Dear HCN,
Ganados del Valle is not
an organization which “attacks reputations’ and smears them in our
valley’s “red brown mud” (HCN, 10/16/95). Over the past five years
we have had several opportunities to tell the story of the history
of the lawsuit brought by the attorney general of New Mexico
against the Sierra Club Foundation. We chose not to do so because
we felt the injustices done were so clear and documented (Judge
Legge’s version notwithstanding) that the Sierra Club Foundation
would have to come to the table sooner rather than later to settle
the matter. They did not. They took the
consequences.
Writer Ray Ring offers no support
to his unsubstantiated and insulting description of Ganados
behavior in this matter. We find it interesting that he omitted the
fact that many members of the local Sierra Club Chapter had opposed
the foundation’s legal position because they felt that prospects
for sustainable environmentalism in New Mexico involved
partnerships with the people who live on the land. We who live on
the land must practice environmentalism to retain our cultures.
Environmentalists are our natural allies. In fact, they are a
significant portion of Ganados supporters, customers and rank and
file membership divided from the people of the
land.
We hope that one of the good things that
comes out of this lawsuit is that members of environmental
organizations demand accountability from their paid professionals.
And think about it, wouldn’t you rather have your dues work at home
rather than San Francisco or Washington,
D.C.?
Loyola Archuleta
Los
Ojos, New Mexico
The writer is
chairperson of the Ganados del Valle board of
directors.
HCN
replies:
You distort our story by taking a
sentence out of context. As for your observation about the
relationship between environmentalists and those who work the land,
that is exactly why this paper devoted five pages to the
story.
Ed
Marston
Publisher
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Ganados never attacked anyone.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
