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.
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.
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What are you reading this summer? We have some suggestions by Arizona writers for adults and youth or those who don’t want to adult for a minute and feel their youth again. Hear their stories on this Season 5 ender of “Word,” a KJZZ podcast about the literary arts in Arizona and the region, hosted by Tom Maxedon.
Resolution Copper wants to build a copper mine in that part of the Tonto National Forest that would become one of the largest in the country. They say it would provide more than 1,000 jobs to a part of the state that needs them, but conservationists and American Indian tribes say it will irreparably harm the environment there.
What do indigenous futurism, young adult fantasy literature and climate have in common? Find out on "Word" — a KJZZ podcast about the literary arts in Arizona and the region hosted by Tom Maxedon.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has sent a nearly 20-year-old water rights lawsuit by the Navajo Nation back to a federal courtroom in Arizona, where the case has been thrown out twice before.
The Chaco Canyon area of New Mexico might provide insights on what the Biden administration's environmental policy will look like. About 90% of the Chaco Canyon region has been leased out for oil and gas drilling over the years, and people who live in this corner of northwest New Mexico have started to push back.
→ Biden's 100-Day Plan: The Impact On Arizona
→ Biden's 100-Day Plan: The Impact On Arizona
Tribes reliant on the river’s flows for agricultural, municipal and industrial use are gearing up for years of negotiation over future policies. Climate change is projected to lessen flows in the Colorado River.
The Navajo Nation has approved a couple of solar projects that will provide electricity to tribal communities.
Oak Flat in Pinal County has become the centerpiece of the battles between Native American tribes to preserve their sacred land and mining companies that want to generate revenue and create jobs. Washington Post Reporter Dana Hedgpeth recently wrote about Oak Flat.
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.
