FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) - A San Carlos Apache man says he's moving to his ancestral home in a mountainous area of central Arizona to protest a planned copper mine.
Wendsler Nosie Sr. says he'll start a three day, 45-mile walk Thursday from the San Carlos Apache reservation to Oak Flat, east of Phoenix.
He and others intermittently have stayed at the site in protest of the Resolution Copper project. He says the religious gatherings haven't done much to change views in Washington, so he's making the area his permanent home.
Resolution Copper has touted the economic benefits of the project made possible with a federal land exchange.
The U.S. Forest Service plans to finalize an environmental review next year, then transfer 3.75 square miles (9.71 sq. kilometers) of forest land to Resolution Copper.
