Letter to Flagstaff Residents
City of Flagstaff
211 West Aspen Ave.
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Re: A New Vision for Flagstaff
Dear Mayor Presler, Flagstaff City Council and Flagstaff Residents,
The Tribal Wisdom Foundation, established by a non-indigenous group of individuals, is comprised of teachers, administrators, therapists and business professionals who are committed to supporting the relationship between the indigenous peoples and the natural world in ways that are appropriate and welcomed. We clearly understand from our work with indigenous peoples that our fate is intricately interwoven with the fate of the natural environment. We believe this perspective is crucial to sustaining life and strengthening community environmental stewardship.
As a Foundation we have financially supported Indigenous people at local, regional and national levels to have their voices heard and be included in decisions that affect their lands and their future generations. One of these meetings was held on April 16, 2010 with President Obama as he signed the America’s Great Outdoors Presidential Memorandum to encourage local and state governments, tribes, and private groups to come together in the spirit of collaboration to be more responsible stewards of both the tax dollars and natural world.
“We must adapt our strategies to meet the new challenges of our time. Over the last century, our population grew from 9 million to 300 million people, and as it did, we lost more and more of our natural landscape to development. Meanwhile, a host of other factors—from a changing climate to new sources of pollution—have put a growing strain on our wildlife and our waters and our lands.”
-President Barack Obama, April 16, 2010
The Tribal Wisdom Foundation would like to present an alternative proposal, that does not include snowmaking, for the City of Flagstaff to consider that will help bring together diverse communities to find a better path forward for the future of the Peaks. This alternative involves creating a partnership with indigenous nations, conservation organizations, ski industry and the USDA to protect water sources, cultural resources and the natural environment. We ask that you carefully review this proposal that has been initially supported as a viable option by conservation groups, indigenous nations and potentially the City of Flagstaff.
We invite you to consider this non-profit alternative and its benefits to the Flagstaff residents in depth prior to your decision to allow the use of potable water, reclaimed water or recovered-reclaimed water for snowmaking at Snowbowl. We feel this proposal offers the opportunity for the Mayor and City Council of Flagstaff to create a legacy of significant future benefit, rather than one of perpetual controversy and potential future liability.
Thank you,
Beth Huss, Secretary
Tribal Wisdom Foundation
P.O. Box 2980
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
tribalwisdom@gmail.com
(630) 205-3557