Tribal Natural Resources News

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Native American tribes around the West are making critical decisions regarding the management of their resources — land, water, fossil fuels and renewable resources. The Tribal Natural Resources Desk aims to produce objective reporting to tell stories of tribes empowering themselves through stewardship and decision-making around their resources.
Navajo Nation announces $50M contract with ZenniHome
This partnership between the Navajo Nation and Mesa-based company is meant to kickstart mass-scale manufacturing to meet a severe housing demand on the reservation and help Page bounce back following the shutdown of the Navajo Generating Station.
Mar. 15, 2024
Future of fossilized dinosaur footprints uncertain
The Moenkopi Wash near Tuba City is home to dozens of tracks, from the Dilophosaurus to the T-Rex. And a ragtag group of Navajo guides greet tourists right off the roadside, directly across from a green-painted “turn here” sign.
March 13, 2024
SOTU guests from AZ show Biden needs Native support
When President Joe Biden gave his State of the Union address Thursday, Native Americans from Arizona were special guests on Capitol Hill. It sent a clear message about the importance of Indigenous support for Democrats facing high-stakes elections this year in battleground states.
March 10, 2024
Haaland announces $14.5M to electrify AZ tribal homes
This week, the Interior Department allocated $72 million to aid tribal communities in electrifying their homes on a path toward zero-emissions energy systems. Three of the 21 tribes receiving federal funding are from Arizona.
March 7, 2024
Navajo Nation offers public education meetings on possible water settlement
Twelve public meetings, coordinated by the Navajo Nation Water Rights Commission and Navajo Department of Justice’s Water Rights Unit, are slated all around the reservation through next Wednesday.
March 6, 2024
UA acknowledges it sits on Native lands. Some say it should use funds to help Native students
More than 10 million acres were taken from Native American tribes to create the more than 100 so-called land-grant universities, including the University of Arizona. Recent reporting from Grist says those funds aren't used to help Native students.
March 6, 2024
Suns mark last ORIGINATIV night of the season with hoop dancers, Reservation Dogs music group
For two years now, the Phoenix Suns have been exposing NBA fans to Native culture during certain home games with themed uniforms as well as Indigenous music and entertainment. Sunday was this season’s last heritage game night at the Footprint Center.
March 4, 2024
Indigenous businesses in Arizona can apply for 1st USDA tribal trade mission to Canada
The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service recently announced a first-of-its-kind agribusiness trade mission to Vancouver, Canada, this summer. It’s aimed at spotlighting tribal products, and interest is mounting among agribusinesses in Arizona.
March 1, 2024
Arizonas Rep. Eli Crane helps U.S. House pass the Native American Entrepreneurial Opportunity Act
On Thursday, an overwhelmingly bipartisan resolution passed the U.S. House to help benefit tribal entrepreneurs on reservations. And one of its co-sponsors came from Arizona's congressional delegation.
March 1, 2024
Ira Hayes helped raise Iwo Jima flag. Heres how his tribe celebrates the complicated hero
The Gila River Indian Community paused its annual parade and ceremony, paying homage to Iwo Jima flag raiser Ira Hayes, for the last three years due to the pandemic. Last weekend, that tradition returned and discussions about his heroic, complicated life and legacy.
March 1, 2024
Navajo Nation closes in on water settlement with Arizona, federal authorities
The proposal will mean access to piped water for tribal members living without it and settle all of the Navajo Nation’s water rights claims as well as those for the Hopi and the San Juan Paiute tribes.
Feb. 29, 2024
Native American tribes gain new authority to stop unwanted hydropower projects
Federal regulators have granted Native American tribes more power to block hydropower projects on their land after a flurry of applications were filed to expand renewable energy in the water-scarce U.S. Southwest.
Feb. 23, 2024
The World Championship Hoop Dance Contest in Phoenix takes a step toward live play-by-play
This last weekend's 34th annual World Championship Hoop Dance Contest, with deep ties to the Southwest, has been elevated to another level for audiences, both in the arena and back at home.
More tribal natural resoures stories
Feb. 21, 2024
Federal energy regulators deny permits for a controversial project on the Navajo Nation
The hydropower company Nature and People First had proposed a "pumped storage" project in the Black Mesa area. Indigenous advocates are celebrating the decision by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Feb. 19, 2024
Arizona tribes to benefit from funding to upgrade BIA-owned power utilities
The Interior Department announced $10 million to upgrade BIA-owned irrigation projects and power utilities serving tribal communities on Friday. Two of those projects directly benefit tribes in Arizona.
Feb. 17, 2024
Saturday’s Two Spirit Powwow celebrates Native LGBTQ community
Powwows are meant to be safe spaces where Indigenous peoples can socialize and express themselves through song and dance. For some tribes, gender can limit what a person may perform. But those rules don’t apply at the fourth annual Arizona Two Spirit Powwow this weekend.
Feb. 16, 2024
Packrats are pests, but also a prized Apache delicacy
Packrats are pests, particularly for car owners in and around the Valley. Yet this species is prized among Apaches in winter. And even an essential ingredient for their traditional diet.
More tribal natural resoures stories
Feb. 14, 2024
‘March to Oak Flat’ is still trekking along, a decade later
Annually organized by the nonprofit Apache Stronghold, this 48-mile, multi-day spiritual journey starting from the San Carlos Apache Reservation celebrates a decade, as tribal communities continue to oppose a massive copper mining project proposed on land deep within the Tonto National Forest.
Feb. 11, 2024
11 tribes are tied to the Grand Canyon. NPS wants all represented
Grand Canyon National Park generates nearly $1 billion annually from tourism, including tribal arts and crafts. National Park Service staff recently traveled to the Arizona Indian Festival to expand representation among those harder-to-reach tribal communities.
Feb. 9, 2024
Diné jazz trumpeter Delbert Anderson performs in Scottsdale
Drawing inspiration from Diné melodies old and new, the Delbert Anderson Quartet brought its jazz, funk and groove-infused selections to Scottsdale on Saturday night.
Feb. 6, 2024
Closing of Drumbeat Indian Arts inspires a new bead shop
One of Indian Country’s longtime destinations for beadwork supplies and accessories in Phoenix has closed after more than five decades on the last Saturday in January, but a former Diné employee has opened up her own bead-driven business to meet the demand from her urban Native community.
Feb. 5, 2024

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