Release Date: April 11, 2023
Media Contact: Emily Thompson
Em************@pr********.org
Coalition Supports Creation of the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument
Today, members of the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition, with House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), held a virtual press conference to urge President Biden to use his authorities under the Antiquities Act to protect the tribal nations’ Grand Canyon homelands and designate it as the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument
Mike Murray, Chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, issued this statement following the conference:
“Grand Canyon National Park was initially protected as a national monument and today, it is one of the most visited national parks in the country.
However, the land surrounding the national park is also home to critical natural and cultural resources, and numerous Tribes maintain cultural connections to their ancestral lands.
Unfortunately, the Grand Canyon watershed remains at risk from threats such as toxic uranium mining. A national monument designation would protect this world-renowned landscape and prevent damage from new uranium mining. It would provide visitors with continued access to outdoor recreation opportunities, protect cultural and archaeological areas, and help ensure the safety of numerous threatened, endangered, and rare species that call this area home.
We stand behind Tribal leadership in support of the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument and urge President Biden to move swiftly to ensure the protection of these culturally and naturally significant lands.”
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