The Colorado River has long been considered a lifeline for the Southwest and an Arizona tribe is now acknowledging that waterway as having the same rights and legal protections as fellow members.
When asked, the Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) would not tell KJZZ whether that decision was unanimous, but the nine councilmembers still voted on Nov. 6 to recognize personhood for the namesake river under tribal law.
The official designation comes at a pivotal time when sustained drought threatens this precious natural resource — which CRIT considers “a living entity” — running parallel to the nearly 300,000-acre reservation along the California border.
This measure also tasks tribal councils to take the Colorado River’s needs under consideration amid an uncertain future on two fronts: climate change and ongoing inter-state water negotiations.
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For 16 years, visitors could sleep in a suite inside a giant cave near the Grand Canyon. Now, it's being dismantled. -
This time around, the festival is tied to funding from a Smithsonian initiative where each state is responsible for hosting a single folklife event this year, in honor of the country’s 250th anniversary. -
The Bureau of Land Management oversees more than 12 million acres within Arizona alone. And much like the rest of the West, it’s filled with public lands making up federally protected national monuments that hold unique value for tribes. -
It’s known by the name Velvet-Wood, and the project’s Canadian owner got the go-ahead back in May as the first to undergo an “accelerated,” two-week environmental review, during which tribes had only seven days to reply. -
The BIA, which is responsible for overseeing trust responsibilities with 575 federally recognized tribes, focused on reducing its own workforce through mass layoffs and hiring freezes within the Interior Department – much like agencies elsewhere.
