SIGNIFICANCE

Medicine Lake lies nestled within an ancient volcanic caldera northeast of Mount Shasta, on an eastward extension of the southern Cascade Range. The Medicine Lake Highlands are valued for their pristine beauty and solitude and its exceptionally pure waters. The whole Medicine Lake Highlands area has been and continues to be a place of great spiritual significance to the Native People of Southern Oregon and Northern California, people of the the Abjumawi and Atwamsini (Pit River Tribe), Modoc and Shasta Tribes.

The Medicine Lake Highlands have been used to obtain spiritual power. It is a place to become someone. A man without power is nothing, according to the Elders of the Tribe. So in order to become someone, a person would seek their power or vision at Medicine Lake or in the Highlands. This is why the Medicine Lake Highlands are important, in order to do something for our people, for the land, and for the Creator, and not just for ourselves.

THREATS & IMPACTS

The proposed geothermal developments (as many as six plants) plugging into a twenty mile 300 megawatt transmission corridor, could each include an 18 acre power plant site, 4 miles of above ground 36 inch diameter steam pipelines (+500 degrees F), acres of well sites with wells 3,000 to 6,000 feet deep. Potential impacts would drastically alter the natural integrity of the area, disrupt visual quality, bring noise, sulfuric acid odor, contaminate water quality for miles around, disturb wildlife, pollute the air, affect traditionally used plants used for food and medicine, arid cause great harm to this sacred area.

• all geothermal alternatives would adversely affect sacred cultural sites; there would be no way to mitigate the effects of industrialization of the Medicine Lake Highlands...
• failure to evaluate the Medicine Lake Highlands and its many sacred sites for eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places in a timely manner
• violate AIRFA (1), NHPA (2), Exec. Orders on Indian Sacred Sites and on Environmental Justice...
• leases sold for at least 6 geothermal plants; failure to consider cumulative effects...
• leap from exploratory to development phase made without consultations with Native Americans...
• Forest Plan illegally amended to allow for 300 megawatt electric corridor...
• acid rain impacts from steam plumes and geothermal drift, affecting waters, plants, animals, soils...
• possibility of induced seismic activity from drilling...
• major visual auditory and olfactory (sulfur) impacts from plants cooling towers, power lines, pipelines, steam plumes and drift, night lights...

STATUS as of Summer 1998

• Native American and environmental coalition formed...
• Native American Ethnographic study documents spiritual and cultural significance...
• draft EIS on Fourmile Hill protect. public comments made. and final EIS pending...
• draft EIS on Telephone Flat geothermal project recently issued
• issue brought before the United National Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance in Feb. '98
• National Environmental Justice Advisory Council issued a resolution to EPA in December 1997

For more information:

Native Coalition for Cultural Restoration of Mount Shasta
PO Box 1143 Mount Shasta, CA 96067 Phone & Fax 530/926-3397

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(1) American Indian Religious Freedom Act
(2) National Historic Preservationi Act