A bipartisan bill on Capitol Hill is once again looking to turn one of Arizona’s federal monuments into the state’s fourth national park behind Saguaro, the Petrified Forest and Grand Canyon.
Established in 1924 by President Calvin Coolidge, Chiricahua National Monument is known by many as the “Wonderland of Rocks” — home to its iconic rhyolite pinnacles, which are made from volcanic ash and lava eroding over time.
From Geronimo to Cochise, this land is also steeped in Apache history, something the San Carlos Apache Tribe and neighboring Mescalero Apache Tribe in New Mexico, want to see permanently protected.
The latest legislative effort is being led by Democratic U.S. Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego as well as Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani in the House.
If passed, Arizona would tie fourth-overall with Colorado — behind Utah, Alaska and California — for states with the most national parks.
There are 63 national parks spanning 30 states, in addition to the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa.
The 12,025-acre Chiricahua National Monument in Cochise County draws about 60,000 visitors annually.
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Indigenous leaders say that federal contractors are desecrating sacred Native American places and cultural sites at an unprecedented pace in the rush to build more walls on the U.S.-Mexico border. -
The House Natural Resources Committee met to review President Donald Trump’s funding proposal for the Interior Department, but Arizona Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva took that opportunity to talk about Las Playas Intaglio. -
Lithium is a key metal for electric vehicle batteries and there is a global push to find new sources of it. There is currently only one lithium mine in operation in the United States, but that is about to change — and drastically. -
A mining company is considering digging for copper on grazing land near the chapter house of the Coppermine community on the western Navajo Nation. -
The accident occurred about a half mile east of Highway 160 and state Route 98 near Shonto in Navajo County. This is the first reported incident since hauling along the 300-mile interstate route began nearly two years ago.
