“Much has been done to protect lands for wilderness, biodiversity, science and recreation, but we have never set aside natural land simply because it is sacred.” -- "The Sacred Land Trust"

Each of the twenty-plus religious groups adjacent to the Baca National Wildlife Refuge understands the land as sacred in its own way. Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, Shinto, Native American, Sufi – their varied perspectives converge around the negative impact that proposed exploratory drilling by Lexam Energy Exploration would have on their ability to carry out their meditative, contemplative and ceremonial practices in this emergent international religious center. 

Colorado College’s advanced seminar “Anthropology 326: Religion and Ritual” spent a week in the San Luis Valley performing team fieldwork on conceptions of sacred place, and the potential impact of natural gas drilling on local spiritual practice. This website is our effort to share what we learned and share informational resources.

On the eve of our departure, Lexam appeared close to getting approval for drilling, and area residents were busy preparing responses to US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Environmental Assessment, insisting that a more thorough Environmental Impact Statement be required. 

A lot can change in a week. During that time, the EPA announced that USFWS’s process failed to comply with NEPA, a candidate for the endangered species list was found in the Refuge, and USFWS received over 46,000 comment letters, and counting…