Recreation · Boulder, CO
Access Fund
Plaintiff in the land exchange litigation, fighting for the Oak Flat climbing areas the block-cave mine would destroy
35 staff + 723 volunteers71¢ to the workFounded 1991
Stand · Find your defenders
Who’s defending Oak Flat / Chi'chil Bildagoteel?
2 cases live in federal court over this placeNational forest in Arizona, 2,422 acres, managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
The defenders
The groups doing the most work here
4 groups are on the record for Oak Flat / Chi'chil Bildagoteel, each tied to it by a source our editors read, in the order they carry the weight. Give directly; nothing routes through us.
On the ground
Legal · Tucson, AZ
Center for Biological Diversity
Plaintiff in the federal litigation over the Resolution Copper land exchange, now on appeal at the Ninth Circuit
242 staff + 19 volunteers88¢ to the workFounded 1989
Also in the fight
Advocacy · Oakland, CA
Sierra Club
Its Grand Canyon chapter is a plaintiff in the coalition suit over the Oak Flat land exchange
10,895 volunteers81¢ to the workFounded 1892
Watchdog · Washington, DC
Earthworks
Plaintiff in the coalition suit challenging the Resolution Copper land exchange
58 staff + 11 volunteers75¢ to the workFounded 1988
14 more work nearby but are not tied to Oak Flat / Chi'chil Bildagoteel on the record
On the ground in Arizona
Arizona Trail AssociationThey work only in ArizonaTrailsKaibab National Forest FriendsThey work only in ArizonaFriends GroupPetrified Forest Museum AssociationThey work only in ArizonaFriends GroupSaguaro National Park TrustThey work only in ArizonaFriends GroupSonoran InstituteArizona is one of the 4 states they work inCoalitionGlen Canyon InstituteArizona is one of the 2 states they work inFriends Group
More ways in
Southwest Conservation CorpsArizona is one of the 4 states they work inStewardshipWestern National Parks AssociationBased in Tucson, close to the groundFriends GroupGlen Canyon ConservancyArizona is one of the 2 states they work inFriends GroupWildEarth GuardiansWorking this regionLegalNOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School)Working this regionStewardshipHonor the EarthTheir work includes deserts & blm landsTribalIntertribal Buffalo CouncilTheir work includes deserts & blm landsTribalUtah Diné BikéyahTheir work includes deserts & blm landsTribal
The situation
What’s happening to Oak Flat / Chi'chil Bildagoteel
In 2014, a land exchange rider was slipped into a must-pass defense spending bill during the final hours of a lame-duck session of Congress. No committee hearing. No floor debate. No tribal consultation. In March 2026, the Forest Service signed the decision handing this sacred Apache holy site to Resolution Copper, which will swallow it into a two-mile-wide, 1,000-foot-deep crater.
- 1955Protected from mining by executive withdrawal
- 2014Land exchange rider slipped into defense bill
- 2021Final EIS paused by Biden administration
Forest Service signs the Resolution Copper decision
Source: U.S. Forest Service · March 16, 2026
No public comment window is open on Oak Flat / Chi'chil Bildagoteel right now. A call script is ready on the Public Lands Action Network, and the groups above are how the fight gets funded and argued in the meantime.
In the courts
The cases over this place
The dockets we track that name Oak Flat / Chi'chil Bildagoteel directly. Active first.
ActiveSan Carlos Apache Tribe v. United States Forest ServiceNinth Circuit · filed 2025 · Docket ↗
ActiveApache Stronghold v. United States of AmericaAZD · filed 2021 · Docket ↗
SettledCenter for Biological Diversity v. United States Forest ServiceU.S. District Court, D.C. · filed 2023 · Docket ↗
ClosedApache Stronghold v. USANinth Circuit · filed 2021 · Docket ↗
Our reporting
What we’ve published on Oak Flat / Chi'chil Bildagoteel
Your move
How to stand for Oak Flat / Chi'chil Bildagoteel
GiveGive to Access Fund
Straight to their own donation page. Your dollar never passes through us.
Their donation page ↗SpeakCall your representativesA ready call script on Oak Flat / Chi'chil Bildagoteel, plus any comment window as it opens.
Public Lands Action NetworkFollowWatch the mapEvery threatened place in the country, tracked, with who stands for each.
Threatened Lands MapBuild my lineup around Oak Flat / Chi'chil Bildagoteel: the leading group here opens it, and the other seats fill from this record.
Oak Flat / Chi'chil Bildagoteel has defenders. It needs more.
4 groups on the record, Access Fund with 35 staff + 723 volunteers, 2 live cases in federal court. That is who is holding it. Find your way in.