesday August 31, 2011, the Riverside Planning Commission voted to deny the project as the benefits of the project did not outweigh the risks.

And a closing thought:

Why KPBS has chosen to malign the efforts of concerned communities surrounding the proposed Gregory Canyon Landfill and proposed Liberty Quarry with a borderline racist slant is beyond my comprehension.

The Liberty Quarry project would destroy the LAST wild river and LAST coastal wildlife corridor in Southern California. The fact that it contains sites which are sacred to people who have inhabited those lands for 10,000 years is axiomatic and I respect that.  Native American beliefs and customs are different than those of my Christian heritage; but possibly not all that dissimilar from my forefathers belief system.  Here is something else which I understand: All Creation is Divine.

Mr. John Petty (3rd District Planning Commissioner) raised an interesting topic at Wednesday’s meeting regarding Riverside County’s outdated permitting process. I trust that this is something which will be pursued.  Regardless it is time to re-examine our treatment of “undeveloped land.”  The negative effects of eighteenth century attitudes toward our vanishing natural world is impacting us all and not in a good way.  It is time for a change based on facts: not the weight of a financial juggernaut.

http://sacredskysacredearth.com/ab-742/

A 1,000 residents of Temecula gathered to make their voice heard
A Message to Elected Officials and Granite Construction Corporation
Earth, Petition, Sacred Sites

SUPPORT AB 742 and STOP Liberty Quarry

You are reading this because you are family, friend, fan, or interested in the Sacred Sky Sacred Earth series of events. As such a person you are a vital part of that work.

Until recently, postings have always been to let you know about an upcoming event or exhibition.

This one is different. Today I am asking you to join a growing number of concerned individuals to help prevent the erasure of a site sacred to the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians, the destruction of Southern California’s LAST wild river and LAST coastal wildlife corridor, and more.

Please click through this link to show your support of the bi-partisan bill AB 742 which has been drafted to specifically prevent Granite Construction Corporation’s Liberty Quarry project.

Copies of the petition will be sent to elected officials concerned with this bill on the local and state level including the Board of Supervisors, Members of the Senate, and Congress and eventually to Governor Jerry Brown.

The bi-partisan legislation which is specific to defeating the attack on the land in question may be read here.   The City of Temecula has been fighting Granite Construction Corporation over the intended Liberty Quarry since 2005.   A Granite Construction Corporation spokesperson recently said that they had spent close to $10 million dollars on the project (without purchasing land or breaking ground) to date.  Another article indicated that Granite Construction Corporation had recently hired high-profile lobbying and PR firms in Sacramento.

There is little doubt that Granite Construction Corporation  is seeking to force itself on the community and is preparing a new strategy even now.

Granite Construction’s current official press release regarding AB 742 is at this link  with the spin that their most recent hire KP Public Affairs (Ka-Pow.com) is creating.

KP Public Affairs The Experts at Winning
KP Public Affairs The Experts at Winning

I ask that you click on the petition to signal your awareness of these issues and to support this bill to elected representatives. I have been told that they log every call, every fax, every email, both for and against this issue.

Together I believe we can speak for the living land and prevent its death.

Thank you,

Peter Terezakis
San Diego, California
August 31, 2011

STOP Liberty Quarry SAVE Sacred Sites and the LAST Wild River in Southern California
Support AB 742 STOP LIBERTY QUARRY

Video of the Santa Margarita River flowing through the Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Reclamation (January 2005).
Granite Construction would destroy Southern California's Last Wild River for profit

Sacred Sites

Granite Construction’s newest hire: “KP PUBLIC AFFAIRS: THE EXPERTS AT WINNING”

According to Granite Construction operations manager Gary Johnson, Granite Construction has spent $10 million dollars to date on their intended Liberty Quarry project.   Their goal is to create one of the largest open pit gravel mining operations in the United States, less than a mile from the City of Temecula, on land sacred to the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians, at the source of the last wild river, and the last wildlife corridor in Southern California.  If you think this is a bad idea fraught with even more objections, you are not alone.

Not satisfied with the “NO” from over 30,000 signatures from residents, 159 area physicians, 467 local businesses, and now a pending bi-partisan article of legislation (AB 742) written to block this specific project from erasing a sacred site,

A 1,000 residents of Temecula gathered to make their voice heard
A Message to Elected Officials and Granite Construction Corporation

Granite Construction continues to seek to have over six years of documented “NO QUARRY” reinterpreted as “Yes.”

To accomplish this end, they have  recently hired the largest and most powerful public relations firm in Sacramento KP Public Affairs (KA-POW.com) to prevent the city of Temecula and its residents from preserving their land.

Within polite societies in most parts of the world, young adults are taught that when it comes to dating, “NO” means “NO.”  Could it be that an 89 year-old corporation may need to update its ethics?  What part of “NO” does Granite Construction not understand when it comes to courting Mother Earth?

Granite Construction has hired Ka-Pow.com to re-engineer “NO” to , “YES, please!.”  As of today all those opposed to the intended taking of the land by force of finance need to redouble their efforts to prevent this action.

The Truth Will Be Modified?
Granite Construction hires Ka-POW public relations

Specialized Regulatory Practice
Successfully addressing California’s regulatory activism requires a comprehensive knowledge of the issues as well as the political experience to impact the rulemaking process.

"For the last 20 years, KP has been involved in nearly every major environmental law and regulatory effort,"

“California has created the most stringent environmental regulations in the world. For the last 20 years, KP has been involved in nearly every major environmental law and regulatory effort, including AB 32 implementation and greenhouse gas regulations, California’s Green Chemistry Initiative and “Safer Substitutes” regulations, Brownfield and site cleanup standards, storm water policy and regulations and groundwater monitoring and protection programs. We also work on air quality issues, fuel regulations, energy efficiency standards and Proposition 65 listings and regulations.” – Ka-Pow.com website

Petition, Sacred Sites

AB 742

BILL NUMBER: AB 742 AMENDED BILL TEXT

AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 16, 2011
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 31, 2011

INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Nestande Bonnie Lowenthal
( Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Roger Hernández )
( Principal coauthor: Senator Wyland )
( Coauthors: Assembly Members Allen, Atkins, Beall, Block, Bonilla, Bradford, Brownley, Butler, Carter, Davis, Eng, Beth Gaines, Gatto, Hagman,
Hill, Hueso, Lara, Ma, Mitchell, V. Manuel Pérez, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Torres, Wieckowski, Williams, and Yamada )
( Coauthors: Senators Harman, Lieu, Padilla, Price, Runner, Strickland, Vargas, and Wolk )

FEBRUARY 17, 2011

An act to amend Section 2773.3 of the Public Resources Code, relating to mining, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 742, as amended, Nestande Bonnie Lowenthal . Tribal gaming: local agencies.
Surface mining: Indian reservations and Native American sacred sites.
(1) The Surface Mining and Reclamation Act of 1975 prohibits a person, with exceptions, from conducting surface mining operations unless a permit is obtained from, a reclamation plan is submitted to and approved by, and financial assurances for reclamation have been approved by, the lead agency for the operation. Existing law prohibits a lead agency from approving a reclamation plan for a surface mining operation for gold, silver, copper, or other metallic minerals or financial assurances for the operation if the operation is located on, or within one mile of, a Native American sacred site and is located in an area of special concern, unless certain criteria are met.

This bill would also prohibit a lead agency from approving a reclamation plan for an aggregate products operation if the operation is located on or within 2,000 yards of the external boundaries of an Indian reservation and is on or within 5,000 yards of a Native American sacred site, and is on or within 4,000 yards of the Santa Margarita River or an aquifer that is hydrologically connected to the river, unless the tribe whose reservation is nearest the operation consents to the operation.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

    THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

SECTION 1. Section 2773.3 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:
2773.3. (a) In addition to other reclamation plan requirements of this chapter and regulations adopted by the board pursuant to this chapter, a lead agency may not approve a reclamation plan for a surface mining operation for gold, silver, copper, or other metallic minerals or financial assurances for the operation, if the operation is located on, or within one mile of, any Native American sacred site and is located in an area of special concern, unless both of the following criteria are met:
(1) The reclamation plan requires that all excavations be backfilled and graded to do both of the following:
(A) Achieve the approximate original contours of the mined lands prior to mining.
(B) Grade all mined materials that are in excess of the materials that can be placed back into excavated areas, including, but not limited to, all overburden, spoil piles, and heap leach piles, over the project site to achieve the approximate original contours of the mined lands prior to mining.
(2) The financial assurances are sufficient in amount to provide for the backfilling and grading required by paragraph (1).
(b) In addition to other reclamation plan requirements of this chapter and regulations adopted by the board pursuant to this chapter, a lead agency may not approve a reclamation plan for an aggregate products operation if the operation is located on or within 2,000 yards of the external boundaries of an Indian reservation and is on or within 5,000 yards of a site that is a Native American sacred site and is on or within 4,000 yards of the Santa Margarita River or an aquifer that is hydrologically connected to that river, unless the tribe whose reservation is nearest the operation consents to the operation.
(c) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meaning meanings :
(1) “Native American sacred site” means a specific area that is identified by a federally recognized Indian Tribe, Rancheria or Mission Band of Indians, or by the Native American Heritage Commission, as sacred by virtue of its established historical or cultural significance to, or ceremonial use by, a Native American group, including, but not limited to, any an area containing a prayer circle, shrine, petroglyph, or spirit break, or a path or area linking the circle, shrine, petroglyph, or spirit break with another circle, shrine, petroglyph, or spirit break.
(2) “Area of special concern” means an area in the California desert that is designated as Class C or Class L lands or as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern under the California Desert Conservation Area Plan of 1980, as amended, by the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, pursuant to Section 1781 of Title 43 of the United States Code.
SEC. 2. This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:

To protect from imminent destruction Native American reservations and sacred sites threatened by proposed aggregate products mining operations, it is necessary for this measure to take effective immediately. All matter omitted in this version of the bill appears in the bill as amended in the Assembly, March 31, 2011.
(JR11)

MAKE YOUR VOICE COUNT: Let our elected representatives know that you support this very important piece of legislation by sending the petition below.

[emailpetition id=”2″]

Unlike social media and commercial web sites, your contact information will remain private.

Granite Construction Corporation, Liberty Quarry, Petition, Sacred Sites, Sacred Sky Sacred Earth

AB 742

PETITION TO SUPPORT AB 742: PROTECT SACRED SITES OF THE PENCHANGA BAND OF LUISENO INDIANS:

[emailpetition id=”2″]

August 15, 2011
California State Assembly Members and Senators
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814
Re: SUPPORT for AB 742 (B. Lowenthal)

Dear Assembly Member and Senator:

I write today to ask you to support AB 742 (B. Lowenthal). AB 742 is an important measure which would provide greater protection for Native American sacred sites by adding aggregate operations to the list of mining activities prohibited near such sites; specifically the project which threatens the creation place of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians. This legislation will also help to protect the Santa Margarita River, the 4,500 acre Santa Margarita Ecological Preserve of San Diego State University, and the Quality of Life for residents in the communities of Temecula, Murrieta, Fallbrook and Rainbow.

This specific article of legislation will not affect mining anywhere else in the state.

Granite Construction Company has applied to the County of Riverside for a Surface Mining Permit to produce 5 million tons aggregate (crushed rock) per year from the proposed Liberty Quarry. The proposed quarry would have a working surface area equivalent to 17 football fields and a depth twenty feet less than the Empire State Building is tall. This would be one of the largest open-pit hard rock mines in the United States and it would also be located at the Pechanga and Luiseño Place of Creation.

The referenced site, while critical to the Pechanga and the Luiseño, is important to the people of the Temecula Valley. Tourism is a critical element in the Temecula Valley, employing 6,600 people directly, providing services to 67,000 visitors per month with an estimated annual impact of 605 million dollars per year. A recent report by the Rose Institute of Claremont McKenna College estimated a negative impact of a minimal impact on tourism of 60.5 million dollars. When considering all costs, the Rose Institute estimated an annual cost to the community of over 80 million dollars. While the quarry might create 99 new jobs, it would destroy at least 660 existing jobs in the tourism industry alone.

It is because of these potential impacts as well as impacts on air quality, water quality and traffic, and the loss of the only remaining wildlife linkage between the Santa Ana mountains and inland mountain ranges, that over 30,000 valley residents have signed petitions seeking to prevent the quarry. In addition, over 520 Businesses and Non-Government Organizations have signed up opposing the quarry. These businesses are joined by 159 local physicians opposing the quarry.

SACRED SKY SACRED EARTH: TEMECULA
Support AB 742: Save Sacred Sites • Save the Last River

The proposed “Liberty Quarry” project would mark the end of the LAST wild river of Southern California and with it the region’s LAST wildlife corridor between the coastal Santa Ana Mountains and inland Palomar Mountains. Granite Construction’s project would degrade this LAST section of living, vital land., which is filled with the living history of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians. The area of living earth which Granite has targeted for destruction is part of a greater area which is replete with all the plant and animal life unique to our area. Destruction of the living earth for the sake of profit is easy, and also forever.

Stewardship of this unique gift of a vital, dynamic, living ecosystem for generations to come may be the more difficult route. It is also what the community wants, what the voters want, and what is right for future generations.

Should the quarry go forward its legacy will be the destruction of irreplaceable natural resources, degradation of the environment, and the birth of long-lasting animosity towards all who would have permitted the project. There are currently over thirty thousand signatories who have expressed their desire to NOT have this project in their community. Other sources for aggregate currently exist in San Diego, Riverside, and Imperial Counties.

I respectfully ask you to preserve the Earth and Sky which are Sacred to both Native Americans and to those of us who have made this great land our home. Do not let Granite Construction destroy this land, malign your electorate, and put the business plan of one corporation above the will of thousands who live in the community. Please support AB 742 and help to ensure the preservation of this sacred site for generations to come.