Nestled in the Northwestern corner of present-day New Mexico is the Greater Chaco Region: home to thousands of Diné and Puebloean families. It's also one of the most intense concentrations of oil wells in the country, designated an “energy sacrifice zone” by the Nixon administration in the 1970s. Now, a group of activists who recognize the land’s inherent importance, and who themselves have built lives on and around it, are changing the way this land is leased out—and might preserve this land for good.

“Oh, how I’ve missed you. To think I was away for so long / and you were always there / waiting on the red earth / to hold yourself open / and offer to carry my burden.”

Take Action:

• Find more of Laura’s work at LauraTohe.com
• Follow and take part in the campaign to protect the Greater Chaco Region at PuebloActionAlliance.org

Nestled in the Northwestern corner of present-day New Mexico is the Greater Chaco Region: home to thousands of Diné and Puebloean families. It's also one of the most intense concentrations of oil wells in the country, designated an “energy sacrifice zone” by the Nixon administration in the 1970s. Now, a group of activists who recognize the land’s inherent importance, and who themselves have built lives on and around it, are changing the way this land is leased out—and might preserve this land for good.

“Oh, how I’ve missed you. To think I was away for so long / and you were always there / waiting on the red earth / to hold yourself open / and offer to carry my burden.”

Take Action:

• Find more of Laura’s work at LauraTohe.com
• Follow and take part in the campaign to protect the Greater Chaco Region at PuebloActionAlliance.org