FLAGSTAFF — About 200 people gathered at a public meeting on Tuesday in Flagstaff to talk about the proposed designation of a national monument near the Arizona-Utah border.
Supporters say the monument would protect tribal communities, heritage sites, wildlife and the watershed from the effects of uranium mining and human development. Opponents call the move an overreach by the federal government and a land grab that encroaches on private ownership in the area and could harm industries like cattle ranching.
“The threat of contaminating our water is real and current,” said Vice Chairman Edmond Tilousi of the Havasupai Tribe, one of many monument supporters to speak. “The pure water that flows through Havasupai village is under constant attack by uranium mining.”
The meeting, hosted by the U.S. Department of the Interior, was held after tribal leaders urged President Joe Biden to use the Antiquities Act to create the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument.