First Americans

Tribes use this site to this day for sacred gatherings. They would not have that access. There are many, many things about this site -- major geoglyphs (very large ones), burial sites, several thousand stone-tool making pieces, entirely intact artifacts and a lot more. The turbines are 450 feet tall and wingspans the size of jetliners. Would you want to sit and meditate underneath those? Anyplace else they could put the turbines would just make something else worse. There are rocky mountainous areas up against the site that are protected bighorn sheep habitat, and homes already just half a mile away, too close for safety, some surrounded on three sides by turbines if this gets built. They take their children here and teach them the ancient ways. They do dreamquests out there on this site, important rituals in their culture.

Of the 3 main geoglyphs they would be left with a sliver of a view of just one. Pattern's idea of mitigation is donating money to a museum and for scholarships. The Indians don't want money. They want their rights and religious respected.

The tribes also consider views of the sacred mountains (this is the site they consider the origin of their creation) and don't want to lose that either. Viejas is not an unreasonable tribe. They sued a water district to stop desecration of graves, but settled with the district when the district agreed to mitigation - the tribe said all along that at that site, going around was an option. But not here.

All the tribes say there is no possible mitigation. If the project is built, their heritage is lost.