Naamehnay started from a dream--a real one. It happened the night my first grandchild, Payton, arrived into this world. In my dream I was visited by my great-great granddaughters...they asked, "Great Grandfather, what did you do as Mother Earth was unraveled"? The dream and the birth of Payton created a clear picture of the work I had only been thinking about, but now needed to act on. The next day as I taught a workshop I shared the dream and my plan for documenting stories surrounding coal. One of my students listened intently. At the end of the workshop he came up to me and asked if he could help. He reached deep into his pocket and provided the funding to establish a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Foundation Naamehnay Project - Question of Power. Thank you, Joel.

From the beginning the mission and goals of Naamehnay Project have been very clear to me. In 2005 I began working on the Navajo Nation near the Four Corners area on a project called Dooda Desert Rock. Spear-headed by three powerful Navajo women, I worked with them for the next four years as they halted the building of a third coal burning power plant. Several years later this work became key evidence in Federal court. That evidence documented health issues, gravesite and ceremonial site destruction, and the illegal loss of grazing permits.

For the next four years I’ve traveled from the Navajo Nation to Kingston TN, Uniontown AL, and Bokoshe OK, to communities where I have worked with individuals and families to create a voice for their stories. Stories to educate. Stories to bring change. You may not know these individuals personally. You may not have had the opportunity to visit their communities, but you have reached out to help them by generously supporting Question of Power. Words can never express my heartfelt thanks to all of you.

So once again I'm asking for your continuing support. 2012 projects include: Black Mesa AZ water contamination, Four Corners NM strip mining encroachment and coal ash disposal, Bokoshe OK coal ash disposal, and Fairbanks AK coal ash disposal. Our 2012 plan also includes establishing an educational program for students who are working in their communities to visually tell and share their stories.

Thank you for being a part of our Foundation Family. Working together we can assure the quality of life for our grandchildren, which we know they deserve.

be strong, be safe, Carlan Tapp, Founder

As a mother, grandmother, and great fan of our beautiful planet, taking on Executive Director of Naamehnay Project doesn't seem like a job.  To me it's a gift, an opportunity to work towards the preservation of our natural world for future generations.  Our high tech age brings many conveniences, which I appreciate, especially the immediate dissemination of information, but it takes its toll on our planet: giant television screens, streaming movies, chargers for our gadgets and phones…the list goes on. 

As Carlan has presented to you over the last seven years, our thirst for electricity has a cost on the people living near power plants and coal ash dump sites, but that thirst also effects each one of us. A drop of mercury the size of a quarter can contaminate a 20-acre lake. United States coal-fired power plants produce 48 tons of it each year.  This airborne mercury returns to earth through rain and into our waters.  Bacteria and other processes convert mercury into methylmercury, its most toxic form, which is absorbed by plankton and on up into the food chain.  There is hardly a fish, salt or fresh water, that doesn't contain mercury.  Check the warning on your next can of tuna. 

Americans are resourceful people.  There are solutions and we can make changes through education.  I hate to think that in a few short years our granddaughters may not be able to enjoy a simple meal of fish and chips. 

Nancy Cahan Tapp, Executive Director