What inspired HOLES IN THE SKY?

While I was researching Mount Graham, known to the Apaches as dzil nchaa si’an, I discovered it was a sacred sight with much legal, political, local, national and international intrigue. The controversies boil down to an age old debate of religion vs. science and in a much larger sense, the destruction of a traditional Native American site for the so-called greater good of man.

If you have been in the area you know that the sky is not polluted by light and therefore millions of stars are readily seen from Mount Graham. It is the perfect place for an observatory. Being that it is an international observatory funded by the University of Arizona, the Vatican, the Max Planck Institute and others, the Apache people are fighting an ongoing and uphill battle to maintain and regain what they consider sacred ground.

Because of the Vatican's involvement the telescope has been called "the Pope scope” and is part of the Vatican Observatory, one of the oldest astronomical establishments. To add insult to injury to the Apache, the project of building the observatories was originally called the Columbus Project.

All of these reasons gave me pause and easily gave me a political, religious and international tale of intrigue. HOLES IN THE SKY was born out of necessity to tell the world of what I and many others perceive as a wrong to the Apache nation.

If you want the details of what is going on in the long, ongoing court fight just google Mount Graham Observatory. While I advocate for knowledge, in this case I feel a sacred place has been stolen from the Apaches and all Indian nations.