Nicole Horseherder
Nicole Horseherder | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Navajo |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Environmental activist |
| Awards | Heinz Award (2023) |
Nicole Horseherder is a Native American environmental activist. A member of the Navajo Nation, Horseherder is an advocate for water conservation and land reclamation. She co-founded the nonprofit nonprofit Tó Nizhóní Ání in response to the Black Mesa Peabody Coal controversy and is currently the executive director.
Early life and education
Horseherder grew up on the Black Mesa plateau.[1] She graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in Family and Consumer Resources. In 1998, she earned her Master of Arts in linguistics from the University of British Columbia.[2]
Career
After returning home from graduate school, Horseherder learned that the springs which supplied water to her family's farm had run dry.[3] The region's aquifer had been depleted by mining performed by the Peabody Western Coal Company,[4] also exposing local residents to coal dust.[5] Encouraged by community elders, Horseherder turned to environmental activism to fight the issue.[6] In 2000, she co-founded the nonprofit Tó Nizhóní Ání, which translates to Sacred Water Speaks.[7]
From 2000 to 2005, Horseherder ran a campaign to get support to shutdown the Black Mesa Mine. Efforts focused on securing supportive resolutions from local chapter houses.[8] In 2003, the Navajo Tribal Council approved her resolution to cease pulling water from the Navajo aquifer in support of coal mining.[8] Peabody's mining operations were shutdown in 2005.[4] Horseherder also campaigned to close the Navajo Generating Station, a coal powered plant that was closed in 2019 and demolished in 2021.[3]
Horseherder has been critical of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement for failing to enforce reclamation activities of the Black Mesa Mine against Peabody.[9]
Awards and honors
In 2023, Horseherder received a Heinz Award in recognition of her efforts to "protect the water, air and landscapes of the Navajo Nation".[10]
References
- ^ Shapiro, Eben (August 30, 2021). "Water Rights Activist Nicole Horseherder On Sustainability". Time. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ "Native People with Graduate Degrees in Linguistics". Yinka Dene Language Institute. 2007. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ a b Hyman, Randall (December 10, 2021). "From activism to electoral politics: Five Navajo women on the rise". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ a b Eaton, Kristi (September 20, 2023). "Navajo Climate Justice Advocate Awarded Prestigious Heinz Award". Daily Yonder. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ "Nicole Horseherder". Heinz Awards. 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ Becenti, Arlyssa D. (September 21, 2023). "Diné activist receives prestigious Heinz Award for her work on water, mine reclamation". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ Wittenberg, Alexandra (April 29, 2025). "Tó Nizhóní Ání: 25 years of defending Black Mesa". Navajo-Hopi Observer. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ a b Kutz, Jessica (February 1, 2021). "The fight for an equitable energy economy for the Navajo Nation". High Country News. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ Allen, Krista (August 9, 2021). "'It is Peabody's duty': Activists say Peabody is not cleaning up mines on Black Mesa". Navajo Times. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
- ^ Trahant, Mark (September 21, 2023). "Nicole Horseherder wins honor protecting Black Mesa water". Indian Country Today. Retrieved May 18, 2025.