Everything You Need to Know About the Newly Created National Monument Near the Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon remains one of the most breathtaking natural wonders in the U.S., as millions flood to the national park every year to take in its beauty. But as human development continues to threaten our great outdoors, another piece of land has been preserved.
As of August 8, these one-of-a-kind lands will no longer be up for grabs for the extraction of resources. President Biden declared a new national monument protecting one million acres surrounding Grand Canyon National Park, earning praise from Native American leaders and environmentalists and jeers from critics.
What is new national monument called?
About 900,000 acres around the Grand Canyon have been designated as Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni, or the Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument.
The name itself is a combination of Havasupai and Hopi terms, as both tribes have a long history in the area. "Baaj nwaavjo" in the Havasupai language translates to “where Indigenous peoples roam," while "i’tah kukveni" in the language of the Hopi means “our ancestral footprints."
Where is the Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument located?
The national monument encompasses the entire Tusayan Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest, which lies south of Grand Canyon National Park; lands owned by the Bureau of Land Management south of Vermilion Cliffs National Monument and east of the forest's North Kaibab Ranger District; and Bureau of Land Management lands west of the North Kaibab Ranger District.
What is the purpose of the Ancestral Footprints National Monument?
In establishing the new national monument, these areas are permanently off-limits for any future uranium mining projects. It also protects thousands of sacred cultural sites belonging to a dozen tribal nations.
"Today marks an historic step of preserving the majesty of this place," Biden said of the new monument, adding the designation will "help right the wrongs of the past and conserve this land of ancestral footprints for all generations."
He also acknowledged that the establishment of Grand Canyon National Park a century ago cut off the people who have lived there for thousands of years from their own land.
"That very act of preserving the Grand Canyon as a national park was used to deny Indigenous people full access to their homelands, to the places where they hunted, gathered and took precious sacred ancestral sites," the president said, per ABC News. "They fought for decades to be able to return to these lands, to protect these lands from mining and development, to clear them of contamination, to preserve their shared legacy for future generations."
Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni is Biden's largest act of land protection to date, surpassing the nearby Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Nevada. Like Avi Kwa Ame, the Ancestral Lands monument will include tribal leaders in its management.
Related: Grand Canyon National Park Opens Lottery for Highly Sought-After Rafting Trips
What is there to do at the Ancestral Footprints National Monument?
Incorporating these lands into your Grand Canyon trip is simple. You can make a stop in the designated areas in Kaibab National Forest (either the portion north or south of the Grand Canyon) and absorb the gorgeous landscapes formed over thousands of years.
The areas are also adjacent to several Native American reservations worth visiting, from the Havasupai and Hopi to the Navajo Nation.
What have been the reactions to the new national monument?
The creation of the new monument has been polarizing, with Native Americans and their allies lauding the decision and opponents lambasting it for its supposed short-sightedness.
Thomas Siyuja St., chair for the Havasupai Tribe, shared his thoughts in a statement. “Although there is still more work to do, we will sleep easier tonight knowing that our water, sacred sites, and plant medicines are more protected, and that our ancestors’ tears are finally tears of happiness,” he said.
Buu Nygren, president of the Navajo Nation, echoed a similar sentiment. “We know from firsthand experience the damage that can be caused by yellow dirt [from uranium mining] contaminating our water and poisoning our animals and our children," he said. “The Grand Canyon is too important to not protect.”
Meanwhile, some Republicans aren't exactly thrilled with the momentous occasion. Rep. Bruce Westerman, chairman of Congress' House Committee on Natural Resources, blasted the decision to prohibit more mining on these sacred lands.
"This administration's lack of reason knows no bounds, and their actions suggest that President Biden and his radical advisors won't be satisfied until the entire federal estate is off limits and America is mired in dependency on our adversaries for our natural resources," Westerman said. "This land belongs to the American people, not any administration or bureaucrats who think they make the laws."
