With Red Butte, deeply sacred to the Havsupai, behind him, President Joe Biden on Tuesday proclaimed nearly 1 million acres around the Grand Canyon as the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni — Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument.
“Its official,” Biden said after signing the proclamation, flanked by tribal leaders, conservation groups and a gaggle of White House reporters, all surrounded by sagebrush and in the midst of the largest ponderosa pine forest in the world.
“America’s natural wonders are central to our heritage and our identity as a nation. Conserving them not only protects the livelihoods of the people that depend on them, it preserves key pieces of our history for the full American story for generations to come. It unites us,” Biden said.
“Today marks a historic step for preserving the majesty of this place, first among American landmarks, sacred to tribal nations, revered by every American. It speaks to the soul of our nation.”
The President’s remarks came at the historic Grand Canyon Airport, and after decades of pressure on the part of tribes and conservation groups. Biden also tied the proclamation to his administration’s larger goal of fighting climate change.
“(Preserving lands) are also key to building resilience against drought and climate change. Creeks and streams flowing into the Colorado River supporting farms and ranches across the Southwest, bringing clean water to 40 million Americans,” Biden said.
“Folks, preserving these lands is good, not only for Arizona but for the planet. It’s good for the economy. It’s good for the soul of the nation and I believe it’s the right thing to do.”
Biden’s remarks and proclamation were preceded by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and several Arizona public officials, including Rep. Raul Grijalva, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, Gov. Katie Hobbs, and 2022-23 Miss Navajo Nation Valentina Clitso, who sang the national anthem in Navajo.
The proclamation was an act to right past history and one that had been long fought for, Clark Tenakhongva, former vice-chair of the Hopi Tribe, told the Arizona Daily Sun.
“It’s long overdue. It’s finally a feeling of hope from the horizon from the east, meaning the White House, that this administration is finally looking at tribal issues rather than just talking about it,” Tenakhongva said.
Havasupai council member Stewart Chavez also spoke to the long journey that led to Tuesday’s proclamation, saying the last step happened so fast that it was “almost like whiplash.”
“There are generations before me that are gone that are definitely rejoiceful in the spirit world at this point,” Chavez said. “I think the message that I have is ‘thank you, from the bottom of my heart.’ For someone to have finally acknowledge Indigenous tribes.
And it took this long, but for someone to actually respond, understand the request that we’ve had for years, the importance of preserving not only our history, but also our culture and the land for future generations.”
Tucson Democrat Grijalva thanked tribes for the persistence in efforts to fight for protections over the course of decades.
“It has taken a struggle (to get here) and no one knows that better than the tribal people who have never forgotten that struggle,” Grijalva said.
The new monument comes after years of work on the part of tribes and conservation groups to see areas around Grand Canyon National Park protected from uranium mining in particular.
The monument will largely eliminate the possibility of future mining within the designated area. Existing mines would still be able to operate.
In April, a coalition of 14 tribes began a renewed push for the administration to declare the area a new monument.
Earlier this year, Haaland made a visit to Supai Village to hear from tribal members pushing for the monument.
Haaland also heard from other tribes in the coalition and non-tribal leaders.
“These special places are not a passthrough on the way to the Grand Canyon. They are sacred and significant unto their own right. They should not be open to new mining claims and developed beyond recognition,” Haaland told reporters. “We are in a new era, one in which we honor tribally led conservation, advanced code stewardship and care about the wellbeing of Native people.”
The proclamation includes about 917,618 acres of public lands, split into three distinct chunks. South of the Canyon, the monument encompasses much of the Kaibab National Forest. Northeast of the Canyon, the monument includes much of the House Rock Valley from the edge of Marble Canyon to the Kaibab Plateau.
Finally to the northwest of the Canyon, the monument includes areas spanning from south of Fredonia and the Kaibab Indian Reservation, to the edge of the park.
That’s somewhat distinct from the proposed 1.1 million acres asked for by the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition.
The monument proclamation leaves out several thousand acres of land proposed in the northeastern section.
New mining claims are still not permitted in that area under a 2012 moratorium enacted by the Obama administration, a senior administration official said.
Tribes will have a role in developing and managing the monument, as will state and local agencies, officials also said.
It is not exactly clear what form co-management will take, but officials said tribes with connections to the monument areas will be included in a commission that is meant to “inform and guide what co-stewardship means.
“The proclamation also establishes an advisory committee between tribes, stakeholders, and state agencies such as Arizona Game and Fish, and land management agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service.
“In this time of the climate crisis, Indigenous knowledge is becoming increasingly valuable for the management of our public lands and just want to state that it’s important that we have tribal input into how these lands are being managed,” Haaland said.
The Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni — Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument becomes the nation’s 133rd national monument, and brings the number of national monuments in Arizona to 19.
“Baaj Nwaavjo” means “where tribes roam,” for the Havasupai people, while “I’tah Kukveni” translates to “our footprints,” for the Hopi tribe.
The monument designation was applauded by many who have been working toward the protection of lands around the Canyon for years.
Grijalva has introduced countless bills to do so, and thanked the efforts of tribes and tribal members for getting the administration to act. “[We] are witnessing the culmination of a monumental journey.
Designation of the (monument) is a remarkable triumph and a testament to the unwavering dedication of the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition, local communities, and other allies,” Grijalva said in a statement.
“Together with the Biden-Harris administration, we’re ensuring the protection of the region’s vast and rich natural resources, safeguarding cultural heritage, and preserving the incredible beauty of this iconic landscape for generations to come.”
Recent polls commissioned by conservation groups have shown the monument designation to be popular with Arizonans of all political stripes.
One poll showed that about 75% of Arizona voters supported a monument designation. But that doesn’t mean the new monument won’t ruffle any feathers.
At a public listening session in Flagstaff last month, several Mohave County officials spoke strongly in opposition to the monument designation, saying they had been left out of the process.
In Coconino County, residents of Fredonia and other Arizona Strip communities also expressed displeasure with the monument proposal.
Critics have argued it won’t help combat a lingering drought and could prevent thinning of forests and stop hunters from keeping wildlife populations in check. Utah ranchers near the border with Arizona say the monument designation would strip them of privately owned land.
And the monument effort has been strongly opposed by mining companies that hope to extract uranium from the area.
Energy Fuels Inc. Vice President of Marketing and Development Curtis Moore called the monument designation a mistake and one that is counter to the administration’s own goals on climate change.
Energy Fuels Inc. owns and operates the Pinyon Plain Mine, just south of the Grand Canyon and just north of Red Butte.
While that mine has yet to begin extracting uranium ore, its operations will be unaffected by the monument designation.
“While our Pinyon Plain mine should not be affected by a national monument designation, we don’t think permanently locking off America’s lowest environmental impact and most globally competitive uranium deposits makes sense,” Moore said. “Designating a national monument to stop uranium mining goes against the great weight of science and facts on the ground.”
Energy Fuels has long held that modern uranium mining is much safer and less impactful than past efforts to mine uranium throughout the region, an assertion that tribes and conservation groups dispute.
On the other hand, Alicyn Gitlin with the Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club said she is still having a hard time believing that the monument designation is a reality.
“We’re thrilled and relieved to finally see this happen. It is the culmination of the efforts of tribal members, and conservation-minded people over decades. You know, these fights started in the ‘80s and it’s great to see it now (come to fruition),” Gitlin said.
In 2017, President Barack Obama backed off a full-on monument designation.
The idea faced a hostile reception from Arizona’s Republican governor and two senators. Then-Gov. Doug Ducey threatened legal action, saying Arizona already has enough national monuments.
The landscape of Arizona’s political delegation has since changed considerably.
Gov. Katie Hobbs, Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, an independent, were all on board. Hobbs, a Democrat, has openly urged Biden to issue a designation.
In a letter sent to Biden in May, Hobbs said she heard from people across the political spectrum, including sporting groups and outdoor groups, in support of a monument.
“President Biden’s designation of this new national monument is a welcome decision that will protect cultural sites as well as the communities and recreation jobs that depend on this land. It’s also the result of years of advocacy by Arizona community and tribal leaders who I was proud to support by leading this effort alongside Sen. Sinema in the United States Senate,”
Kelly said in a statement Tuesday: “I’ve had the opportunity to see the Grand Canyon’s beauty from space and up close and there is just no other place like it. Now, generations of tribal residents, hikers, bikers, rafters, and others will continue to enjoy all the Grand Canyon region has to offer to the benefit of our state and our economy.”
The US is filled with wonderous locations for a great getaway.
