Gabriel Pietrorazio/KJZZ

A cattle herd at the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument.

Cattle ranchers raised opposition to the Biden administration's designation of the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument. 

Cattle ranchers on the Arizona Strip, a stretch of land along the Grand Canyon’s North Rim, say the Biden administration’s designation of a new national monument near the park will disrupt their ability to steward the land for future generations. Among those opposed to the new monument is Daniel Harris with the Arizona Farm Bureau.

"Arizona Farm Bureau is concerned with the impacts to grazing rights, access and ability to maintain those allotments, and therefore cannot support a national monument designation without recognizing and protecting these uses," said Harris. "We have shared these concerns with the [Bureau of Land Management] and White House and realized this was a done deal from day one."

News of the designation prompted uproar Monday night at a last-minute hearing by state House and Senate Republican leaders in Kingman. Rep. Barbara Parker says this decision will also weaken Arizona’s mining industry.