During a two-day congressional visit to Washington, D.C., on May 12-13, Navajo Nation Council Delegate Curtis Yanito joined representatives from the Grand Staircase-Escalante Inter-Tribal Coalition to address concerns over efforts to overturn the current management plan for the Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument.
Delegate Yanito and coalition partners met with congressional staff and stakeholders to discuss the potential use of the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to reverse the monument’s current Resource Management Plan. Discussions centered on preserving Tribal consultation processes, maintaining government-to-government relationships, and protecting culturally and historically significant landscapes tied to Tribal communities.
Coalition representatives reported that the House Rules Committee agenda did not include Grand Staircase-Escalante, signaling that a House vote on a CRA challenge to the monument’s Resource Management Plan is not expected in the immediate future. Members of Congress involved in recent meetings also indicated that offices participating in discussions had not received formal notice of any scheduled House or Senate action. However, coalition partners noted that attention could shift to the Senate in the coming weeks.
The Resource Management Plan was developed as a collaborative framework designed to strengthen Tribal participation in monument management. Tribal leaders, cultural specialists, and natural resource representatives contributed years of work to create the plan, incorporating Traditional Indigenous Knowledge and stewardship principles into decisions affecting sacred sites and culturally important landscapes.
The plan also includes protections for archaeological resources, wildlife habitat, and areas that continue to hold cultural and spiritual significance for Tribal communities.
Delegate Yanito said Tribal stewardship responsibilities extend far beyond federal policy debates.
“Grand Staircase-Escalante carries generations of cultural teachings, sacred connections, and responsibilities that our people continue to uphold today,” Yanito said. “The work completed through consultation and collaboration represents years of commitment by Tribal leaders.”
Yanito added that the perspectives of cultural practitioners and community leaders remain essential in discussions surrounding the monument’s future.
Coalition partners also voiced concerns about the long-term consequences of overturning the Resource Management Plan through the CRA. Congressional members noted that such action could prevent future management plans considered “substantially similar,” potentially creating uncertainty for future co-stewardship agreements and cultural resource protections.
Yanito emphasized that the debate reaches beyond Grand Staircase-Escalante itself and may shape broader national conversations about Tribal consultation, monument management, and recognition of Indigenous stewardship principles in future federal actions.
The 25th Navajo Nation Council and the Grand Staircase-Escalante Inter-Tribal Coalition said they will continue advocating for meaningful government-to-government consultation, collaborative co-stewardship, and continued implementation of protections established through the current Resource Management Plan.
