Sacred Sites

President Joe Biden has designated two new national monuments: Castner Range, a lush mountainous area in West Texas that once served as a military training ground; and Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Nevada. Its name comes from the Mojave word for Spirit Mountain. It’s a biologically diverse and culturally significant swath of land bordering several other protected areas in the region.

Along with stiffer penalties, it prohibits the export of sacred Native American items from the U.S. and creates a certification process to clarify whether items were created as art.

The Arizona Court of Appeals has ruled that the state Department of Environmental Quality illegally issued a Clean Water Act permit for the proposed Resolution Copper mine, which is being opposed by the San Carlos Apache Tribe.

The U.S. Interior Department says it’s strengthening ties with tribes in managing some federal lands. It recently ordered its agencies to deepen collaborations with Indigenous nations in sacred and culturally important areas.

The Bureau of Land Management says an environmental review for the proposed Resolution Copper mine near Superior falls short on details about water and the potential impacts of climate change.

Utah state and county officials have sued the Biden administration over the decision last year to restore two sprawling national monuments on lands sacred to Native Americans.

A new poll shows strong support for establishing a permanent ban on uranium mining on a million acres surrounding Grand Canyon National Park. A coalition of tribes, environmental groups and elected officials for years have pushed for the ban to protect the area’s water and Indigenous lands.

A federal appeals court has ruled that a land exchange paving the way for one of the nation’s largest copper mines can move forward. Oak Flat in central Arizona is a sacred site to the San Carlos Apache Tribe, who’ve opposed the project for years.

A national conservation group has acquired a sprawling ranch near a New Mexico mountain peak held sacred by Native American tribes.

A group of Hopi runners has concluded their journey from the Hopi Mesas to Phoenix, drawing attention to threats facing sacred sites in the Grand Canyon, specifically the Sípáapu on the Little Colorado River.