Interesting, Important, Impressive
–Greg Brandt, Listener
Sacred Places to Indigenous Peoples are under threat in America.
Mining, Water Marketing, and Energy Development threaten Large Scale Environmental Damage
Activist, educator and media producer, Gina "Tracker" Quinone (Chiricahua Apache), whose family once lived on tribal lands siezed for the development of the Atomic Bomb, knows what it feels like to lose access to traditional lands, but also to her place based culture, a devastating and heartbreaking loss, stripping away connections to a homeland that exists only in memory.
Robert Lundahl, Filmmaker and Journalist, made his name with documentary films about this loss of land and culture across the West, from the Elwha River in Washington State, to the Mojave Desert of California, Lundahl's work informs and inspires about these critical issues.
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Creative FRONTLINE Radio Series on KPFK Los Angeles, All Images, Text and Video, Copyright ©Robert Lundahl, and Tracker Ginamarie Rangel Quinone, All Rights Reserved.
Creative FRONTLINE Episodes may be republished online under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that they provide proper attribution and link to our web site.
Emmy® Award Winning Stories
Creative FRONTLINE Investigates
In Print
Original articles published in Salem-News.com
Bonnie King, Publisher
Mar-25-2024 rewilding LA: Matilija Dam History and Ecosystems
Oct-07-2023 A Story Told: Benefits or a Curse at Thacker Pass?
Sep-11-2023 Dorece Sam: SLAPP Suits and Dirty Deals
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/september112023/dorece-sam-slapp-suits-rl.php
Aug-14-2023 Chasing the American Dream in Lithium Valley
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/august142023/american-dream-lithium-valley-rl_.phpJuly 19, 2023 New Series on KPFK Features Voices of Land Defenders and Environmental Justice Advocates
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/july192023/creative-frontline-lundahl.php#videoJun-28-2023 What Do We Mean by Environmental Justice? A Legacy of Greenaction
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/june282023/greenaction-environmental-justice-rl.php#videoJun-03-2023 Thacker Pass, An Archaeological Perspective
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/june032023/thacker-pass-archaeological-rl.php#videoMay-24-2023 The Fight to Save Thacker Pass
Peehee Muhu: Rotten Moon
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/may242023/will-falk-thacker-pass-rl.php#videoMay-03-2023 Oak Flat: The Story Behind the Story
Mahlee Yellowfeather, Great Granddaughter of Geronimo
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/may032023/oak-flat-geronimo-rl.php#videoApr-13-2023 The Land You Know Has Been Given to You
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/april132023/the_land_you_know-rl.php#video"Who Are My People?" Television documentary by Robert Lundahl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWJMLYi0iGs
Press Screeners
LITHIUM IN AMERICA tells the not unfamiliar story of industry and government pushing forward huge energy projects with market driven exuberance despite local opposition and failure to consult with tribes.
The film shines a light on these questionable practices as we interview leaders and members from 5 tribes with respect to 4 major projects in 3 states that are bellweathers of policy today, and which represent a common mindset and set of practices, however misguided.
According to Popular Mechanics Magazine,
"This high concentration (of lithium) is found primarily at Thacker Pass in Nevada, and is already a controversial mining location. The area, also known as Peehee Mu'huh, is the homeland of many indigenous tribes and played an important role in its historical clash with U.S. soldiers. An indigenous organization dedicated to protecting the site even called potential mining operations a form of “green colonialism,” and is also engaged in stopping a mining site on the Oregon side of the caldera as well.
Apart from its cultural impact, any mining project in the area could also affect groundwater levels for local farmers and ranchers, not to mention its disruption to local fauna, such as pronghorn antelope, golden eagles, and sage grouse.
Right now, the McDermitt Caldera is a 40 million metric ton lithium conundrum with no clear answer."
Featuring:
-Dorece Sam (Pai-Sho)
-Josephine Dick (Pai-Sho)
-Will Falk, Attorney
-Max Wilbert, Author
-Preston Arrow-weed (Quechan)
-Faron Owl (Quechan)
-Luis Olmedo (Comite Civico Del Valle)
-Pat Gonzales Rogers, Yale School of the Environment
-Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland
-Naelyn Pike (Apache)
-Matthew Leivas, Sr. (Chemehuevi)
-Sean Milanovich (Cahuilla)
Narration by Robert Lundahl
Written and Directed by Robert Lundahl
Produced by Robert Lundahl and Tracker Ginamarie Rangel Quinone (Apache)
With Bradley Angel, Greenaction
and Preston Arrow-weed (Quechan)