This week, the Bureau of Land Management began accepting nominations to form an advisory committee, focused on managing Arizona’s latest national monument. The 15 members are expected to represent a mix of stakeholders, including tribes.
They will provide input to BLM and the U.S. Forest Service on how to best manage the nearly million acres known as Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni — or the Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument.
This sprawling landscape is culturally tied to more than a dozen federally-recognized tribes. It’s also home to more than 3,000 known cultural and historic sites, including 12 properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
“Partnering with the communities that rely on federally managed public lands is critical to properly stewarding these beautiful and sacred places now and into the future,” BLM Arizona Strip District Manager Wayne Monger said in a statement. “We look forward to establishing the advisory committee for the new Monument, and working together as we begin the planning process for this special place.”
The 45-day nomination period ends in early October.
This announcement comes a week after Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes asked the Forest Service to conduct a new environmental impact study for the Pinyon Plain Mine, nestled within the national monument that President Joe Biden declared last August.
