Faith in Action: Reflections on the Permian Basin

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Join the First Congregational Green Justice team  for a Zoom Forum on “Faith in Action: Reflections on the Permian Basin.”
Kayley Shoup, a Carlsbad resident and community activist with Citizens Caring for the Future. Kayley will share about the many challenges facing the region and how we can be a part of an intentional and just response.  Kayley’s presentation will be followed by reflections from Stephen Picha, Ann McCartney, Clara Sims, and Ruth Striegel who traveled to the Permian region in June in affiliation with New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light.
From the individual to the communal, we are all implicated in the sacrifice zones of our fossil fuel economy, particularly those imposed upon our neighbors to the south east. Join us as we reflect upon how we can further put our our faith into action for the well-being of the Permian region, our beloved state of New Mexico, and our one Earth home.
Contact Ruth Striegel at ruth.striegel@gmail.com for the Zoom link. 

New report urges protection of cultural heritage sites like Chaco, Mesa Verde from oil and gas

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Following is an excerpt of an article that appeared in this morning’ s edition of the digital site  New Mexico Political Report

A new report released this week by Archaeology Southwest and The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks calls for increased protection of cultural resources like Chaco Culture National Historical Park from oil and gas development.

“To honor and protect our diverse and shared heritage, America’s national parks and monuments must be preserved and protected to the maximum extent possible. But the presence of oil and gas development on their doorstep is a stark threat to their long-term protection,” the report states.   Read more here

Register Now for 18th Annual Gila River Festival Online

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This year’s festival theme, One Water, Many Currents, will explore the many ways in which water connects us and is the common thread weaving together the Gila River watershed’s human and ecological communities of the past, present and into the future.

Nuevomexicana writer and biologist Leeanna Torres opens the festival on Thursday night, September 22nd at the WNMU Global Resource Center Auditorium with the Sonnie Sussillo Memorial Keynote Presentation, sharing her personal narrative through the thread of the great Gila.
On Friday night, September 23rd, a panel discussion focused on the indigenous connections to the Gila River from its headwaters in New Mexico to the Great Bend of the Gila in southwest Arizona includes Archaeology Southwest’s Tribal Outreach Fellow Skylar Begay, Gila River Indian Community historic preservation officer Barnaby Lewis, Fort Sill Apache Tribe Chairwoman Lori Gooday Ware and moderated by Diné anthropologist Alex Mares.
Landscape photographer Michael Berman will present After the Fires, a “little verbal ramble” along with photos from the post-fire Gila Wilderness on Saturday, September 24 at 10 am at the Silco Theater.
Living history actor, rancher and conservationist, Neil Fuller will share his stories of growing up on a ranch on the Gila Lower Box in a special storytelling event with the Silver City Museum entitled A Life Entwined with the Gila: Reminiscences and Observations of a Rancher/Conservationist on Saturday, September 24th at 1pm in the Silver City Museum Courtyard.
With 20+ field trips and workshops to choose from, connect with the Gila River and its human and ecological communities through one-of-a-kind experiences from birding, to rock art, to fly fishing.
We are excited to welcome back the Fort Sill Apache Fire Dancers with the Gooday Family! They will share with us the Dance of the Mountain Spirits scheduled for Saturday, September 24th at WNMU’s Regent’s Square.
Bringing the 18th annual festival to a close, a Gila River Blessing – One River: Many Faiths, Many Cultures, Many Voices – will be held at Mogollon Box on Sunday morning, September 25 and led by faith leaders from several traditions, including to date Claudia Elferdink (Unitarian Universalist), Mariam Wiedner (Sufi community), Norma Santos, Daniel Hernandez, and Athena Wolf (La Escuela de Curanderismo), Gwen Lacy (Quakers), Chiricahua and Warm Springs Apache leaders (invited), and others to be confirmed.