{"id":7,"date":"2026-05-08T17:23:44","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T17:23:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/protectpesla.org\/?page_id=7"},"modified":"2026-05-08T18:51:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T18:51:00","slug":"home","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/protectpesla.org\/","title":{"rendered":"Home"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"7\" class=\"elementor elementor-7\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c956795 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"c956795\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;video&quot;,&quot;background_video_link&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/protectpesla.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/output.mp4&quot;,&quot;background_play_once&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-video-container elementor-hidden-mobile\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<video class=\"elementor-background-video-hosted\" role=\"presentation\" autoplay muted playsinline><\/video>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ea8038 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3ea8038\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">PROTECT PE\u2019 SLA<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9340b21 elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"9340b21\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/actionnetwork.org\/petitions\/add-your-name-protect-sacred-site-pesla\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">SIGN THE PETITION<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ec68bb6 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"ec68bb6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-93a8d51 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"93a8d51\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">SACRED INDIGENOUS LAND<br>\nAND RIGHTS ARE UNDER ATTACK<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4941629 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4941629\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In the sacred \u021ee S\u00e1pa, known in English as the Black Hills of South Dakota, the Lakota sacred site known as Pe\u2019 Sla (\u201cpay-SHLAH\u201d) is currently under attack by mining activity.<\/p><p>On Friday, February 27th, 2026, U.S. Forest Service Black Hills Regional Office issued a permit to drill for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fs.usda.gov\/r02\/blackhills\/projects\/67838\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">graphite<\/a>\u00a0at Pe\u2019sla, a sacred site within our sacred Black Hills and a place of ceremony for thousands of years.<\/p><p>The mining project was proposed by Pete Lien &amp; Sons, a mining company based in Rapid City, SD. This project is the exact equivalent of mining inside the Vatican or at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.<\/p><p>What Pete Lien and USFS are attempting to do would be a direct violation of treaty rights via the Constitutional Treaty of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.archives.gov\/milestone-documents\/fort-laramie-treaty\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fort Laramie (1868)<\/a>. This project is a massive risk to the Rapid Creek watershed, a critical drinking water source for Rapid City, Ellsworth Air Force Base, and multiple Indian Reservations.<\/p><div>What\u2019s at stake around Pe\u2019 Sla is not just the human rights of Indigenous Peoples, but the religious freedom and the environmental safety and health of everyone in the United States.<\/div><p><strong>Why would they do this?<\/strong><\/p><p>Pete Lien &amp; Sons are attacking a known, documented sacred site to undo environmental protections for it &#8211; making it\u00a0<em>much<\/em>\u00a0easier to open a toxic mine in YOUR backyard. Waterways we rely on are at stake here. Pete Lien &amp; Sons are trading our health and environmental impacts for profit and greed.<\/p><p>Pe&#8217; Sla is one of the most documented and agreed-upon sacred sites in the United States. If we don\u2019t come together to protect Pe\u2019 Sla, no sacred site or waterway in the United States is safe.<\/p><p><strong>Facts About Pe\u2019 Sla<\/strong><\/p><ul><li>Pe\u2019 Sla has been a ceremonial site of Lakota, Dakota, and other Indigenous Nations for thousands of years.<\/li><li>In 2014, four Tribes purchased the land title back from a private holder, then worked with the Department of the Interior to put the land into federal trust.<\/li><li>The Tribes and the U.S. gov\u2019t agreed in a Memorandum of Understanding that Pe\u2019 Sla and its surrounding boundary are sacred, unique, and should be protected from mining.<\/li><li>Now Pete Lien &amp; Sons, a Rapid City mining company, wants to drill for graphite inside a protected area.<\/li><\/ul><div>\u00a0<\/div><div>Ways you can protect Pe&#8217;Sla today:<\/div><ol><li>Add your name to this petition<\/li><li>Share this petition with your community<\/li><li>Call the Forest Service at (605) 343-1567 to demand they rescind the permit for Pe\u2019sla drilling and the decision to grant a Categorical Exclusion (CE) for their exploratory drilling permit.<\/li><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e9560a5 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"e9560a5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2f9a4b5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2f9a4b5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>To: U.S Forest Service Black Hills National Forest AND Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke L. Rollins<br \/>From: [Your Name]<\/p><p>We, the undersigned organizations, Tribes, land defenders, water protectors, and individuals, sign this petition to assert our opposition to Pete Lien &amp; Sons\u2019 Rochford Mineral Exploratory Drilling Project (RMEDP).<\/p><p>We celebrate our shared values and our unified voice across communities as we demand the U.S Forest Service deny any permitting of the RMEDP within the critically sensitive and sacred site, Pe\u2019Sla.<\/p><p>We also encourage South Dakota elected officials to honor the Memorandum of Understanding between Tribes, the Federal government, and the State, calling for all parties to protect Pe\u2019Sla from extractive interests.<\/p><p>The approval of this project would be a direct violation of the Great Sioux Nation\u2019s Constitutional human rights by infringing upon the terms of the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie. This project is also a massive risk to the Rapid Creek watershed, a critical drinking water source for Rapid City, Ellsworth Air Force Base, and Tribal lands downstream.<\/p><p>Pete Lien &amp; Sons claims to be trying to locate graphite as a national security measure, since graphite has been classified as a critical mineral. But how does it serve U.S. national security to endanger the water supply of a rapidly expanding Air Force Base and roughly 100,000 American citizens downstream? It doesn\u2019t, and we don\u2019t want this project.<\/p><p>Reject the RMEDP. Deny the permit to Pete Lien &amp; Sons. Protect Pe\u2019 Sla.<\/p><p>Thank you for your time and consideration.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5e328ff elementor-align-left elementor-mobile-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"5e328ff\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/actionnetwork.org\/petitions\/add-your-name-protect-sacred-site-pesla\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">SIGN THE PETITION<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PROTECT PE\u2019 SLA SIGN THE PETITION SACRED INDIGENOUS LAND AND RIGHTS ARE UNDER ATTACK In the sacred \u021ee S\u00e1pa, known in English as the Black Hills of South Dakota, the Lakota sacred site known as Pe\u2019 Sla (\u201cpay-SHLAH\u201d) is currently under attack by mining activity. On Friday, February 27th, 2026, U.S. Forest Service Black Hills [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_canvas","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/protectpesla.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/protectpesla.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/protectpesla.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/protectpesla.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/protectpesla.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/protectpesla.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/protectpesla.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}