Help Protect the Grand Canyon

Standing at the edge of the East Section of the monument, looking out from the rim of Marble Canyon where Badger Creek meets the Colorado River. Photo credit: Amy S. Martin

The Grand Canyon is one of the most iconic and beloved landscapes in the west. It is home to spectacular outdoor recreation opportunities, including hiking and camping, rafting, mountain biking, climbing, and trail running. The canyon and its surrounding landscape are renowned for their beauty, with red, orange, and pink cliffs, dramatic canyons, pine forests, wildflowers, and life-giving springs and streams.

There is a significant opportunity to protect the wider Grand Canyon region, which has been under threat from mining for decades. After numerous attempts to protect the region legislatively, a coalition of 12 Tribal nations has called on the Biden administration to designate the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument and protect about 1 million acres surrounding the Grand Canyon. The name Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni comes from “Baaj Nwaavjo” meaning “where tribes roam” for the Havasupai Tribe, and “I’tah Kukveni” meaning “our footprints” for the Hopi Tribe.

The proposed Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument could protect a wide range of recreational activities, significant cultural sites for Indigenous communities, as well as springs and streams in the Grand Canyon and within the Colorado River’s watershed. The proposed monument includes abundant outdoor recreation, including the Arizona National Scenic Trail. The area is also important for hunting, fishing, grazing, and Tribal uses like medicine and firewood gathering.

Protecting the wider Grand Canyon landscape would also safeguard the economic values of the Grand Canyon, which produced an economic output of $945 million in 2021 and saw 4.5 million visitors. Last year, more than half of Arizona residents participated in outdoor recreation, which produced $3.3 billion in wages and salaries, supporting 104,000 jobs. The threat of uranium mining—with nearly 600 active mining claims —puts the many values of the Grand Canyon in jeopardy.

Lawmakers, particularly Rep. Grijalva (D-AZ), have been working for years to try to protect the wider Grand Canyon landscape. Now there is an opportunity for the Biden administration to designate a National Monument. The proposed monument would honor the Tribes’ connections to the Grand Canyon and protect the landscape by making a temporary mining ban permanent.

It is critical that the administration hears support from the public for protecting the Grand Canyon. You can help protect this world-renowned landscape by signing the petition to designate the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument.