The Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service are set to hold a meeting on a proposed national monument near the Grand Canyon.
Among other things, the proposed 1.1 million-acre Baaj Nwaavjo I鈥檛ah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument would make permanent a on mining already in place for the area.
The name is made of Havasupai and Hopi phrases meaning, respectively, 鈥渨here our ancestors roamed鈥� and 鈥渙ur footsteps,鈥� said Stuart L.T. Chavez, a former tribal council member for the Havasupai. The Havasupai is one of about a dozen tribes in a pushing for the designation.
鈥淚t's not going to just be the Havasupai alone,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is a protection for the environment for everyone to be conscientious about and understand that it's for their protection and the future generations鈥� protection.鈥�
Chavez and others are especially concerned about uranium mining.
The proposal has faced some pushback, with a Mohave County supervisor recently it would have negative economic impacts.
The BLM and Forest Service are meeting in Flagstaff Tuesday afternoon, and several high-ranking officials 鈥� including BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning 鈥� will be on hand. The meeting will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. at the DoubleTree on Route 66.
Those who are unable to attend can email comments on the proposal to OIEA@ios.doi.gov or mail them to the BLM鈥檚 in Phoenix within a week of the meeting.
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