Indigenous, historic preservation groups object to wind project near Jeffers Petroglyphs
The project, the first large-scale wind and solar plant in the state, would impair the 'viewshed' of the historic site.
February 4, 2021 — 6:01pm
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The Big Bend project planned for southern Minnesota would be one of the state's biggest wind farms, and paired with a large solar plant, would be different from any other power project in the state.
But Big Bend's proximity to the Jeffers Petroglyphs site — sacred to Indigenous people — has alarmed the state's historic preservation office and the Lower Sioux Indian Community.
"I just want to emphasize that to the Lower Sioux this project is considered a high priority," Cheyanne St. John, the tribe's historic preservation officer, told Minnesota utility regulators Thursday. "This site is highly significant to the Upper Sioux and Lower Sioux (communities), but also to tribes that are out of state as far as Missouri."