Tribal members, activists rally against mine project

RENO -- Dozens of Western Shoshone tribal members and activists are holding an annual ceremonial event on the flank of a Northern Nevada mountain that is at the heart of their legal battle against the world's biggest gold mining company.

More than 125 people have turned out for the Western Shoshone Spring Gathering, 250 miles east of Reno. The three-day event ends today.

Organizers say the gathering is intended to drum up support for Western Shoshone and conservationists who are trying to halt Barrick Gold Corp.'s huge project at Mount Tenabo.

A federal judge has refused their request to block the 6,700-acre Cortez Hills project, but their appeal is pending before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Western Shoshone consider Mount Tenabo in northeastern Nevada a sacred landmark. Standing at the intersection of three valleys, it's located on an important north-south trail.

"This is where my family comes from, and it's important to preserve the beauty and sacredness and spiritual life around this mountain," Mary Gibson, a Western Shoshone grandmother, said Saturday.

"This is probably the last time we'll get to see it like this. This country has no right to erase the Shoshones from our homeland. It's our right to be here," she added.