The impacts of colonialism and unseemly research reverberate to this day. But, outside of the social sciences and some genomics, efforts to involve and protect Indigenous peoples remain nebulous. A new perspective piece argues for embedding those ethical frameworks in the rapidly growing field of microbiome research.

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.

Quitobaquito a natural water source near the U.S.-Mexico border in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. It’s a sacred site and historic homestead to a southern Arizona tribe and it houses some of the state’s most endangered species. But the site is now in peril.

The Department of the Interior announced this week that nearly $10 million will be allocated for irrigation projects and power utilities owned by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

On Tuesday, the Bureau of Reclamation announced two drought mitigation measures to ensure the water level at Lake Powell doesn’t dip below what’s required to generate electricity. It’s a significant move one tribe in Arizona hopes will push other water legislation forward.

A new exhibit at Phoenix Art Museum called “Desert Rider” highlights a diverse display of art by Latinx and Indigenous artists of the Southwest.
→ More Arizona arts and entertainment

Earlier this month, the Navajo Nation Council’s Health, Education and Human Services Committee voted against a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage on the largest Native American reservation in the country. The bill is far from dead, however.

Phoenix Fashion Week is hitting the runway April 15-16. The event attracts models, designers and fashionistas from across the U.S., including North Dakota, where Indigenous designer Norma Baker-Flying Horse is from.

Renewal construction will soon be underway at Quitobaquito Springs, a cherished natural water source along the border at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.