Tribes: Windfarm site is sacred ground

BOSTON, July 15 (UPI) -- Two Massachusetts Indian tribes say Horseshoe Shoal, an area in Nantucket Sound where a wind farm is planned, is sacred ground.

The Mashpee Wampanoag on mainland Cape Cod and the Wampanoag of Gay Head on Martha's Vineyard have asked federal officials to reject Cape Wind's permit application, The Cape Cod Times reported.

The tribes say archaeological evidence suggests the shoal, once above water, was used by their ancestors for hunting and fishing and may also have been a burial site. They say disrupting the horizon with 130 wind turbines would disturb their spiritual practices.

U.S. Minerals Management Service, the federal agency reviewing the permit application, has done little to learn of tribal concerns, leaders say.

"MMS has failed its trust responsibility," said Cedric Cromwell, head of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council.

The wind farm has been controversial since it was first proposed. Some environmentalists say the shoal is a nursery for marine life, while some residents complain of spoiled views and sailing routes.