Coverage of tribal natural resources is supported in part by Catena Foundation
The Navajo Nation declared a drought emergency recently, following a similar one issued by the state of New Mexico as severe dryness and escalating fire risk settle over the area.
Navajo Nation president Buu Nygren says he declared the state of emergency in late May, though he didn’t publicly announce it until this week.
The resolution leans on a U.S. Department of Agriculture assessment of seven counties in Arizona and New Mexico encompassing the Navajo Nation that it identified as disaster areas due to drought conditions. Those include Coconino and Navajo counties.
Nygren said 900 windmills and 7,500 stock ponds are losing capacity on the Nation. The declaration calls for more than $6 million in tribal funds to help farmers and ranchers.
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