The Department of the Interior has announced that the Grand Canyon Tribal Monitoring Program is the recipient of the Department of the Interior’s Environmental Achievement Award for Environmental Justice.
This is a prestigious, national award that recognizes Department employees, teams and DOI partners who have attained exceptional environmental achievements. Recipients are selected by a panel convened by the Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance using established evaluation criteria.
This nomination and award recognize the long-term stewardship of the Grand Canyon as a sacred place and the complex partnership of Department of the Interior Agencies and Tribes that have monitored the Canyon’s health and cultural resources for over 25 years. Since 1997, the Hopi Tribe, the Hualapai Tribe, Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians, the Navajo Nation, the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, and the Zuni Tribe have worked with the National Park Service’s Glen Canyon National Recreational Area and Grand Canyon National Park, the USGS’s Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC) and the Bureau of Reclamation’s Glen Canyon Dam Program to preserve the sacredness of the Colorado River and to ensure its cultural resources are protected from harm.
…“The Bureau of Reclamation submitted an award nomination for the Grand Canyon Tribal Monitoring Program as a way to honor the elders, tribal councils, and cultural practitioners who have given of their time, …
… Basin Region Archaeologist Zachary Nelson. “We respect and appreciate their efforts to share their knowledge and enlighten us. Something that we all have in common is a deep respect for the Grand Canyon.”
Annual monitoring trips are scheduled to observe the physical and spiritual elements of the ecosystem and its prehistoric sites, and make recommendations for their protection, research, and spiritual well-being. The Canyon is a wellspring of spiritual renewal for many tribes.
The program recognizes the spiritual and scientific values of an endearing geological wonder. The Canyon’s hallowed shrines, ancient dwellings, and places of emergence into this world, are protected for future generations to walk in the pathways of their ancestors.
The recipients of the award are represented by the Tribes involved in the LTEMP: Hopi, Hualapai, Navajo, Southern Paiute Consortium, and the Zuni, as well as Reclamation’s federal partners in this endeavor: Helen Fairley from the GCMRC, and Amy Schott and Jennifer Dierker from NPS, and Zachary Nelson from Reclamation.
“This is truly a group effort to keep, maintain, and help the spirit of the Grand Canyon in the best way we can for this generation and those to come,” said Nelson.
Awardees will receive a plaque and letter of recognition and be recognized at DOI’s Honors Award Convocation in May of 2024.
