On May 16th, Sarah Augustine will join the Climate Cafe Multifaith for a conversation centering the fight to preserve the outdoor sanctuary Chi’chil Biłdagoteel (Oak Flat), a center for worship, food-gathering, and tribal heritage for the San Carlos Apache, and part of the Tonto National Forest in Arizona.

In 2015, this high desert plain of oak woodland was part of a land swap, a swap that meant this previously protected eco-system, sanctuary, and first-food source was at risk for open pit copper mining. The San Carlos Apache and their allies have vigorously opposed the mine, their organizing movement is Apache Stronghold.

Sarah Augustine, a long-time facilitator, law advocate, and Indigenous educator, is involved in efforts to stop the mine. She is the author of the book The Land is Not Empty (Herald Press, 2021), and co-hosts the Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery Podcast.