"Imagine arriving at your church only to find it filled to its rafters with garbage.

Imagine being one of hundreds of thousands of people who depend on an aquifer for drinking water as out-of-town interests hatch plans to bury more than 30 million tons of trash on top of it.

Imagine a land-use debate that spans more than two decades, with dogged speculators pushing for a trash dump despite evidence that the spot they've picked is fatally flawed.

Welcome to Gregory Canyon in north San Diego County.

The Times' July 5 story, " San Diego County tribe says proposed landfill would be too close to sacred site," touches on the outrage felt among members of the Pala band of Mission Indians about a private developer's proposal to build a 1,770-acre landfill in a sparsely populated, unincorporated part of the county.

And why shouldn't they be angry? For the Pala Indians, Medicine Rock near the Gregory Canyon site is a holy place where rite-of-passage ceremonies are held and where Native Americans make contact with spiritual ancestors.

Joining the Pala tribe in formal opposition are 18 other federally recognized tribes in Southern California. They are understandably incensed."

Get the Story:
Pam Slater-Price: The Gregory Canyon landfill plans should be dumped (7/10)

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