Native America
U.S. Interior Department finalizes fossil fuel, mining ban near Chaco Canyon
The federal government will not issue new oil and gas or mining leases on federal lands within 10 miles of Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico, the U.S. Interior Department said Friday. The public lands order from the department’s Bureau of Land Management will stay in effect for 20 years. The order said […]
Tribes call on Haaland to push increased protections for the Grand Canyon
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland met with tribal leaders representing a dozen Indigenous nations last weekend in a move that could expand protections for land around The Grand Canyon, permanently safeguarding the region from future uranium mining. The proposed Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument would convert 1.1 million acres of public land surrounding […]
Feds update map detailing New Mexico internet access, revised after inaccuracies
A federal map, released on Tuesday, lays out who does and doesn’t have reliable, high-speed internet access in New Mexico. After errors in the map released previously, the updated version could make the difference in the state getting hundreds of millions of dollars in grant money to set up broadband. New Mexico’s broadband officials have […]
Federal grants no longer enough to fully connect Native communities to high-speed internet
SANTA CLARA PUEBLO — While the sun beamed down on old adobe houses outside on Wednesday, a group of tribal and federal officials gathered inside to analyze a mostly red map detailing a lack of good internet access across Santa Clara Pueblo. Work is in progress to change that. Last year, Santa Clara Pueblo was […]
Gila River Indian Community breaks ground on pipeline project to address Colorado River drought
Only a month after finalizing funding agreements, the Gila River Indian Community broke ground on its new Reclaimed Water Pipeline Project to help the community with water resources and conserve more water in Lake Mead. The 19.4-mile pipeline was developed in record time, said Gila River Indian Community Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis, and the community […]
Western states agree to Colorado River water-sharing agreement
The governors of Arizona, California and Nevada have announced a historic water-sharing agreement for the Colorado River in an attempt to salvage one of the West’s major sources of drinking water that has dwindled in severe drought. The agreement this week marks the culmination of months of tumultuous negotiations among seven Western states, whose 40 […]
Traditional canoes return to the waters of the Pacific Northwest
ANACORTES, Washington — Coast Salish and First Nation canoes have been ceremonially reawakened in the Pacific Northwest in preparation for a return to the ancestral marine highways and celebratory cultural gatherings. And for Indigenous peoples of the region, there is much to celebrate. The Intertribal Canoe Journey — the annual Pacific Northwest gathering of canoe cultures — […]
Yellowstone Tribal Heritage Center opens for its second season inside the national park
The Yellowstone Tribal Heritage Center opened for the summer season on Wednesday near the Old Faithful area inside Yellowstone National Park. The Yellowstone Tribal Heritage Center is a place where artists, storytellers and scholars from the 27 Native American tribes that are associated with the park connect with Yellowstone visitors. The center will be open to the […]
National commission on the MMIP crisis meets in Arizona to hear testimony, recommendations
Five empty chairs sat at the front of the Not Invisible Act Commission hearing, each wrapped in a shawl, blanket or quilt representing a different group of individuals impacted by human trafficking or with a loved one who is missing or murdered. “We want to allow space for representing our relatives,” commission member Grace Bulltail […]
Extreme heat will take an unequal toll on tribal jails
This story was produced in partnership with the nonprofit newsroom Type Investigations and is co-published with ICT. In any given year, thousands of people are incarcerated in dozens of detention facilities run by tribal nations or the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Often left out of research on climate and carceral facilities, the tribal prisoner population […]
AZ Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Task Force holds first meeting
The Arizona task force will prepare and submit a report to Gov. Katie Hobbs with recommendations for administrative or legislative action on or before Dec. 1 of each year through 2026.(Photo by Shelby Wyatt for Source NM)
Lawsuit: State allowance on oil and gas violates New Mexico Constitution
Plaintiffs in a civil lawsuit filed Wednesday are seeking a seismic shift for New Mexicans’ rights to a “healthful and beautiful environment.” In a complaint spanning 100 pages, environmental groups, youth activists and individuals from the Pueblos, the Permian Basin and Navajo Nation sued the state of New Mexico, top officials and rulemaking bodies on […]