Gov. Katie Hobbs announced on Friday that a longstanding tribal land dispute, nearly three decades in the making, is finally getting settled. It’ll transfer thousands of acres of state land into trust for the Hopi Tribe.
The Arizona State Land Department, which manages more than 9 million acres of state trust lands, will get paid nearly $4 million by the tribe to take almost 21,000 acres from Coconino County — south of I-40 near Winslow — into trust.
That’s roughly $185 per acre.
In all, the Hopi Tribe will eventually spend more than $20 million to consolidate about 110,000 acres worth of checkerboarded properties in Coconino and Navajo counties that border tribal lands.
By taking those lands into trust, the Hopi Tribe, which is surrounded by the sprawling 17-million-acre Navajo Nation, shall expand its 1.5-million-acre-reservation in northeastern Arizona. This agreement follows the Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute Settlement Act that ended hostilities between the two tribes in 1996.
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Former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum testified Thursday before members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, including U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego. He wanted to know how President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee would help tribes in Arizona if confirmed as the 55th secretary of the Interior. -
This gathering, organized by the Governor’s Office on Tribal Relations, among the state’s 22 federally recognized tribes has been a tradition since 1995. Since then, the Grand Canyon State and its tribal neighbors have worked to strengthen their ties. -
President-elect Donald Trump and his transition team named outgoing North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to lead the agency that manages the nation’s natural and cultural resources. He’s set to replace Deb Haaland, the first Native American Interior Department secretary. -
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland made history as the nation’s first Indigenous Cabinet member, leading an agency that manages the country’s natural resources. Four years later, some observers have reflected on how her tenure will be remembered. -
The 25-year-old female golden eagle named Dragon will soon depart for the Phoenix Zoo and become a non-breeding companion for a male golden eagle, whose longtime mate died in 2022.
