Mission

Days before the important US Forest Service public meeting to discuss the proposed National Monument, we flew with USFS leaders, Tribal members, conservationists, and press.

The proposed monument would protect nearly 1 million acres of federal public land adjacent to Grand Canyon National Park.

Efforts to protect this region have been led by the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition and will protect lands inhabited and visited by Native American Tribes since time immemorial, preserving cultural resources and sacred sites.

We flew over the proposed National Monument and the important habitat it provides for rare and endangered species, like the California condor and Humpback Chub. We flew above uranium mines like Pinyon Plain, a source of extreme groundwater contamination; over 598 active mining claims exist in the proposed monument area. A protection designation is needed to prevent future mining claims and protect the integrity of this landscape.

 

On August 8th, 2023, President Biden designationed the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument.

“Baaj Nwaavjo” translates to “where tribes roam,” in Havasupai, and “I’tah Kukveni” means “our footprints,” in Hopi.

 

Click for geo-referenced flight photos - this .kmz file is best viewed in Google Earth