Tribal Natural Resources News

The Show on KJZZ

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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.
Uranium transport through northern Arizona is about to begin. Why some are concerned
Conservation groups have asked the U.S. Forest Service to lay out how it will manage mined uranium as it’s transported across northern Arizona. KJZZ posed those concerns to Energy Fuels, the company that owns the Pinyon Plain Mine just south of the Grand Canyon.
Apr. 23, 2024
Tohono Oodham Nation celebrates St. Francis feast day
Members of the Tohono O'odham Nation trekked to the city of Magdalena de Kino, in Sonora, Mexico, to kiss the head of a statue resembling his likeness this week.
Oct. 6, 2023
This Tohono Oodham vocalist sang national anthem in his own language
The Professional Bull Riders spotlighted the vocal talents of Michael Enis during this weekend's Ridge Rider Days in Glendale.
Oct. 2, 2023
Today marks dark history of boarding schools for Native kids. Arizona had 2nd most in the U.S.
Today marks the National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools, and Arizona's role in assimilating Native children continues casting a dark cloud on the Southwest.
Sept. 30, 2023
This urban Native garden grew atop a former boarding school
Years after the Interior Department displaced a traditional garden from a blight-infested site, NATIVE HEALTH of Phoenix hasn't forgotten about its roots.
More tribal natural resoures stories
Sept. 29, 2023
An Airbnb stay at this hogan on the Navajo Nation is a glimpse into life without running water
Nearly a third of the Navajo Nation still lives without running water, but that doesn’t stop travelers from veering off the grid to find a place without a faucet, flushing toilet or shower to spend the night.
More tribal natural resources stories
Sept. 20, 2023
Interior Department announces funding for Indigenous youth programs
The Interior Department announced on Monday new federal grants that may give Indigenous youth public service opportunities on federal and tribal lands in Arizona.
Sept. 11, 2023
Meet the tribal liaison behind modernizing an outdated Arizona Game and Fish policy
Last month, the Arizona Game and Fish Department adopted a series of amendments to guide the agency’s relationship with tribal communities. Jon Cooley took it upon himself to update his state agency's tribal cooperative agreement, ensuring that policy accurately reflected today’s relationship between Arizona and its Indigenous communities.
Sept. 6, 2023
Footrace honoring Hopi Olympian celebrates 50 years
The life and legacy of one famous Hopi Olympic athlete is being honored on Sunday. Up to 300 runners will dash in his memory, competing in 5k and 10k races through Hopi homelands, including the village of Shungopavi where he grew up.
Sept. 1, 2023
3 Arizona tribes get $20M to build affordable housing
New federal funding from the Indian Housing Block Grant will help develop 48 new affordable housing units at three locations in Arizona.
Aug. 30, 2023
Colorado River tribes chair speaks on farm, water issues
Amelia Flores, chairwoman of the Colorado River Indian Tribes, brought attention to critical issues that her tribal farmers face back at home on her community's reservation.
Aug. 30, 2023
A new cookbook on Southwest plant-based cuisine brought one Diné chef to tears
Lois Ellen Frank's latest cookbook, “Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky: Modern Plant-Based Recipes using Native American Ingredients,” is a love letter to the foods and flavors from the Southwest — but most of all, the Indigenous producers who cultivate and cherish them.
Aug. 29, 2023
Tribal telecommunications company upgrades network
The $2 million capital investment by Saddleback Communications to modernize its power and environmental infrastructure arises a year removed from a total outage during last August.
Aug. 21, 2023
$72.5M program to bring electricity to more tribal homes
The Interior Department announced the new climate-driven initiative on the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act's passage.
Aug. 15, 2023
Descendants of the Navajo Code Talkers keep the legacy of their ancestors alive on holiday
Monday was Navajo Code Talkers Day, and celebrations were scattered across the state of Arizona to commemorate the state and federal holiday.
More coverage of tribal natural resources
Aug. 15, 2023
Why the new Grand Canyon monument wont really impact Arizonas uranium industry
President Joe Biden last week established a new national monument on nearly 1 million acres around the Grand Canyon. Many environmentalists and tribal communities worry about the impacts on water supplies, as well as mining on land considered sacred, while some GOP state lawmakers called Biden's move a "land grab."
Aug. 14, 2023
Native farmers advocate amid U.S. farm bill negotiations
Ramona Farms, a trusted household name among tribal families across Indian Country, is advocating for greater recognition in the looming federal farm bill on Capitol Hill.
Aug. 14, 2023
AZ Game and Fish updates cooperative policy with tribes
All five commissioners unanimously approved a series of amendments that modernize the long-standing cooperative agreement that centers on the role of law enforcement in relation to the state’s 22 federally recognized tribes.
Aug. 11, 2023
AZ Republicans rally around Trump to undo monument designation
With the 2024 presidential election on the near horizon, state Republicans are looking ahead and suggesting a Trump victory may help reverse the Biden administration's latest executive order.
Aug. 9, 2023
Biden makes Grand Canyon monument designation, citing Arizona tribal heritage
Declaring it good “not only for Arizona but for the planet,” President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed a national monument designation for the greater Grand Canyon, turning the decades-long visions of Native American tribes and environmentalists into reality.
Cattle ranchers in uproar over Biden's monument announcement
Aug. 8, 2023
Cattle ranchers in uproar over Bidens Grand Canyon announcement
Cattle ranchers raised opposition to the Biden administration's designation of the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument.
Aug. 8, 2023

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