Declaration of Rena Babbitt Lane and Zena Lane

Declaration of Zena Lane

P.O. Box 539

Tonalea, AZ  86044

(928) 660-9588

2/11/2012

 

I, Zena Lane declare the following: I was born and lived on top of Black Mesa all my life. Rena Babbitt Lane is my mother. Our family goes back generations and generations.

A Lady Hopi Ranger came to our home on Tuesday, 2/6/2011 at 9:00 AM. She stood outside the doorway. She said “I am checking around and want to see how you guys are doing.” We did not notice she was looking for the animals.  Then she left and saw my brother Jerry herding sheep. She told Jerry “You are on the wrong side of the fence and said there, are a lot of sheep you guys have. She said she was checking around for wild horses and all our animals.” Then Jerry called me and said “The Lady Hopi Ranger is looking around.”  Then I went with my mother to check our cows and when we were going down the road she met us again and said “You guys have a lot of sheep and need to reduce them down.”  She said, “Everything on the permit will stay and if there is overgrazing we are going to pick up everything over the permit.”  She said, “I will impound them and we are not going to tell you when this will happen. We are not going to give you any notice.” I asked her why they won’t tell us just like a thief. She said “We will not tell you.  We are going to work by Hopi law and all animals not on the permit are trespassing.”