Tribal Resources News

TRIBAL NATURAL RESOURCES

Native American tribes around the West are making critical decisions regarding the management of their resources — land, water, fossil fuels and renewable resources. The Tribal Resources Desk aims to produce objective reporting to tell stories of tribes empowering themselves through stewardship and decision-making around their resources.
The Forest Service is burning Moonset Pit waste pile earlier this year
The Williams Ranger District resumed fuels reduction work on the Kaibab National Forest on Monday. The U.S. Forest Service typically burns the Moonset Pit waste pile in the winter, but fire managers say an earlier burn could be beneficial for the forest.
Navajo Water Warrior Delivers Water To People In Need
Flatbed trucks are loaded with brimming barrels of water, and the teams take off — up and down the burnt orange washboard roads that crisscross the Navajo Nation Reservation. Zoel Zohnnie grew up on a ranch in these vast lands, knowing what it’s like to live without running water, knowing what it means to drive for miles to fill up at a community water station and then haul it back home.
Navajo See Farming Renaissance 5 Years After Mine Spill
Five years ago an EPA crew investigating a mine in Colorado accidentally unleashed 3 million gallons of metal-contaminated waste into the southwest river system. Downstream hundreds of Navajo quit farming as a result. But that’s changed in recent months as the tribe became one of the hardest hit by the coronavirus.
A Year After Kayenta Mine Closure, Questions Surround Cleanup Process
Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva is asking why more hasn’t been done to clean up a coal mining site on the Navajo Nation.
Yaqui Indigenous Communities In Sonora Protest Over Water Rights
Members of Yaqui Indigenous communities in southern Sonora, Mexico, are blocking a federal highway and the railway in a renewed battle over land and water rights. The blockade gained attention this week after stopping the movement of goods headed for the United States.
Struggle To Access Clean Water On Navajo Nation Exacerbated By Pandemic
Clean running water on the Navajo Nation has been an ongoing challenge for decades. The Navajo Water Project was started in 2016 as a way to put a dent in the problem, and it has helped by installing running water systems in 300 households so far. But the coronavirus pandemic has upped the difficulty.
BLM Completes Land Sale To Gila River Indian Community
The Bureau of Land Management has completed the sale of two public land parcels to the Gila River Indian Community. The sale of the two parcels, totaling over 3,300 acres, is in accordance with the Gila River Indian Community Federal Rights-of-Way, Easements and Boundary Clarification Act.
Havasupai Tribe Tells River Trips To Stay Away
As Grand Canyon National Park allows its first trips of the season down the Colorado River, the Havasupai Tribe has told river guides to stay off its land. In the original notice to river outfitters, the Havasupai Tribe banned guides from hiking visitors to its popular waterfalls on its “traditional use lands.”
Tribes Sue Federal Government Over Water Regulation Repeal
Two Arizona Tribes are suing the federal government after President Donald Trump repealed Obama-era regulations defining the scope of the protections of the Clean Water Act.
Arizona Highways: Growing Peaches In Canyon De Chelly
Let’s take a trip between the sandstone walls of Canyon de Chelly in northern Arizona, home of Spider Rock, the remains of ancient villages and ... peaches.
U.S. Energy Department Recommends Mining Access On Fed Lands
The U.S. Energy Department released a report Thursday with recommendations that would make it easier for companies to mine for uranium near Grand Canyon National Park and Bears Ears National Monument.
Groups Provide Relief To Indian Country As Coronavirus Cases Climb
As the number of coronavirus cases continues to climb on the Navajo Nation, the number of people showing up to help one another is also growing. Navajo and Hopi tribes have started a GoFundMe that’s raised more than $400,000.
Lacking Water And Electricity, Navajo COVID-19 Cases Surge
Lacking Electricity, Navajo COVID-19 Cases Surge
The number of coronavirus cases on the Navajo Nation is multiplying rapidly. As of Thursday, there are 241 people with the virus and eight confirmed deaths. The CDC says Native Americans are some of the most vulnerable to the coronavirus because of economic, geographic, and health conditions.
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Navajo Access To Water Compounds Response To Coronavirus
As health officials urge us to wash hands to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, two million Americans without access to clean running water have become some of the most vulnerable. On Tuesday the Navajo Nation reported 49 cases of COVID-19.
Havasupai Tribe Declares State Of Emergency
The Havasupai Tribe has declared a state of emergency over the coronavirus, which has not yet spread to the community of 700 that lives at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
Ajo Cafe Promotes Healthy Living, Educates About Sustainable Indigenous Crops
Until around 10 years ago, Ajo, Arizona, fit the description of a "literal" food desert. A local nonprofit decided to change that label and partnered with members of the Tohono O’odham tribe to farm traditional and indigenous crops in the area.
Conservationists: Oil Drilling Plan Doesnt Do Enough To Protect Chaco
The federal government released a new management plan for oil and gas drilling in the Greater Chaco Canyon area. Conservationists and some tribal members say it doesn’t go far enough to protect the environment and cultural sites.
Border Patrol Pushes Back Against Accusations Of Monument Desecration On Arizona Border
The U.S. Border Patrol unfolded its public demonstration Wednesday of the explosive force used to make way for a large border fence on the border road of the protected monument. Border Patrol officials pushed back against accusations they are desecrating areas of land sacred to the Tohono O’odham Nation in southern Arizona.
On 101st Anniversary Of Grand Canyon Park, Tribes Remind Visitors Of Their Ties
Wednesday is the 101st anniversary of Grand Canyon National Park. To commemorate, a group of Native leaders has launched a project to remind visitors long before it was a national park, the Grand Canyon was a place of great significance to several tribes.
Navajo Nation Wants To Provide Power To LA
Navajo President Jonathan Nez will attend a Los Angeles City Council meeting Wednesday to discuss a proposed partnership. The tribe wants to provide the city with 500 megawatts of clean energy.
Research: Closing Coal Power Plants Benefits People, Crops
Last year's coal-fired power plant closures include the Navajo Generating Station in northeastern Arizona. New data from the University of California San Diego shows benefits to both human health and agriculture in the areas around those shuttered plants.

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