Melanie Stansbury: “Chaco Canyon is sacred, the ancestral homeland, and a living landscape and home to the Pueblo and Dine people. It is a…”

“Chaco Canyon is sacred, the ancestral homeland, and a living landscape and home to the Pueblo and Dine people. It is a World Heritage Site and a landscape of ancient ruins, kivas, and sacred lands as far as the eye can see, which is why I stand here tonight in solidarity with Tribal leaders from across New Mexico to say protect Chaco Canyon, protect it from the attacks of a Trump administration that is trying to open these lands once again to oil and gas drilling. Can you imagine, one of our most sacred sites, which Secretary Haaland protected in 2023, which the New Mexico delegation is trying to permanently withdraw, a place the Pueblo leaders say holds the footprints of their ancestors and countless generations; Navajo leaders who say that it is deeply embedded in our way of life, the living community, and our very culture. However, this administration has forged ahead to open these lands to the irreparable desecration of drilling on this sacred site. I call on the administration and the American people to join us in this fight to protect Chaco Canyon.”