** Toxic uranium legacy remains on Navajo Nation
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Tuesday, October 8, 2019
Abandoned uranium site on the Navajo Nation | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ([link removed])

A new study by the University of New Mexico found that 26 percent of women and infants ([link removed]) living on the Navajo Nation had exceedingly high levels of uranium in their bodies. The research highlights the continuing impact of uranium mining, even though active mining on the reservation ended in the mid-1980s.

Abandoned mining and milling sites are widespread on the Navajo Nation—the Environmental Protection Agency has identified more than 200 abandoned uranium mines for inspection and clean-up. New Mexico Senator Tom Udall echoed community concerns about the slow pace of cleanup, saying ([link removed]) , "They feel an urgency. They feel that things need to happen today."

While research continues to show the toxic legacy of uranium across the Four Corners region, the Trump administration is looking to expand domestic uranium mining. The Interior Department slashed Bears Ears National Monument at the behest ([link removed]) of one uranium corporation, and is now evaluating ([link removed]) whether to open the watershed surrounding the Grand Canyon to new uranium mining claims.
Quick hits


** With new office, New Mexico looks to grow outdoor recreation industry
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Carlsbad Current-Argus ([link removed])


** Inside the decades-long fight over whether to dam or preserve New Mexico's Gila River
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New Mexico In Depth ([link removed])


** What the BLM shake-up could mean for public lands and their climate impact
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InsideClimate News ([link removed])


** As mountain biking increases, so do conflicts with bears
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New York Times ([link removed])


** Saguaro cacti bulldozed during border wall construction in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
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The Hill ([link removed])


** Coalition of 77 groups asks Trump to reverse order eliminating one-third of advisory committees
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Opinion: William Perry Pendley is exactly the opposite of who we need to lead the BLM
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Colorado Sun ([link removed])


** Opinion: Secretary Bernhardt's extractive agenda threatens New Mexico's future
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New Mexico Political Report ([link removed])
Quote of the day
To the outdoor enthusiasts who don't yet know about our rivers, our rapids, our mountains, our trails, our ski slopes—you will soon”
—New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, Carlsbad Current-Argus ([link removed])
Picture this

Fall colors in Arizona's Canyon de Chelly National Monument
Photo by Nina Mayer Ritchie | @Interior ([link removed])

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