2430R Navajo Nation Reservation Locator Map

Diné CARE is a Diné (

Navajo The Navajo or Diné are an Indigenous people of the Southwestern United States. Their traditional language is Diné bizaad, a Southern Athabascan language. The states with the largest Diné populations are Arizona (140,263) and New Mexico (1 ...

) activist organization that works on environmental, cultural and social justice campaigns, primarily within the Navajo Nation and the immediately surrounding areas, its main office being in Dilkon, AZ. Diné CARE stands for Diné Citizens Against Ruining Our Environment and helped build the early

environmental justice Environmental justice is a social movement that addresses injustice that occurs when poor or marginalized communities are harmed by hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses from which they do not benefit. The movement has gene ...

movement in the United States. Their work has included opposing the creation of toxic waste infrastructure, polluting energy infrastructure, industrial-scale logging, advocating for compensation for people impacted by uranium mining and weapons development as well as against business practices that facilitate abuse of alcohol in nearby Gallup. The organization held a campaign to facilitate Native voter turnout during the presidential election of 2020.

History

Originally called CARE, the group was founded in 1988 to prevent the construction of a hazardous waste incinerator in the community of Dilkon on the

Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation (), also known as Navajoland, is an Indian reservation of Navajo people in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah. The seat of government is located in ...

. CARE's activism also led to the creation of the annual Protecting Mother Earth conferences. The first was held in Dilkon in 1990, funded by

Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by a group of Environmental movement, environmental activists. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its biod ...

and Seventh Generation Fund. The creation of

Indigenous Environmental Network The Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) is a coalition of indigenous, grassroots environmental justice activists, primarily based in the United States. Group members have represented Native American concerns at international events such as t ...

came out of the Protecting Mother Earth gatherings in Dilkon, and in 1991, in South Dakota. Navajo Nation Memorandum of Agreement

CARE became Diné CARE at a 1991 meeting in Gallup that brought together activists from the Dilkon anti-incinerator activism with other activism taking place across the Navajo nation including alcohol use in Gallup, oil and gas exploration, uranium mining, logging, and asbestos dumping. Co-founders included Lori Goodman, Leroy Jackson, Adella Begaye, Earl Tulley and others. Leroy Jackson, who received death threats in response to his work to reform the logging industry's operations on the Chuska Mountains, died in 1994. Press coverage suggests he may have been murdered for his activism.

Projects

Nuclear Waste & Uranium

Diné CARE has put increased efforts into mitigation and reparations for damage caused by radiation poisoning since 1998, their goals centering around extending relief to victims of uranium mining and Cold War bomb testing, to instigate further clean up efforts on mines that have been abandoned, and prevent any further attempts to mine uranium in the Navajo region.

Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) Reform

As part of the Navajo Radiation Victims Project, Diné CARE organized members of the community to push for reformation of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to improve the reach of reparations for victims of radiation poisoning throughout the region. Two organizations, Utah Navajo Downwinders Association and the Arizona Downwinders Association, were formed with Diné CARE's assistance, and along with the Eastern Agency RECA reform coalition, the Post 71 Navajo Uranium Miners Association, and the Kayenta Chapter RECA reform effort, the RECA reform group of the Navajo Nation was assembled. Ten points of resolution were formed to adjust the RECA bill that would be enacted by The Radiation Workers Justice Act of 1998, which was introduced March 24, 1998.

Forestry

Diné CARE has led anti-logging campaigns, protected the forests of Black Mesa and the

Chuska Mountains '' The Chuska Mountains () are an elongate range on the southwest Colorado Plateau and within the Navajo Nation whose highest elevations approach 10,000 feet. The range is about 80 by 15 km (50 by 10 miles). It trends north-northwest and is c ...

, and aims to restore the forests of the Chuska Mountains to repair the damages caused by excessive logging in the Navajo Region. Kaibab employees visit Navajo Nation

Navajo Forest Project Industries Anti-Logging Campaign

Diné CARE led a successful anti-logging campaign against Navajo Forest Project Industries (NFPI), largely organized by Leroy Jackson. In May of 1992, an administrative appeal with the

Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States List of United States federal agencies, federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, Department of the Interior. It is responsible for im ...

(BIA) was filed to prevent further timber sales of the NFPI, which was eventually rejected but succeeded in stalling logging in the area. Further legal and environmental concerns led to the NFPI to reduce their logging area to half its original size, 36 million to 18 million board-feet, and assured Diné CARE they would avoid logging in the regions more sensitive areas. As a result, 82 workers were laid off from their jobs at NFPI. Jackson discovered that the NFPI was around $8 million in debt, as opposed to their claim that it was only $2.6 million, and the mill was issued a full audit. It is suspected that Jackson's murder may be linked to anti-logging activism.

Black Mesa Hydropower Storage Project Rejections

In February of 2024, three proposed hydropower storage projects to be located southeast of Kayenta were rejected by federal officials, saving around 40 miles of the Black Mesa from destruction. Along with the rejection, a new policy was implemented that demanded no projects could be issued on Tribal lands without explicit Tribal support. Diné CARE had urged the commission to reject the construction of the projects the year prior.

References

External links

Diné CARE

Indigenous Environmental Network
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dine CARE Wikipedia Student Program Navajo Activism Environmental justice Environmental movements Indigenous people Navajo Nation Environmental justice organizations Environmental justice in the United States Grassroots organizations