- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
Grand Canyon National Park, ARIZ. — Mining activity near the Grand Canyon National Park has recently been reported fewer than 10 miles from the south rim of the Grand Canyon, said the Havasupai Tribe in a statement today.
The Havasupai Tribe has been opposed to any mining activity near the Grand Canyon, where the Tribe is located, for decades.
“It is time to permanently ban uranium mining — not only to preserve the Havasupai Tribe’s cultural identity and our existence as the Havasupai People but to protect the Grand Canyon for generations to come,” Havasupai Tribal Chairman Thomas Siyuja, Sr. said in a statement. “With recent activity observed inside the mine fence, it is clear that the mining company is making plans to begin its operations.”
The Tribe and its allies say hundreds of uranium mines could eventually be developed on federal public lands near the Grand Canyon National Park if efforts fail to pass the Senate Bill 387 — Grand Canyon Protection Act. The bill is currently in the Senate and, if passed, would permanently ban new uranium mines on more than 1 million acres of federal public lands near the Grand Canyon. The bill has already passed in the House of Representatives twice, according to the Grand Canyon Trust, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to the preservation of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado Plateau and promoting the rights of Native peoples in the region.
The Pinyon Plain Mine, formerly known as the Canyon Mine, posted job advertisements on Craigslist two weeks ago, reported the Grand Canyon Trust.
“Pinyon Plain Mine remains a shameful example of why the Grand Canyon region must be permanently protected from further mining,” Grand Canyon Trust’s Energy Director Amber Reimondo said in a statement. “For over 30 years, the Havasupai Tribe has been clear about the harm this mine causes. Yet regulators still focus only on when and how to allow it, rather than whether this uranium mine should be allowed at all.”
Pinyon Plain Mine is located in the Kaibab National Forest, near Red Butte, which is a federally recognized traditional cultural property south of the Grand Canyon National Park. The area is the homeland of the Havasupai Tribe, and the mine threatens the Tribe’s only source of drinking water. The Havasupai Tribe has led opposition to the mine since it was first approved in the 1980s.
“The Havasupai Tribe knows the irreparable damage that uranium mining can do,” Havasupai Tribal Chairman Siyuja said in a statement. “For generations, we have been at the forefront, working to permanently protect our ancient homelands from the negative impacts of uranium mining, which has disproportionately harmed and sickened indigenous people across Northern Arizona. The Senate must pass the Grand Canyon Protection Act and once and for all permanently ban any new uranium mines on our ancestral lands.”
Want more Native News? Get the free daily newsletter today.
While the passage of the Grand Canyon Protection Act would stop new mines from being developed, it would not shut down existing mines like Pinyon Plain Mine. The Havasupai Tribe and its many supporters remain committed to seeing the mine closed and cleaned up.
Uranium mining has a long history of contaminating land and water in Indian Country, including on the Navajo Nation, where hundreds of uranium mines were abandoned without cleanup. Native News Online reported in April 2022 that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission traveled to the Navajo Nation to hear of the effects of uranium mining on the reservation for the first time in history.
More Stories Like This
Charles F. “Chuck” Sams III Joins Oregon Law as Inaugural Oregon Tribes Scholar-in-ResidenceInterior Department Moves to Expand Oil and Gas Development in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve
Feds Release Final Environmental Impact Statement on Oak Flat Mine
Interior Department Announces Over $119 Million for Abandoned Coal Mine Reclamation
Osage Minerals Council Celebrates the Final Dismissal of Hayes II Litigation
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
