Our Mission: The mission of Black Mesa Trust is to safeguard, preserve and honor the land and water of Black Mesa. At its essence, Black Mesa Trust is about harnessing the lessons of traditional knowledge with Western science and technology to secure permanently our homeland on Black Mesa for generations of children yet to come. It is our hope that our families will always enjoy the wide-open spaces, deep canyons, majestic mesas, and clean air and water that bless our sacred homeland.

Background: Black Mesa Trust was founded in 1999 by Hopi people to address the severe impacts that Peabody Coal Company's water withdrawals from the Navajo Aquifer were having on the environment, cultures and well-being of the Hopi and Diné (Navajo) living on Black Mesa. For almost 30 years, the peoples' voices were not heard in the public processes and Peabody's water usage and mining activities went virtually unchallenged. Peabody was allowed to operate without any meaningful input from the people whose lives were so drastically altered by the company's activities. Wells, washes, and ancient springs were beginning to run dry. Cracks and fissures were appearing across Black Mesa - and the centuries old cultures of the Hopi and Diné that depended so heavily upon the pristine aquifer for religious, cultural and day-to-day uses, were suffering as a result.

For the last 5 years, Black Mesa Trust has been working to educate Black Mesa residents and the wider public about the impacts of Peabody's pumping. Daily, the mining company pumps 3.3 million gallons of pure groundwater from the aquifer to mix with crushed coal, which is then slurried to Laughlin, Nevada, 273 miles away, to feed the Mohave Generating Station. The poisoned water is neither reclaimed nor reused. Ultimately, Black Mesa Trust seeks to stop Peabody's needless water pumping and permanently secure the Navajo Aquifer, with its surrounding springs and watershed, for present and future generations who will value its unique influence upon the indigenous people and their environment.


Our Hopi Beliefs: We believe Black Mesa represents the earth center, Tuuwanasave'e. Underneath lies untold wealth. We believe the aquifers breathe. They breathe in the rain and snow and breathe out in the form of springs. The springs are breathing holes -- passageways to Paatuuwaqatsi (the water world). Over 30 years of groundwater pumping by Peabody has weakened the water pressure and weakened the aquifer's breathing, causing many of our springs and washes to dry up. We believe it is time for everyone, especially the indigenous peoples of Black Mesa, to unite in defense of our sacred waters. We are, therefore, committed both to implementing educational and advocacy initiatives, which empower effective local participation in decision-making activities and also to developing formal programs that educate and prepare our children for future leadership in this regard.

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