On August 8, 2023, President Biden designated Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument.
The national monument spans 917,618 acres of forests and grasslands on the north and south rims of the Grand Canyon, protecting cultural and religious sites, plants, animals, and important water sources that flow into the Colorado River. The national monument only includes federal lands and does not include any state or private lands.
The new park will be managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service, similar to Vermillion Cliffs and Agua Fria national monuments.
The designation has wide-ranging support, including from the 11 federally recognized American Indian tribes who live in the region or have historic connections there. In fact, the name honors the tribes’ ancestral homelands, with “Baaj Nwaavjo” meaning “where indigenous peoples roam” to the Havasupai people and “I’tah Kukveni” meaning “our ancestral footprints” to the Hopi people.
Contact: B World Communication, Arizona representative in France, Nelly Gaulier, Email: nelly@bworldcom.com
