Tribes, lawmakers urge Biden to protect Grand Canyon region with a new national monument

Tribal leaders, elected officials, and others on Tuesday called on President Joe Biden to designate 1.1 million acres adjacent to Grand Canyon National Park as a national monument.

Members of the Havasupai Tribe, Hopi Tribe, Hualapai Tribe and others joined with Arizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema to outline their proposal for Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument.

The designation would honor the tribes' long-standing cultural ties to the Grand Canyon, tribal leaders said — Baaj Nwaavjo means “where tribes roam” for the Havasupai Tribe, and I’tah Kukveni means “our footprints” for the Hopi Tribe — and would protect the area by making a 20-year mining moratorium permanent.

“Today we embark on a national campaign to urge President Biden to designate Grand Canyon National monument under the Antiquities Act,” said Grijalva, D-Ariz. “This campaign is not just about making history, it’s about saving history and its spirit and the people who honored the Canyon.”

Members of the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition say this designation would commemorate and protect sacred land for the tribes that indigenous communities have lived in and around since time immemorial.

“Our spiritual connection is deeply tied into these places along the river,” said Chairwoman Amelia Flores of the Colorado River Indian Tribes. “The settlements, dams, and reservoirs, and now massive solar projects are all impacting our history and our connections to our homelands.”

Edmund Tulasi of the Havasupai Tribe said his people have never left the land near the Grand Canyon and the designation of this monument would protect the area for generations to come.

“The Canyon is part of each and every Havasupai person, it is our home, it is our land and our water source and our very being,” he said. “Designating these areas as a national monument will protect them from contamination, destruction or exploitation and the other harmful effects of mining.”

Wide support exists to stop mining near the Canyon

The monument would include areas in the Kaibab National Forest to the south of the canyon, as well as an area to the northwest along the Mohave-Coconino county line, and to the northeast adjacent to the Kaibab forest.

Part of the designation would make a 20-year mining moratorium, established in 2008, permanent and prohibit new uranium mining in the area.

The public lands surrounding the Grand Canyon contain high concentrations of uranium ore. Mining has occurred in the area for decades and has long posed threats to the environment, wildlife and humans in surrounding communities.

Uranium mining around the Canyon has damaged sacred sites and polluted aquifers that feed the Grand Canyon’s springs and streams, according to the Center of Biological Diversity. Pollutants from mining uranium can also contaminate aquatic ecosystems for hundreds of years or more, threatening downstream communities and fish and wildlife.

According to the Grand Canyon Trust, there is bipartisan support for the permanent ban on new uranium mining around the Grand Canyon. A 2022 survey found that roughly two-thirds of Arizonans support the Grand Canyon Protection Act, which would solidify a permanent ban.

“Given the toxic history of uranium mining in this region, we commend the leadership of the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition to enact the wishes of millions of people hoping to preserve the beauty of this idyllic landscape," said Nathan Rees, Arizona Field Coordinator for Trout Unlimited. "We cannot undo the toxic history that's been left in this region, but we can prevent new contamination from destroying its future.”  

While the designation would ban new mining operations, it would not affect other industries that conservationists have long opposed, like cattle grazing, logging and hunting, which critics say have negatively affected the land and wildlife in the area.

'Water is life, life is water'

Protecting the water source from contamination would be a critical part of the designation, Grijalva said. The Grand Canyon region is a significant watershed for the Colorado River, providing water for drinking and irrigation to more than 40 million people.

“Water is life, life is water,” he said. “Protecting that source, not only for the state of Arizona but for the seven basin states, that’s another opportunity the tribes have provided, not only the administration, but the state and country in general to extend protection to that watershed that doesn’t exist right now.”

The designation of a national monument would also protect that portion of the Colorado River from new diversions, like the construction of dams and reservoirs that would alter water flow.

“The Grand Canyon is one of Arizona’s many national treasures and it’s an important part of our history and our heritage,” said Sinema, I-Ariz. “It’s our responsibility to be thoughtful stewards of our environment and its inhabitants.”

Supporters of the monument designation say it will secure critical habitat for the thousands of species of wildlife in the area. The Grand Canyon region is home to abundant biodiversity and unique ecology and is critical habitat for endangered species like the California Condor.

The monument proposal is the outgrowth of several previous efforts to establish a monument in the greater Grand Canyon area. Grijalva said the tribe’s co-management with the federal government is of critical importance to this designation.

In March, Biden used his executive authority to establish two new national monuments in Nevada and Texas. Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in southern Nevada protects more than half a million acres considered sacred and culturally significant to several Southwest tribes.

Tribal leaders say the designation of the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument would enhance the cultural, natural, recreational, and scientific resources of the region.

Jake Frederico covers environment issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Send tips or questions to jake.frederico@arizonarepublic.com.

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