Written by Dexter Kopas.

Joyous voices ring out! The scourge of the Arizona summer is over! Winter has come! Gone is the burn of the scorching sun, replaced by the loving sting of cold air on one’s face. Hooray! To many desert rats, this tradeoff is met with a hint of regret, but not to this friend of the frigid. I welcomed the mix of winter weather out in the White Mountains with great praise, as the Wild Stew Field Crew joined together once more to work on restoring the Dry Blue Creek. 

After a long drive out to our worksite along the Arizona/New Mexico border, our work began on a rainy day with some educational demonstrations from our collaborators from Natural Channel Design Engineering. Mark Wirtanen and Chris Liszewski answered our many questions and showed us all how to build log vanes and boulder clusters. They told us that despite some downcutting, the stream was, structurally, in pretty good shape. The banks are covered in native plants, and the stream meanders across a floodplain, spreading into wet meadows in places. The main issue was insufficient channel diversity, i.e. the stream is mostly an open, free-flowing channel without objects in it. This doesn’t allow a wide variety of animal species to thrive. So, the purpose of our in-stream structure efforts was mostly to create a variety of habitat by changing how the water moves, on a small scale. 

Log vanes are an angled log built across a stream to both stabilize the channel and enhance fish habitat. We used juniper logs harvested from our meadow thinning component of the project (more on that later). The logs are placed at an angle and tilted up on one side, then dug into the banks and buried along with heavy rock to keep them in place during big flood events. The angles of the log work to direct stream flow away from one side of the stream channel, usually an eroding cut bank we want to protect. Fish then like to hide beneath the log. I quite enjoyed our work building 10 vanes. There’s math in figuring out the angles to lay the log, precise digging to lay it down, teamwork to carry the log into place, some rock work to lock the rocks around it, immediate feedback seeing how the water interacts with the log, and you get to play around in the water and mud. 

The other main structures we built were 30 boulder clusters. A bit more straight forward, these are just what they sound like: a grouping of large rocks set into the stream to encourage scouring and spots of reduced water velocity, and to create habitat. Often we could see little fish swimming amongst our rocks right after we layer them down. 

Additionally, we built two large Zuni Bowls to stop head cutting, and one of our old friends, the one rock dam. It was a whole new take on a familiar task when building rock structures underwater “in Braille”, often obscured by murky, finger-numbing waters. 

After finishing the full prescription of in-stream structures, we returned to the meadow thinning we started last year. With the goals of protecting cottonwood habitat and creating a fire break, we felled another 1,344 pine and juniper trees. While that number is impressive, we still have many more trees to cut and structures to build further up stream. It will be satisfying to see the impact of our work over time as we continue restoring the full stream.

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Written by Foster Mellott, Wild Stew Field Crew Member.

We got rained on once again in the Chiricahua Mountains last week. Our full crew of eight hiked in to Cima Cabin, in order to brush, retread and cut some logs on Crest Trail #270B between Junction Saddle and the Monte Vista Lookout. Although we had persistent thunderstorms all week, we didn’t let it rain on our parade.

The hike into camp was nice and short and we were all excited to hang out near the bats in the cabin again. At camp, we got to see a truly pulchritudinous black bear, probably looking for the raspberries growing across the mountains. 

In the rain and snow (there was no snow), the Crest Trail stretched across the environment, like a great sea snake. Our crew managed to brave the weather and brush, degrass and retread two and half miles of trail. While doing that we also built a new rock retaining wall, repaired two other retaining walls and cleared out 48 logs. Unfortunately, we saw no signs of bigfoot at work. 

After work, Sam and I practiced for our newly founded recorder band.  The only feedback the crew would give us about our performance was that we sounded “maladroit,” whatever that means?

Overall the crew had a great time on this hitch. It’s always a good feeling to help keep trails well maintained and help people be able to explore this wonderful mountain range.

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Written by Joseph Cofresi, Wild Stew Field Crew Leader.

We on the Wild Stew Field Crew are no strangers to the Highline Trail. For three years now, we have been returning to this spectacular place traversing the base of the Mogollon Rim near Payson, Arizona. Last hitch, we completed our portion of Phase Two of the Highline Trail Restoration Initiative, which led us directly into Phase Three this hitch, pushing our work on erosion control and sediment capture further east along the Highline, and continuing to… drum roll please … build one rock dams (ORDs)—this time between Dick Williams Creek and Horton Creek. This was my first time working on and seeing the eastern sections of the Highline Trail, and the views of the rim on our hike were as beautiful as ever. It was much more forested than some of the previous sections we have worked along in Phase Two and it’s incredible to see how diverse the extent of the Highline Trail is!

The days were long and often filled with sunshine and prayers for a little precipitation during the work day. (It never came.) The sun beating down on our backs had us sweating up rainstorms of our own. The challenge was primarily to stay hydrated and find shade when we could, while keeping our sanity and fighting off delirium. Our saving grace was Tonto Creek, which was where we ended each work day before heading back to camp. Taking off our shoes, soaking our feet, wetting our bodies to cool down and semi clean ourselves was the sweetest of treats after a long, sweaty day.

We returned to camp after work one day to find Assistant Crew Lead Kile caring for an incredibly cute, adorable, and a little malnourished lost pup that had run up to our camp. He took it upon himself to feed and provide water before going door to door to try and find her owners. She stayed with us for the night, and though we were all ecstatic about the idea of a crew pup, it wasn’t quite feasible given we are out on the trail for 10 hours a day. Kile took the noble route and dropped her off at a nearby humane society so she could receive proper care. A real hero always looking out for the little guy.

Other outside-of-work shenanigans included a couple trips into Payson after work to visit our favorite dining establishment, Alfonso’s, as well as making a couple post-work stops at a beautiful waterfall on Tonto Creek, a little secret shared with us by crew member Julie.

It was another solid hitch of good times and hard work. It’s hard to have a bad time at the Mogollon Rim, especially when by the end of it we can say that we built about 570 ORDs across 1.36 miles of old trail!

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Written by Sage Bradford, Wild Stew Field Crew Member.

This week, our crew began work on a new project on the Tonto National Forest! Wild Arizona is working to help elevate the Hackberry Trail from a social trail to an official system trail. This trail is a long-established and well-traveled user-developed trail winding through the beautiful Superstition Mountains, gifting trail users with gorgeous craggy rock formations and waving saguaros along their way. However, since Hackberry has not been an official Forest Service trail and was just formed by people walking and riding where they wanted to go across the landscape, the hike is precarious in places, traveling steeply up and down fall lines and at points, more of a trench than a trail. Often, the trail braids into multiple parallel paths, making it unclear where exactly to go next. Our crew worked hard for eight days to start addressing these issues.

The primary focus of the week was de-berming and outsloping, adding drainage structures, and building series of check steps to stabilize trenched sections, slowing down water flow and retaining soil. Time was also spent closing and re-naturalizing braided sections. Additionally, we built media luna structures in some old closed sections of trail to slow the flow of water and prevent rapid erosion onto the current trail below. By the end of our hitch, we had installed 35 new drains, 46 steps, 23 media lunas, and 2 cairns. A total of 0.3 miles of trail was worked on. The crew will be returning to Hackberry for future hitches to continue work.

It was exciting to work on the Hackberry Trail over MLK weekend. Being a long weekend, Friday through Monday brought a significant increase in trail users. As groups of horses and hikers passed by, we were able to receive live feedback on our work. This was particularly helpful for our check steps. Because of the high levels of equestrian use on this trail, the crew had to put extra thought into building steps that were adequately spaced for horses and strong enough to sustain their weight. 

At the end of work each day, the crew returned to Lost Dutchman State Park, where we were kindly allowed to stay at a group site. There, the crew peacefully passed the evenings with dinners, card games, runs, stretching, and bike rides. We witnessed stunning sunsets over the Superstitions and discussed some of the legends of the range. No lost gold was found, but each night the sun would bathe the world in golden light. Such marvelous views and good company certainly made me feel rich. 

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(Article reprinted from Inside Climate News)

PHOENIX—Members of environmental groups stood together in the lobby of the Arizona State Capitol Executive Tower late last month to deliver a petition to Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, requesting that she stop uranium mining activities near the Grand Canyon National Park. The Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, National Parks Conservation Association, Wild Arizona, Chispa Arizona and Haul No!, a group formed to fight the mining and transport of uranium, delivered a petition with more than 17,500 signatures to the governor. They are seeking closure of the Pinyon Plain Mine, located less than 10 miles from the Grand Canyon. It is inside the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni—Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, which President Joe Biden established in August 2023. The removal of uranium ore from the mine started in late December. Although the designation prohibits new mining claims and development, it allows prior claims with valid existing rights like Pinyon Plain to continue their operations. Energy Fuels Resources owns the mine, which is approximately 17 acres, and operates it on land managed by the U.S. Forest Service. “This mine threatens to pollute the groundwater that feeds the seeps and springs in Grand Canyon, supporting plants, animals and people,” the petition states. People can develop respiratory disease and toxicity in the kidneys due to uranium exposure, according to the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. There are more than 500 abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo Nation, and the tribe continues to confront the ramifications of mining activities on tribal members and the environment. This includes advocating for federal money to clean up abandoned mines and compensation for former mine workers. No one from Hobbs’ office met the group or accepted the written requests in person. Instead, the activists left the petition, the groups’ latest action attempting to get the Democratic governor’s attention, with the executive receptionist on the first floor. In January, the groups sent a letter to Hobbs urging her to revisit permits issued for Pinyon Plain Mine and seeking her help closing it. They said she has not responded to the letter. A spokesperson with the governor’s office confirmed on July 11 that the petition was received.

“Gov. Hobbs will always put the health and safety of everyday Arizonans first. Pinyon Plain is one of the most closely regulated mines in the country, with an extremely stringent permit,” Liliana Soto, press secretary for the governor, said in a statement. Energy Fuels Resources President and CEO Mark Chalmers said groups opposing the mine failed to prove their claims about the permitting process in court and are now conducting a “public disinformation campaign.” “The Pinyon Plain Mine has been studied extensively for more than 30 years, with input from federal and state agencies, regulatory bodies and tribal stakeholders resulting in the issuance of all required permits for the mine,” Chalmers said in a written statement. “Unfortunately, this smear campaign is designed to scare local and Indigenous communities by spreading misinformation and innuendo,” he said. “We are proud of the Pinyon Plain Mine and its role in reducing reliance on bad actors like Russia for the fuel that powers one of our best sources of carbon-free electricity.” Vania Guevara is the advocacy and political director with Chispa Arizona, a program under the League of Conservation Voters that is dedicated to increasing Latinx voices in policies that address climate change and the environment. Guevara said it is urgent for Hobbs to address uranium mining because it threatens the health and safety of Indigenous communities. A dozen tribes have ancestral, ceremonial and traditional connections to the region, including the Havasupai Tribe, Hopi Tribe, Hualapai Tribe, Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians, Las Vegas Paiute Tribe, Moapa Band of Paiutes, Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, Navajo Nation, San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, Yavapai-Apache Nation, Pueblo of Zuni and the Colorado River Indian Tribes. Chispa Arizona helped collect signatures as part of its support of protections for the Grand Canyon. Its work includes organizing camping trips to the canyon for Maricopa County residents. “Many of our community members don’t have the resources to camp or get up there,” Guevara said. “So, it’s something that we’re really passionate about, having access to public lands.” During the petition delivery, Guevara was among those who held banners inside the tower’s lobby stating, “Shut down Pinyon Plain Uranium Mine,” along with an illustration of a ram skull with a radiation symbol, or trefoil, on its forehead. “We support clean energy transition, but we never want it to be at the expense of the Earth, the environment or our Indigenous communities who are first and directly impacted,” she said.

Pinyon Plain Mine is situated above the Redwall-Muav Aquifer, the source of drinking water for the village of Supai on the Havasupai tribal land at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. The aquifer also feeds springs in the canyon. The mine is at the foot of Red Butte, a prominent peak sacred to the Havasupai. “Those springs and streams are incredibly important to people and biodiversity, endangered species, the Havasupai Tribe, and neither industry nor regulators can ensure that uranium mining won’t permanently damage that water,” said Taylor McKinnon, the Center for Biological Diversity’s Southwest Director. “The safe thing to do, the prudent thing to do, is to avoid that risk altogether and close the mine. Permanently harming the Grand Canyon’s aquifers and seeps and springs is not a risk that’s worth taking,” he added. “We need the governor to act.” Although the mine is on federal public land, Carletta Tilousi, who is Havasupai, said Hobbs’ role as governor is significant in the effort to end Pinyon Plain because she oversees the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, which administers the state’s environmental laws, and appoints that agency’s director.

Additionally, the department shares regulatory responsibility for certain federal programs delegated by the Environmental Protection Agency, according to the Arizona Secretary of State. This regulatory responsibility includes issuing air and water quality permits for Pinyon Plain Mine. “ADEQ performs regular and thorough inspections of the mine, working closely with local and county partners, and stands ready to take appropriate action if violations are found,” Soto said in the statement from Hobbs’ office. “The state will also continually evaluate our procedures and safety requirements to ensure the mine is operating in a way that keeps our communities safe now and into the future.” The Havasupai Tribal Council stated in January that they remain opposed to uranium mining in and around their tribal lands and the Grand Canyon. “We feel that she needs to look deeper into what’s happening and what permits are being given to which companies,” Tilousi said. “These mining companies aren’t benefiting us at all. I don’t think they support anything in the state of Arizona. They just mine and leave.” Because of increased pricing for uranium and support for nuclear energy to help address climate change, Energy Fuels Resources began extracting uranium ore last year at Pinyon Plain and two mines in eastern Utah. The company is preparing two more mines for production in Colorado and Wyoming this year, it announced in a news release in December.

“The Pinyon Plain Mine is a small mine that will play a big role in providing domestically sourced uranium—the naturally occurring element that fuels safe, reliable and carbon-free nuclear energy,” Chalmers said. He added that nuclear accounts for approximately one-third of the electricity used by Arizona residents to power homes, schools, businesses and electric vehicles. Energy Fuels Resources plans to start hauling ore from the three operating mines to its White Mesa Mill near Blanding, Utah, where it will be stockpiled until processing begins in 2025. Transporting the ore is another issue for Tilousi, who is a member of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council. “My concern is the safety of the people on that road,” she said. “What happens when there’s a spill or a wreck or an accident? Who’s going to clean it up?” Members of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe oppose the transportation plan because several members live in the White Mesa community, which is adjacent to the mill site, while leaders and members of the Navajo Nation oppose the route because it crosses the tribe’s land. Former tribal President Ben Shelly and the 22nd Navajo Nation Council enacted a law in 2012 that prohibits transporting uranium and other radioactive materials across the Navajo Nation unless it relates to the cleanup of past activities related to uranium mining and milling sites on the tribe’s land.

“What happens when there’s a spill or a wreck or an accident? Who’s going to clean it up?”

“The Navajo Nation has the right to exclude nonmembers and to condition their entry onto Navajo Nation lands and has the independent sovereign right and duty to protect the health, welfare and safety of the Navajo Nation and its citizens,” the tribal law states. Energy Fuels Resources is authorized to use two routes that travel on state and federal highways, including those on Navajo land, according to Kaibab National Forest’s website. The roads are under the authority of the Arizona Department of Transportation, and the agency is not bound to comply with the tribe’s law from 2012. In April, the Navajo Nation Council and tribal President Buu Nygren reiterated the tribe’s stance against uranium mining and associated activities. The resolution signed by Nygren includes a letter written by him and tribal council Speaker Crystalyne Curley to Biden that asks the president to use his executive authority to stop the planned transportation across the tribe’s land before it starts. “Furthermore, we implore you to publicly support a legislative solution that would reinforce the sovereignty of tribal nations, enabling us to enforce our laws and protect our people,” Nygren and Curley wrote in the letter. They also reminded Biden that Navajo leaders were “encouraged” by the establishment of Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni national monument. “Our support for the monument reaffirmed our stance against the transportation of uranium across Navajo lands, which not only endangers our communities but also contradicts our sovereign rights to enforce our laws and protect our territory,” the tribal leaders wrote. In a news release on July 10, Nygren repeated the tribe’s position opposing trucks using roads on the Navajo Nation to deliver uranium to Utah.

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News Release June 27, 2024

Phoenix, AZ  – Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, National Parks Conservation Association, Wild Arizona, Chispa Arizona, and HaulNo!, as well as Havasupai Tribal members, delivered more than 17,000 petition signatures to Governor Katie Hobbs today urging her to use her authority to close the Pinyon Plain uranium mine that threatens the waters of Grand Canyon and the Havasupai Tribe. 

This comes after the groups, scientists, and many others sent a letter to the governor in January, outlining the threats posed by this mine and asking for her assistance with its closure.

“The Havasupai Tribe, other Tribal leaders, and those who care about protecting Grand Canyon and its waters have fought the Pinyon Plain uranium mine for decades, because it threatens the waters of Grand Canyon and the Havasupai,” said Sandy Bahr, director for Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon (Arizona) Chapter. “Governor Hobbs can and should help shut down this mine as once the mine contaminates the groundwater, there is no way to clean it up. The best way to protect Grand Canyon and the people who depend on its waters is to move forward with closure of this mine.” 

The Pinyon Plain mine, which began extracting uranium ore on January 8th, is seven miles south of Grand Canyon National Park and inside the newly designated Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument. Although President Biden’s national monument designation permanently bans new mining claims and development inside the monument, it exempts preexisting claims with valid existing rights like the Pinyon Plain uranium mine. 

“Neither industry nor regulators can guarantee that the Pinyon Plain uranium mine won’t irretrievably damage aquifers that feed Grand Canyon’s precious springs,” said Taylor McKinnon, Southwest director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “That’s not a risk worth taking. The Center stands with the Havasupai Tribe in requesting that Governor Hobbs close the mine now.” 

The petitions delivered to the governor ask her to, “Please do everything you can to help protect the waters of Grand Canyon, the new national monument, and these waters that are essential to the existence of the Havasupai people. This mine should be closed before it creates irreversible harm.”

“State Aquifer Protection Permits issued to Pinyon Plain mine relied in part on analyses employing scientific representations that were already shown to be inaccurate when the mine pierced a shallow aquifer,” said Kelly Burke, executive director of Wild Arizona. “With as much as 10 million gallons per year being pumped from the mine shaft, ore extraction and stockpiling well underway, and recent geohydrological science pointing to real cause for concern for the waters, wildlife, and the Havasupai people of Grand Canyon, it is clear Governor Hobbs needs to move now to close Pinyon Plain mine.”

 “Several lines of recent scientific evidence indicate a potential threat of uranium mining near the Grand Canyon to the quantity and quality of springs in the Canyon,” said David Kreamer, Professor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas and President of the International Association of Hydrogeologists.

The governor has not responded to the groups’ January letter asking for her help to help close the mine. They hope the petition signatures from thousands of Arizonans and people around the country who care about Grand Canyon will catalyze Governor Hobbs to action.

“Chispa Arizona strongly opposes the Pinyon Plain uranium mine’s operation in the recently protected Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument due to its significant environmental risks,” said Vania Guevara, advocacy and political director with Chispa Arizona. “Mine approvals have historically neglected Tribal voices, minimized environmental dangers, and overlooked the potential for contaminating waters that communities depend on. The Pinyon Plain mine can cause irreparable damage to the aquifers below it and we stand with our indigenous relatives from the Havasupai Tribe in urging Governor Hobbs to prioritize the health and safety of Arizona’s people and water by shutting down the mine.”

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Written by Ollie Linden, Wild Stew Field Crew Member.

This week saw our entire crew returning to the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest, restoring an additional 3 miles of the Strayhorse Trail #20, a project we have now been working on for four hitches across two years. Such vistas! Such greenery! We basked in the gossamer glow of sunlight reflecting off the meandering stream which eventually feeds out into the Blue River beyond! 

We set a speedy pace, brushing, treading, building cairns, and crosscutting our way up steep, often poison ivy bedecked terrain. By the numbers, on our three mile section of trail we cleared over 150 dead logs, built 59 cairns to show the way in ambiguous terrain, and dug one huge drain at the top of an unavoidably-steep bit of trail, with a continuous dose of brush cutting and tread repair along the way. 

Though I am saddened to report we witnessed no horses, stray or otherwise, we did encounter the remains of two (possibly mountain lion!) paws with perfectly intact toe beans! We also encountered a beautiful snake who was hoping if he stayed still long enough we’d walk on by and forget we ever saw him. 

We were also treated to a plethora of birdsongs, and bighorn sheep in the distance! Bird report includes turkey vultures, painted redstarts, cooper’s hawks, macgillivray’s warblers, red-breasted nuthatches, brown creepers, acorn woodpeckers, mexican jays, american robins, whip-poor-wills, canyon wrens, spotted towhees, mountain chickadees, black-headed grosbeaks, some kingbirds, and one wild turkey carcass. To top it off, Dexter came across a black bear running off into the distance during the final evening before departure. 

All in all, a rad hitch in a beautiful place, covering lots of ground! Since we started working on the Strayhorse Trail a year ago, we have now restored the first 9.7 miles of the 12.7 mile-long trail. 

Slot canyon photos by Jonathan Patt.

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For Immediate Release:  April 25, 2024 

Contact:
Perry Wheeler, Earthjustice, 202-792-6211, pwheeler@earthjustice.org
Caitlyn Burford, National Parks Conservation Association, 541-371-6452, cburford@npca.org 
Taylor McKinnon, Center for Biological Diversity, 801-300-2414, tmckinnon@biologicaldiversity.org 
Michael Toll, Grand Canyon Trust, 303-309-2165, mtoll@grandcanyontrust.org 
Andrew Scibetta, NRDC, 202-289-2421, ascibetta@NRDC.org
Kelly Burke, Wild Arizona, 928-606-7870, kelly@wildarizona.org 
Cyndi Tuell, Western Watersheds Project, 520-272-2454, cyndi@westernwatersheds.org 
Chris Krupp, WildEarth Guardians, 206-417-6363, ckrupp@wildearthguardians.org
Sandy Bahr, Sierra Club, 602-999-5790, sandy.bahr@sierraclub.org 

Phoenix, AZ – Conservation groups filed a motion to intervene yesterday in defense of President Biden’s designation of Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument in Arizona. The Arizona legislature and others filed lawsuits in February attempting to overturn the monument designation and attacking the Antiquities Act as unlawful. The monument lies within the homelands of and holds great cultural significance to numerous Tribes, who led the effort to protect the monument.  

The Havasupai Tribe, the Hopi Tribe, and the Navajo Nation also moved to intervene on Wednesday. 

“This monument is a testament to the decades of tireless advocacy by numerous Tribes to secure federal protections for their ancestral lands and waters around the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately, the Arizona legislature and other parties have sued to eviscerate the monument and to gut the Antiquities Act,” said Michael Toll, staff attorney for the Grand Canyon Trust. “The legislature relies on the same basic arguments that have been rejected by every court to consider them, and we’ll work for that same outcome in this case.”

President Biden lawfully designated Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument in August 2023, answering longtime calls from Tribal leaders to permanently protect over 900,000 acres adjacent to Grand Canyon National Park. The monument safeguards sacred Indigenous cultural sites as well as remarkable archaeological and ecological features from uranium mining and other threats. 

Tribes including the Havasupai Tribe, Hopi Tribe, Hualapai Tribe, Kaibab Paiute Tribe, Las Vegas Band of Paiute Tribe, Moapa Band of Paiutes, Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, Shivwits Band of Paiutes, Navajo Nation, San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, Yavapai-Apache Nation, Pueblo of Zuni and the Colorado River Indian Tribes urged President Biden to designate a national monument to honor their deep cultural ties to the Grand Canyon.

Uranium mining around the Grand Canyon threatens to further deplete and permanently pollute the aquifers that feed the Grand Canyon’s springs, which provide water for both the Havasupai Tribe and a rich diversity of plants and animals. Previous mining in the Grand Canyon region has contaminated land and water and radiation has sickened people living nearby, including on the Navajo Nation, where hundreds of abandoned uranium mines still await cleanup. 

“Like the Grand Canyon itself, this breathtaking monument safeguards globally significant cultural values and biodiversity, and we’re determined to defend it,” said Taylor McKinnon, Southwest director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “It enshrines decades of Tribal and community advocacy, and we’re confident that these lawsuits will be shown to be on the wrong side of both the law and history.” 

“The critical significance of this lawfully designated monument to the well-being and long-term resilience of Tribal communities, Grand Canyon’s waters and wildlife, the Colorado River, our Grand Canyon state, the nation and the world, cannot be overstated,” said Kelly Burke, executive director for Wild Arizona. “Apparently all this is lost on the Arizona legislature’s leadership, and is why we are committed to stand with Tribal nations in defense of this treasured living landscape against such self-serving attacks.” 

The region is also home to many sensitive and endangered species, including the humpback chub, California condor, desert bighorn sheep, Mexican spotted owl and Western yellow-billed cuckoo, as well as endemic plant and animal species like the Kaibab monkey grasshopper, the House Rock Valley chisel-toothed kangaroo rat, Grand Canyon ringlet butterfly and Tusayan rabbitbrush. Paleontological resources are also found throughout the area, with fossils documented in written scientific literature for nearly 150 years. 

“The state and special interest lawsuits against the monument’s designation show a blatant disregard for the cultural values and widespread importance of protecting this amazing place,” said Cyndi Tuell, Western Watersheds Project’s Arizona and New Mexico director. “Private commercial interests cannot outweigh the national significance of these lands, and in fact, the Biden Administration should have done more to ensure that land uses like livestock grazing do not continue to damage natural and cultural resources.”

The attack, led by the Arizona legislature, follows a similar lawsuit involving the Antiquities Act in Utah, in which Utah and others challenged President Biden’s restoration of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. Both the Utah and Arizona lawsuits target monuments that were set aside to protect and honor Indigenous cultural sites, along with important archaeological and ecological features, and were filed despite strong Tribal support for the designations. The federal court in Utah dismissed the case last year, and it is now on appeal. 

“For more than a century, the Antiquities Act has preserved some of the most treasured and iconic landscapes in the country, including the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument,” said Sandy Bahr, director for Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter. “This lawsuit from Arizona legislators is an attack on a monument promoted by and supported by at least 14 Tribal nations and is just the latest in a series of attacks by big industry and its enablers to undercut the Antiquities Act and sell off public lands to the highest bidder. Presidents from both sides of the aisle have used the act to protect our historical and cultural heritage, and we will keep working to defend these landscapes for future generations.”

In 1920, the Supreme Court upheld President Teddy Roosevelt’s use of the Antiquities Act to protect 800,000 acres in Arizona when he declared the Grand Canyon a national monument. Presidents since have on many occasions designated monuments of a million acres or more. Courts have consistently found that culturally and scientifically rich landscapes, even large ones, are eligible for protection under the Act. In their motion to intervene, the conservation groups signaled their opposition to Utah’s erroneous claim that a president can designate only small monuments centered on specific sites.

“These lawsuits by the Arizona legislature and others seeking to overturn President Biden’s declaration of Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument represent yet another misguided attack on the Antiquities Act of 1906,” said Sara Husby, executive director for Great Old Broads for Wilderness. “Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni was lawfully created to honor Indigenous cultural sites—along with important archaeological and ecological features—and protect them from uranium mining and other threats. Great Old Broads for Wilderness is proud to work in support of the Tribal and Indigenous community in defense of both Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni and the Antiquities Act as a whole.” 

“This case is yet another attack on the Antiquities Act at the behest of extractive industries and anti-federal government groups. It’s disappointing that state officials keep trying to prevent the federal government from managing federal lands in a way that protects sacred Indigenous sites, one-of-a-kind ecosystems, and other cherished public resources,” said Tom Delehanty, senior associate attorney with Earthjustice’s Rocky Mountain Office. “The Supreme Court has recognized for a hundred years that the Antiquities Act gives the president broad authority to protect important sites and landscapes. We’ll continue to fight these meritless lawsuits to ensure our most special places are protected for future generations.” 

“The leadership of the state legislature is defying the interests of Arizonans, who widely support the use of the Antiquities Act to protect the irreplaceable Native cultural sites and unique ecosystems of the greater Grand Canyon,” said Chris Krupp, public lands attorney with WildEarth Guardians. “The leaders of the Arizona House and Senate would rather carry water for the mining and grazing industries that fund their political campaigns than listen to the people of Arizona.” 

“Baaj Nwaavjo is a textbook example of what Congress intended to achieve through the Antiquities Act. Despite decades of extraction and unchecked mining pollution, there are over 3,000 known cultural and historical sites within the protected lands. The monument’s unique hydrological features also give scientists insights into the formation of the Grand Canyon,” said Jackie Iwata, staff attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “Just as the Supreme Court affirmed the Grand Canyon’s designation as a monument a century ago, there is no question that the president can and should protect these resources from further spoliation today.”

“A decade in the making and with resounding Tribal and public support, this monument protects not just a landscape, but a legacy – a tapestry of red rock canyons, irreplaceable waterways, and cultural and historic sites sacred to many Tribal Nations,” said Sanober Mirza, Arizona program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). “The Antiquities Act has been a bedrock conservation law for over a century, protecting cultural and historic treasures and iconic landmarks like Grand Canyon National Park. With the courts repeatedly affirming its authority, we are proud to defend Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument.”

“Without the Antiquities Act, our public lands would look starkly different, especially here in Arizona, where the landscape is layered with cultural, natural, and historic resources,” said Mike Quigley, Arizona state director with The Wilderness Society. “Protecting and preserving the ancestral lands of the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument is widely supported: a recent poll showed 86% of Arizonans support presidents continuing to use their ability to protect existing public lands as national monuments.”

Earthjustice is representing the Center for Biological Diversity, Great Old Broads for Wilderness, National Parks Conservation Association, Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society, Western Watersheds Project, WildEarth Guardians and Wild Arizona in the intervention. The Grand Canyon Trust and NRDC are co-counseling with Earthjustice and representing themselves. 

Media requests on the Tribes’ efforts can be directed to media@narf.org.

Photos are available here.  

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Written by Dexter Kopas, Wild Stew Field Crew Leader.

This week the crew fearlessly led by Dexter was tasked with working on Brown Canyon Trail, located in the Huachuca Mountains just south of Sierra Vista. This popular multi-use trail leads to attractions such as Brown Canyon Spring and Pomona Mine before eventually feeding into the Arizona Trail higher up in the mountains. Brown Canyon Trail follows a seasonal drainage which, combined with heavy use, has led to it being severely eroded in many sections. The main goal for the crew was to fix a couple of spots where the tread was most damaged, as described by the Forest Service’s Alex Gonzalez, who joined us the first two days. 

The first work area was a washed out spot in the middle of the tread that had left a large, unstable step down. Not only did that present a hazard to hikers and equestrians, but also caused water to flow more quickly through the deeply trenched sections directly down the trail. The crew decided to stabilize it with five large check steps designed to hold sediment, prevent further erosion, and create a more even grade. It was a long process that involved felling and limbing juniper trees, bucking them up into 6-10 foot long sections, removing the bark, and partially burying the logs in the ground. juniper is known to be a very durable wood and was readily available around the work site, often in dense woodlands where their removal would mean surrounding trees having a higher chance of surviving fire. Removing the bark prevents water from getting trapped inside and keeps the log from rotting more quickly. In order to ensure the logs were as level and stable as possible, the trenches were dug to the exact size and shape of the logs by frequently checking the fit. Mel and Chloe took the lead on this part of the project; despite the back-breaking work of digging around roots and lifting the log in and out of the hole, they shared many good laughs and a combined pride in the completion of the steps. To celebrate three days of hard work the crew members cartwheeled, rolled, somersaulted, and danced down the steps. 

Not to be out done, Ollie and Dexter took on a wooden structure project of their own. Theirs was building a wooden stockade-style retaining wall. In this section, the trail split and the solution was to make one side drain properly and clearly defined as the trail while fully blocking off and rehabilitating the other side, which was being heavily eroded and if left unchecked would soon deepen into a trench. In order to dissuade mountain bikers from jumping the eroded side, the crew built a large, jagged, two-story wall with more harvested juniper logs. This involved more trench digging and log-stabilizing balanced with sweat and laughter. The crew was further supported by Bradley who sharpened nearly the entire tool cache and also brushed a large section of trail near the trailhead. 

Around these two major structural projects, the crew constructed drains to take water off the trail, filled in or reinforced trenches to create a better walking surface and slow down surface water, and removed brush to create better sightlines to prevent collisions involving fast-moving trail users. 

Throughout the week the crew enjoyed many interactions with thankful horseback riders, hikers, and mountain bike riders representing all the user groups of the trail. Although some bikers voiced their disappointment in seeing their favorite “fun spots” gone from the trail, crew morale was always restored by friendly trail dogs (Mars, Olive, Charlie, Duke, Zoe, Gem, Barley, and Pearl, to name a few) and the many kind, thankful human trail users. Other fan favorite moments involved gas station snack runs, sending messages down the trail to Bradley via friendly passersby, and cooking a joint effort meal of Jamaican red bean stew and crunchwrap s’mores. Two of our crew, Mel and Dexter, took advantage of the many excellent trails in the area with the mountain bikes they brought from home. Several evenings were spent testing out our work on the Brown Canyon Trail as well as enjoying the Lower Miller Canyon Trail, the Lower Hunter Canyon Trail, and the freshly-improved Perimeter Trail. 

We were very thankful to have the support of the Sierra Vista Ranger District staff, who set us up wonderfully to get a lot of work done on this trail. It certainly makes our jobs easier to have good connections with such knowledgeable and caring local experts. 

The post wild stew field crew: Many Dogs in Brown Canyon appeared first on Wild Arizona.

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take action.

click the Bigcat pawprint to protect Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni —Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument.

Recently, the new Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum released a directive to reassess all national monuments—including Arizona’s Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni, Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon—with the goal of opening them up for oil, gas and mining speculation. If these protections are lost, it could mean irreversible damage to the Canyon’s rimlands, including water loss and contamination, and the destruction of sacred Tribal lands.

Stand with us. Sign the petition to keep our national monuments intact.

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Grand Canyon is so much more than an ‘attraction’.

It’s one of the Seven Natural Wonders, a UNESCO World Heritage site, homeland to Indigenous communities, and a vast intricate complex of unique ecosystems, all its own. Each year, the Grand Canyon draws more than 6 million visitors and generates over $900 million for the local economy. While experiencing the Grand Canyon might make you feel small and transitory, you can help to preserve the legacy of its wildness in a big way.

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https://youtu.be/Gt2Fr6wP8LQ

Wild Arizona thanks the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition, diverse community leaders, outdoor businesses, elected officials, veterans, and and conservation supporters for over two decades of persistent effort to gain the enduring protection for these amazing lands as Arizona’s newest national monument.

The post these rims are forever (everyone)…safeguard the Grand Canyon. appeared first on Wild Arizona.