2023-08-08 16:08:02
TUSAYAN, Ariz. (AP) — President Joe Biden travels to Arizona on Tuesday to formally declare the Grand Canyon a national monument, fulfilling a wish by tribes and environmental activists to preserve the land.
Biden will announce plans for a new national monument to preserve some 1,562 square miles (4,046 square kilometers) just outside Grand Canyon National Park, climate adviser Ali Zaidi confirmed. It will be the fifth monument designation by the Democratic president.
Tribes in Arizona have been pressing Biden to use his authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to create a new national monument called Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni. “Baaj Nwaavjo” means “where the tribes roam” in the language of the Havasupai people, while “I’tah Kukveni” translates to “our footprints” for the Hopi tribe.
For decades, tribes and environmentalists have been trying to preserve the lands south of Grand Canyon National Park, while Republican congressmen and mining companies emphasize the economic benefits and label mining a national security issue.
The appointment will mark “a new era” in which collaboration and co-management with tribes will be more valued, said Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American to serve in the cabinet.
“It will help ensure that indigenous peoples can continue to use these areas for religious ceremonies, hunting, and gathering plants, medicines, and other materials, including some found nowhere else on Earth,” Haaland said. recently visited the Havasupai Indian Reservation. “It will protect artifacts of historical and scientific importance for the benefit of tribes, the public, and future generations.”
Biden arrived Monday night at the Grand Canyon National Park Airport, where he was received by Democratic congressmen Raúl Grijalva and Ruben Gallego. Biden hugged them as they left Air Force One, and the three chatted for a moment. Grijalva, who is a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, has repeatedly filed bills to create the monument.
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