As you can readily see from this rather detailed explanation, nothing could be further from the truth. The court has given all parties a six-month stay in which to freely seek settlement. The parties may do so on any basis within or without the jurisdiction of the court that they see fit. ONFP has sought both to negotiate with the Army and to involve the Congress in facilitating and encouraging such negotiations. And yet the Army still insists on stonewalling ONFP and dealing with the Congress through the misrepresentations and outright lies that have marked their approach to the Noss Family and ONFP from the very beginning.
Time is short.
If settlement is not achieved by the 9th of June, we will have no choice but to proceed to trial in a long and expensive ordeal for all concerned, permitting the Army to successfully stymie our effort to return to the Peak and to complete our work. The Ova Noss Family Partnership One of our supporters, Chris Longe, has provided us with a copy of the letter he wrote to several members of Congress, you might use this as an example of what should be told to Congress. Click here to see Chris' letter. ONFP had been excavating an historical site at Victorio Peak, located within the boundaries of the White Sands Missile Range, under authority of Federal legislation. That legislation set forth the conditions under which ONFP would conduct its excavation, the costs payable to the Army and the requirements for an accounting of the funds paid.