John,
The Grand Canyon watershed isn’t just a stunning recreation spot. Its lands and waters encompass sacred, centuries-old cultural landscapes of 11 Indigenous tribes and harbor unique, federally protected species like California condors, Mexican spotted owls, Fickeisen plains cacti, and highly endangered desert fish like humpback chubs and razorback suckers. It’s time to protect it all — for good — from toxic uranium mining.
Uranium mining has left horrific scars across the region. It has damaged sacred sites, depleted and polluted aquifers that feed springs and streams, and threatened plants and wildlife — all while disproportionately harming Indigenous communities.
Now President Biden has a historic opportunity to designate the Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument, as proposed by the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition. This 1.1-million-acre proposed monument would honor the area’s sacred Indigenous cultural sites and finally, permanently protect its spectacular biodiversity and lifegiving waters from new mining and development.
Tell Biden to heed the call of the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition and protect the canyon’s history, lands, waters and wildlife by designating this monument now. |
