Support Action to Protect Medicine Lake

For Immediate Release:


Contact: Mark LeBeau 916.801.4422; Chris Peters 707.825.7640; James Hayward 530.604.9478
Morning Star Gali 510.862.1941 Ginger Mike-Mercado 530.336.7136/5776

Natives To Protest at Calpine against Power Plant Proposed
at Sacred Medicine Lake near Mt. Shasta

Pit River Indian Tribe members to be joined by community and environmental justice groups in protest and cultural gathering at Calpine corporate offices

Friday, January 27, 2006, high noon
Calpine Headquarters, 50 W. San Fernando Street in San Jose

San Jose, CA -- Native Americans and their supporters from across the country will gather at the Calpine energy company headquarters on January 27, 2006 at high noon to protest the company’s proposed plans to build power plants and drill for geothermal energy in the culturally important Medicine Lake Highlands, located in Northeastern California. The tribal members and supporters demand that Calpine immediately cease and desist from its proposed energy extraction plans as this would devastate the Native cultural and natural environmental landscape around Medicine Lake.

The Highlands comprises the largest shield volcano on this continent and is home to many rare birds and animals that live in the lava tubes, obsidian flows, old-growth forests and craters. The spring waters in this area are some of the clearest and cleanest in the country. This area, used since time immemorial for healing, ceremony and other cultural purposes by Native peoples, is sacred to the tribes of the Pit River, Modoc, Shasta, Karuk, Wintu and many others. Calpine has federal energy development leases that cover eight square miles, and if built a nine-story high power plant complex would annually produce tons of toxic hydrogen sulfide gas and other heavy metals such as arsenic and mercury. Initial drilling calls for ten to twelve swells to depths of nine thousand feet. The sacred and natural area would be clearcut to make space to build toxic slump ponds, roads, pipelines, cooling towers, and the tallest building in northeastern California, which would be fully lit around the clock. This project threatens the underlying aquifer which is California’s largest spring system. Native peoples, homeowners, environmentalists and other concerned citizens have been opposing this project since it was first proposed. Ironically, the geothermal energy extracted from the area would be bought and sold as “green energy!”

Tribal members declare that Native cultures and their sacred places are worth more than gold or geothermal energy and must be protected. We will let Calpine and any other energy company considering such development know that when the snows melt and the lake is once again accessible we will further demonstrate our opposition by demonstrating in the Highlands in a non-violent, but culturally assertive and appropriate way.

Sponsors of the event include Da'hu La'h As Sacred Sites Defense, Seventh Generation Fund, Greenaction for Health & Environmental Justice, International Indian Treaty Council, Indigenous Environmental Network, Citizens of the Pitt River Nation, Indian People Organizing for Change, Vallejo Inter-tribal Council, Native American Sisterhood Alliance of Mills College, Tierra Viva of the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, Youth United for Community Action and California Communities Against Toxics. Come rain or shine we’ll be there!
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