Hanadagayus
George W. Bush
President
United States of America
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC

Greetings Brother, 

We send you greetings from the Hodiyanehshon' (Chiefs), Gayaneda' go'ndihwa:nyoh'
(Clanmothers and Faithkeepers), men, women and children of the Haudenosaunee. The Grand Council of Chiefs of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (comprised of the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk and Tuscarora Nations) wish to inform you of our concern regarding the proposed expansion of the St. Lawrence Seaway, which currently flows through over 1,OOO miles of Haudenosaunee Territory.

The Haudenosaunee (also know as the Six Nations) and the Untied States have a special relationship that dates back to our dealings with the Continental Congress and your first President George Washington. Our nations established a firm and permanent peace by the Treaty of Canandaigua of 1794.  By that treaty, the United States promised not to disturb the Haudenosaunee in the free use and enjoyment of our lands.  Article Seven of the treaty stipulates that if our nations have a complaint about the conduct of your people, we are to address our complaint directly to the President.

We now send this letter as our formal objection and complaint by the Haudenosaunee on behalf of all of our nations, to any project designed to make the St. Lawrence Seaway wider and deeper.  The St. Lawrence River is not a canal, it is a living ecosystem.  We have not been consulted in the preliminary discussions of this project as required under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, nor have any of our nations been formally notified that such a major undertaking is being considered. Section 106 requires federal agencies to engage our nations in early, formal consultation on these matters. We remind you that we should be discussing these matters on a nation-to-nation basis.

We are extremely concerned about this proposed project for several reasons. Foremost, we are concerned that the widening and deepening of the waterway would further erode the healthiness of an already weakened ecosystem. As you must be aware, the Great Lakes watershed is the single largest source of fresh water in the world. It is of critical importance that the integrity of the 'water be protected. The proposed expansion of the waterway would pose a direct threat to clean water and endanger the natural environment for all peoples of North America. The healthiness of all peoples is directly related to the healthiness of the environment.

We hold a deep spiritual, cultural and social connection to the water as well as to all,
aspects of Mother Earth. We must all consider the long term impact that such an event
will have on the quality of life for Americans, Canadians, the Haudenosaunee and all
living creatures of the natural world. Leadership is responsible to all peoples to protect
our precious inheritance - water - which is the fundamental element of life.

We are also concerned that by allowing more foreign vessels into our territory, you
increase the risk of more introduced species that will upset the delicate balance of nature.  Municipalities along the St. Lawrence and the Great Lakes are already suffering great hardship due to introduced species such as the zebra mussel, sea lamprey and rough goby.  These species have invaded our waterways and cause serious environmental, economic and recreational nightmares. The main avenue for this introduced species has been from the ballast that has been dumped by foreign ships. By allowing more such ships into our territory, you will increase the opportunity for more species to be introduced and more damage will result. The trough of the propeller wake from these monstrous, ocean-going ships, will further damage the water, disrupting habitat, shoreline integrity, and recreational use of the waterways.

The St. Lawrence River and Great Lakes waterways have served as a major source of life for the Haudenosaunee and other indigenous nations. The water is sacred to our people as it is the life blood of Mother Earth. We cannot survive without clean water. The rivers provide us with a cultural-based lifestyle as well as a source of food. The dredging of the river will result in more loss of habitat, wetlands, spawning grounds and an overall loss to our traditional way of life. We are also concerned that important sacred sites and areas of cultural significance will also be lost, endangered or altered by the expansion of the Seaway. The proposed project would also disrupt the homelands of the Haudenosaunee with the proposed removal of several islands within our territory. We object to the loss of such lands.

When our ancestors first met on the shores the Hudson River, near present-day
Albany, New York, we made a treaty that we call the Guswhenta (Two Row Wampum).  That early 17th century agreement noted that we now travel on the river of life together.  What we do affects each other. Together we must work to restore the health of the environment and protect the ecosystems from which we are. dependant. We call for the restoration of environment that was initially disturbed fifty years ago when the Seaway was first constructed. 

The Haudenosaunee leadership strongly opposes any expansion of the Seaway. We are committed to protecting the land and water as they area  sacred trust that we must protect for the future generations. Destruction to the sacred land and resources can no longer be tolerated.  We ask the you consider our words and put an end to any further planning on this proposed project.

These are the thoughts of our people.  We await your timely response to this important matter.

Dawnaytoh,                                         

Tadadaho                               
Hoya:ne' (Chief) Sidney I. Hill 
Haudenosaunee                      
c/o Onondaga Nation             
Box 319-B                            
Via Nedrow, NY 13120     

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