 |
Shundahai
Network |
|
Over
a Decade of Resistance - Dedicated to Breaking the Nuclear Chain
Shundahai is a Newe (Western Shoshone) word meaning "Peace and Harmony with all Creation" |
___________________________________________________________________ |
|
Nuclear Free Great Basin Gathering, October 6-9, 2000 We want to thank you for your participation in and support of the Nuclear Free Great Basin Gathering, October 6-9, 2000. It was a great weekend and your involvement made it even more memorable! We want to thank Citizen Alert and Shundahai Network and all the many presenters and facilitators and volunteers who worked so hard to make it a success. Not only did we have fun, but we also learned a lot about many different nuclear and indigenous issues and worked hard in our strategizing workshops. Together, we talked through many difficult subjects and made a lot of headway in creating a vision statement for a Nuclear Free Great Basin. From the notes that we have compiled we are sure you'll see there are many exciting ways we can continue to learn from and work with each other on the events and campaigns coming up over the next couple of years. In order to better address the issues in our local communities it seems that there are ways we keep inspiring each other, share information and create strategy to achieve our dreams of a nuclear free future. We hope that you will review and add to these notes. We have begun a email list serve in order to facilitate communications among us. We will send email invitations to those of you who left email addresses with us. Please let us know if you would like to be a part of that listserv. For those of you who are interested in helping to organize for gatherings held at the Nevada Test Site, we recommend that you get a copy of the video "Alternatives to Madness". For more information about how to order this video, please call Sandi Rizzo at (775) 853-2935. We look forward to working with you all over the coming years. Together we can make a difference! NUCLEAR FREE GREAT BASIN GATHERING, OCT 6-7 Notes from Panels and workshops We began our weekend with a Welcoming by Johnnie Bobb of the Western Shoshone National Council and then immediately started into our Panel discussions. FRIDAY, OCT 6, PANEL: National and International Nuclear Issues and Campaigns Moderator: Marcus Paige, Nevada Desert Experience Presenters: Maria Santeli, Citizens for Alternatives to Radioactive Dumping: New Mexico nuclear issues focusing on the Waste Isolation Pilot Project. Tactics used to litigate against it and educate public around nuclear transportation issues. Building Bi-National coalitions with effected communities on both sides of the U.S. - Mexico border. Peter Bergel, Center for Energy Research: The movement to stop nuclear testing that resulted in the Limited Test Ban Treaty, the Nonproliferation Treaty, the Nuclear Testing Moratorium Act, and the Comprehensive Test Ban. What we have learned and what we still need to work on. Suzzane Westerly, Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety: Issues surrounding Los Alamos nuclear weapons and cleanup and nuclear waste transportation. Building alliances with local Pueblos and public education on nuclear safety. Michelle Xenos, Shundahai Network, Building alliances between the indigenous communities and international anti-nuclear movements like Abolition 2000 . People Of Color and Disenfranchised Communities Environmental Health Network, linking effected communities and empowering local activists. SATURDAY, OCT 7, PANEL: Nuclear Issues Within the Great Basin Moderator: John Hadder, Citizen Alert Presenters: Domacio Lopez, International Depleted Uranium Study Team: Use of depleted uranium in weapons and commercial products and their environmental and health effects. Depleted Uranium in the Great Basin. Building a Global movement to ban the use of depleted uranium and hold the government accountable. Judy Triechel and Steve Frischman, Nevada Nuclear Waste Taskforce: On geological and scientific reasons for disqualifying the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump and on the public hearing process. Sally Light, Nevada Desert Experience, The movement to connect the nuclear weapons laboratories and the Nevada Test Site subcritical nuclear weapons tests. Building the movement within the Faith based communities. Steve Hopkins, Snake River Alliance: Idaho National Environmental Engineering Laboratories, the health and environmental consequences of nuclear weapons design testing and nuclear waste storage and dumping. PANEL: Indigenous Issues in the Great Basin Moderator: Ian Zabarte, Western Shoshone National Council, Recognition of formal relations between the two nations of U.S. and Western Shoshone Presenters: Calvin Meyers, Moapa Band of Paiutes Environmental Protection Agency, Issues affecting Moapa are coalfired powerplant, Fiberglass plant, low-level nuclear waste transportation and storage. Department of Energy and other governmental agencies asking Indigenous peoples to quantify their spirituality. Patricia George: Nuclear Risk Management for Native Communities, Health impacts of nuclear testing fallout on Native Communities with rising cancer and thyroid sicknesses. Pauline Esteves, Timbisha Shoshone. The Timbisha Shoshone Homeland Act and how many mainstream environmental NGO's have agendas that are threatening to indigenous peoples. The transportation of Nuclear Waste effects all peoples Corbin Harney, Western Shoshone Spiritual Leader, Society's general disrespect for Mother Earth, Food irradiation and chemicals affecting water purity and health of all living things. The right of the Western Shoshone people to their land. Then we began the workshop section of the gathering. Three workshops were held over the next day and 1/2. Envisioning a Nuclear Free Great Basin; Working together for a Nuclear Free Great Basin; Creating a Time line for a Nuclear Free Great Basin. The notes from these workshops were collected and presented here. Nuclear Issues
Discussion on Vision
The pieces that the working groups came with to create the vision statement:
Draft vision statement:We envision a shift in world consciousness, towards a more symbiotic relationship with the Earth, resulting in a nuclear- free environmental. Through strong collaboration of indigenous and non-native peoples around the world, green energy, environmental justice and sustainable economic development we will replace non-sustainable energy sources and all need for implements of war. After the land, plants, animals an cultures of the Great Basin bioregion are fully reclaimed and restored to the care of the indigenous peoples who live there, we believe that the Great Basin can serve as a model nuclear free area to the rest of the world. Ongoing public education and support of the elders in sharing with youth the sacred inter-conceitedness of life will ensure that the Great Basin remains nuclear free for all the generations to come. What's missing from our work:
Organizing international connections
Place to start:
Ideas/Concerns
What needs work:
What's worked (successes):
Current/ past strategies:
Current/ past targets:
Current/ past tactics:
There was a discussion on Sunday morning- this is what we pulled out of that:
Tactical direction:
Upcoming events over the next year that we can tie together:
Report BacksOutreach and PublicityCreate Nuclear Free Great Basin Calendar of Events There will be a University Outreach Tour organized by Bonnie Bobb along the effected nuclear waste transportation routes. The tour will address Environmental Justice and Western Shoshone issues as they relate to Yucca Mountain, Skull Valley and nuclear waste. The tour is still being developed and may be linked with the Citizen Alert National Tour. The proposed budget is $28,000 most of which will probably be raised during the tour. Organizations will be asked to supply informational fact sheets and materials. Bonnie will begin email and phone contacts soon. She is asking for organizational contacts in Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. The next Yucca Mountain related hearings will begin somewhere in January - February, 2000. These are the Site Recommendation Characterization Report (SRCR) Hearings. These hearings are not part of the legal process of Yucca Mountain authorization and the testimony is not considered in the SRCR to be prepared by DOE. It is recommended that we use these hearings as a way of raising public awareness around this unfair process. It was suggested that there be an organized protest and spiritual walk to the hearings, around the hearings and then either turn them into a citizens hearing or use tactics like speaking over 5 minute limit and nonstop praying during testimonies. Organize Solidarity Walks against Wastes during 4/26/00 National day of Action (PFS (Skull Valley) & Yucca Mt.) (anniversary of Chernobyl disaster) Program Message:Every action should have the components of: "encircling with Prayers", advanced community outreach, Native community participation, grounding and healing. Skull Valley Goshute will have a solidarity Run, May 5th The Mothers Day NTS gathering will focus on: the Western Shoshone Spirit Walk / Run; Celebration; Engaging Youth; Working Towards a Nuclear Free Great Basin, Mothers Day (Council of Women and Council of Men) FundingFoundations will be approached with proposals. Bre Carlson / Peace Development Fund Try for International Environmental Grants under Western Shoshone Sovereignty Need money raised for:
NUCLEAR FREE GREAT BASIN GATHERING FINANCIAL REPORTCASH INCOME: Shundahai Network $1578.74 Citizen Alert $1500.00 Registration $417.00 Raffle for Corbin Harney $283.00 Total Cash income $3778.74
CASH EXPENSES Logistics $541.95 Kitchen Travel $400.00 Food Procurment $624.03 Shuttles from LV $80.00 Yucca Mt Caravan $107.00 Workshop supplies $80.58 Outreach and media $109.18 Corbins Raffle Proceeds $283.00 Travel for invited guests and presenters $1215.00
Total Cash Expenses $3440.74 Total Cash income $3778.74 Total Cash Expenses $3440.74 Total Cash Rasied $338.00
Inkind Donations Kitchen Equipment $300.00 Food $200.00 Porta Pottie Rental and storage $300 Volunteer hrs (8/hr @ 1000 hrs) $8000.00 Total Inkind Donations $8800.00 |
___________________________________________________________________