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Tribal Natural Resources News
TRIBAL NATURAL RESOURCES
Native American tribes around the West are making critical decisions regarding the management of their natural resources — land, water, fossil fuels and renewable resources. The Tribal Natural Resources Desk aims to produce objective reporting to tell stories of tribes empowering themselves through stewardship and decision-making around their natural resources.
A growing global debate over an energy source with a deadly past is playing out amidst the sweet sage and pine trees of the forests right by the Grand Canyon. More than a decade since the disastrous Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan, interest in uranium is on the rise again. And Arizona has cleared the way for a once stagnant mine to resume operations.
The U.S. House Committee for Indigenous people held hearings Tuesday on Congressman Raul Grijalva’s bill to permanently protect Oak Flat from a proposed copper mine.
Firefighters are bracing for gusty winds Wednesday as they continue containment efforts on the G22 fire burning about ten miles northwest of Cibeque on White Mountain Apache tribal lands.
More than a year into the pandemic, it’s hard to find anywhere that has escaped the coronavirus. But one Arizona community near the Grand Canyon has been able to utilize its isolated location as a defense. That has meant sacrificing the tourism business the community relies on.
→ Get The Latest News On COVID-19 In Arizona
→ Get The Latest News On COVID-19 In Arizona
In neighboring Sonora, Mexico, members of the Indigenous Comcaac Nation, often called the Seris, have long struggled for access to clean water in their two towns on the Sea of Cortez. Last Saturday, they walked miles to a sacred site for their people to demand the Mexican government provide them with potable water and other basic services.
→ More News From The Fronteras Desk
→ More News From The Fronteras Desk
The Navajo Nation was one of the hottest spots for transmission of COVID-19 in the world. So it was good news last week when the Nation had its first day in more than six months without a new reported COVID-19 case. But this week there have been renewed concerns as the Nation saw its first confirmed case of the U.K. variant of the virus.
The Department of Interior received input on its oil and gas policy last week in a virtual meeting where it heard from a variety of sources.
One participant recalled that in 2016, an exploding oil well in New Mexico forced about 50 residents in the Chaco Canyon area to evacuate.
Receiving a MacArthur Foundation Genius grant immediately puts the recipient on a new creative track, with opportunities to expand upon previous ideas or utilize the support to innovate.
Lauren Redniss was given her grant in 2016 and has gone on to write several books — including her most recent one, "Oak Flat: A Fight for Sacred Land in the American West."
The Navajo Nation has managed a dramatic turnaround after a widespread COVID-19 outbreak on the reservation this winter. On Tuesday, the tribe reported zero new cases and no deaths.
COVID-19 has wrought unfathomable devastation on the Navajo Nation. The reservation has seen one of the highest rates of death from the virus in the world. But a year into the pandemic, the Navajo Nation has managed a dramatic turnaround in its outbreak and is now outpacing Arizona in administering vaccines.
The Forest Service has rolled back a decision that would have cleared the way for one of the largest copper mines in the U.S., but the project is still on the table.
The Biden administration this week put a pause on a land transfer that would have allowed an international mining company to build a massive copper mine near Superior.
The U.S. Forest Service issued a Final Environmental Impact Statement in January that cleared the way for one of the largest copper mines in the U.S. in the Tonto National Forest. The agency has now rescinded that decision.
A federal judge has rejected a request by the grassroots group Apache Stronghold to keep the U.S. Forest Service from transferring a parcel of land to a copper mining company.
The Ajo Farmers Market & Cafe stands near the town square. Before the pandemic, it sold food and art from local farmers and artists. Back in October, every surface was filled with boxes and bags of produce and dry foods, all of which was given away to families in need.
With many of us spending much more time at home over the last year, the common things we’d do most days have become much less common. For those who can work from home or order groceries via an app, the overall effect on our lives hasn’t been extremely dramatic. But many residents of the Navajo Nation and members of the Hopi Tribe have much greater challenges.
A judge heard oral arguments Wednesday in a case involving Oak Flat, a section of the Tonto National Forest that could become one of the largest copper mines in the United States.
A coalition of tribes and conservation groups has tried to block a land swap that would give part of the forest to a London-based mining company.
Winter storms have finally arrived in Arizona, bringing cold temperatures up north, but a new program helps keep members of the Navajo Nation supplied in firewood. In the winter, temperatures on the Navajo Nation can get down to single digits. Most homes on the reservation are heated with wood stoves, but wood can be hard to come by.
Roosevelt Row Community Development Corporation and partner arts organizations have selected Indigenous and Latino artists in Arizona to create art on a shipping container in downtown Phoenix. The project is called "UNCONTAINED," and the first of four artist’s work is now on display.
A coalition of tribes and conservation groups have filed suit against the U.S. Forest Service to block a land swap that would give part of Tonto National Forest to a London-based mining company.
President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn into office tomorrow in Washington, D.C. With that comes a lot of expectations from interested parties around the country — including tribes.
