Arizonans want national monuments in the state to remain protected. That is the result of a survey commissioned by the environmental group, Grand Canyon Trust.
The poll asked 500 registered Arizona voters their opinions on public lands in Arizona and overwhelmingly, they responded that public lands are important to Arizona and the government has a responsibility to protect them.
"And one of the things that we’ve seen consistently throughout all of this research is that public lands and their natural beauty are really an essential part of identity in the West," said pollster Anna Greenberg.
Respondents agreed that tribes should play a central role in protecting and managing ancestral lands. And about 85% backed the designation of the new Baaj Nwaavjo I’itah Kukveni.
President Joe Biden formalized the monument in 2023 but environmentalists weren’t able to stop a uranium mine from going active within it.
Amber Reimondo of the Grand Canyon Trust said groups don’t anticipate Trump rolling back those protections.
"While it’s possible, I think it’s easy to say that any possible action against Baaj Nwaavjo national monument would be really political and not serving the interests of voters in Arizona," she said.
The poll had a 4% margin of error.