Tribal Natural Resources News

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.
Mohave official speaks against national monument
The Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni National Monument has been proposed by Tribal leaders to protect native land and Colorado River water.
Gila River Indian Community played key role in water negotiations
Lower Basin states recently announced a short-term agreement that will keep water in the Colorado River’s reservoirs. Gov. Katie Hobbs, Arizona water managers and Gila River Indian Community Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis recently talked about the accord at a press conference.
Energy secretary announces new grants for tribes
In a visit to Arizona this week, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm announced several grants to fund projects benefiting Indigenous communities.
Retired farrier is teaching the art — and science — of horseshoeing to fellow Native Americans
On a windy day in late April, with dust blowing across an arena on the San Carlos Reservation east of Globe, eight young men, all members of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, are gathered around several horses and a trailer workshop.
Report finds issues in federally run jails in Indian County
A government watchdog advisory released at the end of April finds persistent safety issues with federally run detention centers on tribal land.
Tucson is giving a stretch of land back to the Tohono Oodham Nation
The city of Tucson is returning a portion of ancestral land to the Tohono O’odham Nation in a new resolution unanimously passed by the City Council this week.
Tribe, U.S. officials reach deal to save Colorado River water
A Native American tribe in Arizona reached a deal Thursday with the U.S. government not to use some of its Colorado River water rights in return for $150 million and funding for a pipeline project.
Raúl Grijalva makes the case for Oak Flat legislation
In a letter to Republican Congressman Bruce Westerman of Arkansas this week, Arizona Congressman Raúl Grijalva says he wants a committee hearing on a piece of legislation that would prohibit mining at Oak Flat.
San Juan Southern Paiute lands up for ratification again
Republican Representative Eli Crane of Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District has reintroduced a bill to ratify a treaty that establishes tribal lands in the state for the San Juan Southern Paiute tribe. Crane’s predecessor, Democrat Tom O’Halleran, introduced the same legislation during his term.
During Oak Flat hearing, U.S. says it may release new report
When President Joe Biden took office, his administration acted quickly to unpublish an environmental report that gave the green light to a proposed copper mine in the Oak Flat area of Tonto National Forest. But it may soon republish the report.
More news from the Fronteras Desk
Apache Stronghold returns to 9th Circuit to argue against Oak Flat copper mine
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments Tuesday in a case over a land transfer in the Tonto National Forest that would bring a massive copper mine to a sacred indigenous site about an hour east of Phoenix.
Tribal leaders are working to modernize their economies
Native American communities have long utilized traditional natural resources such as water, lumber, minerals and crops. As they are taking greater roles in the management and preservation of these precious and sometimes finite resources, many are seeking to diversify and modernize their economies and infrastructure.
Grijalva bill seeks to safeguard Oak Flat site
Oak Flat stretches across just over 2,400 acres of the Tonoto National Forest and is a sacred site to the San Carlos Apache Tribe and other Arizona tribes. A last-minute piece of legislation passed in 2014 put its future into the hands of a proposed mining operation called Resolution Copper.
$580M headed to 15 tribes for water rights settlements
Fifteen Native American tribes will get a total of $580 million in federal money this year for water rights settlements, the Biden administration announced Thursday.
Havasu Falls set to reopen in February to visitors
The Havasupai Tribe announced that it is reopening Havasu Falls on Feb. 1. The famous waterfalls near the Grand Canyon were a major tourism draw before COVID-19 restrictions were put in place.
An argument for the protection of geoglyphs in Arizona
Geoglyphs are massive etchings on the land found found all over the world, including in Arizona, where development can threaten their preservation.
This Arizona seed bank keeps a Native agricultural past alive
Long before there were grocery stores and fast-food restaurants, ancient cultures found sustenance in the Southwest through innovative farming techniques. A nonprofit seed bank in southern Arizona is keeping that agricultural past alive, restoring traditional crops and foods that in some cases go back hundreds of years.
More news from the Fronteras Desk
Biden administration releases new guidelines tribal consultation
President Joe Biden pledged to work closer with America’s tribes, and has taken a number of steps to fulfill that pledge. The president recently took another.
Volunteers document springs in sky island country
Although big water projects such as dams are front and center when Arizona cities talk about their water supply, the state’s wildlife relies on natural sources, like springs. A nonprofit is doing a survey on springs in the southern Arizona area known as sky island country.
Cocopah Tribe working to restore Colorado River’s native plants
After more than a century of dam building and development, the Colorado River ends as a trickle at the Arizona-Mexico border. The river was once the lifeblood of the Cocopah, or River People. The tribe has begun trying to return a sliver of that landscape to what it once was.
More news from the Tribal Natural Resources Desk
AZ Court of Appeals sides with San Carlos Apache Tribe in mine case
A proposed copper mine 70 miles east of Phoenix is facing another legal setback. The Arizona Court of Appeals has sided with the San Carlos Apache Tribe in its latest bid to keep Resolution Copper from moving forward.

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