06/14/2026
——
Adapted from M. P. Hill
The image is a warning. San Carlos Lake was once part of a living system that sustained fish, wildlife, & people. The exposed shoreline & countless dead fish scattered across the drying lakebed reveal an ecosystem in distress.
For Apache people, the Earth is not an object. The Earth is our mother. We call her Nigodzan. The waters, animals, mountains, and people are connected. When one part suffers, all parts suffer.
Across generations, many community members have voiced concerns about pollution entering the watershed from multiple sources, including mining activities, agricultural runoff, pesticides, fertilizers, industrial development, & decades of river alteration. Others point to drought, climate change, & excessive water diversions as contributing factors. Whatever the combination of causes, the result seen in this photograph is undeniable: life is being lost.
The fish lying across this lakebed cannot testify in court. They cannot attend public hearings. They cannot write reports. Yet their bodies tell a story that demands attention.
This image raises deeper questions about responsibility. How much damage can be inflicted upon the land before the consequences become unavoidable? How many warnings must be ignored before the natural world responds in ways that can no longer be controlled?
Many spiritual traditions speak of a time when humanity will be judged by how it treats creation. The Book of Revelation contains a warning concerning those who destroy the Earth. Indigenous teachings carry similar lessons: when people forget their responsibilities to the land, imbalance follows.
Floods, droughts, fires, heat waves, ecosystem collapse, & disappearing water supplies are affecting communities around the world. Whether one views these events through science, spirituality, or both, the message is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
The dead fish at San Carlos Lake are not merely victims of a local environmental problem. They are messengers. They remind us that water is life, that the Earth has limits, & actions have consequences.
Nigodzan is speaking.
The question is whether humanity is willing to listen.
——
Adapted from M. P. Hill
The image is a warning. San Carlos Lake was once part of a living system that sustained fish, wildlife, & people. The exposed shoreline & countless dead fish scattered across the drying lakebed reveal an ecosystem in distress.
For Apache people, the Earth is not an object. The Earth is our mother. We call her Nigodzan. The waters, animals, mountains, and people are connected. When one part suffers, all parts suffer.
Across generations, many community members have voiced concerns about pollution entering the watershed from multiple sources, including mining activities, agricultural runoff, pesticides, fertilizers, industrial development, & decades of river alteration. Others point to drought, climate change, & excessive water diversions as contributing factors. Whatever the combination of causes, the result seen in this photograph is undeniable: life is being lost.
The fish lying across this lakebed cannot testify in court. They cannot attend public hearings. They cannot write reports. Yet their bodies tell a story that demands attention.
This image raises deeper questions about responsibility. How much damage can be inflicted upon the land before the consequences become unavoidable? How many warnings must be ignored before the natural world responds in ways that can no longer be controlled?
Many spiritual traditions speak of a time when humanity will be judged by how it treats creation. The Book of Revelation contains a warning concerning those who destroy the Earth. Indigenous teachings carry similar lessons: when people forget their responsibilities to the land, imbalance follows.
Floods, droughts, fires, heat waves, ecosystem collapse, & disappearing water supplies are affecting communities around the world. Whether one views these events through science, spirituality, or both, the message is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
The dead fish at San Carlos Lake are not merely victims of a local environmental problem. They are messengers. They remind us that water is life, that the Earth has limits, & actions have consequences.
Nigodzan is speaking.
The question is whether humanity is willing to listen.
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