Native Americans have the most difficulty accessing clean water, report says
DENNEHOTSO – Unregulated drinking water sources are the greatest public health risk on the Navajo Reservation, according to the EPA.
Monsoon storms help slow Museum Fire, but raise flood concerns
FLAGSTAFF – The Museum Fire burning one mile north of Flagstaff is now more than 1,800 acres, but rains Tuesday helped firefighters slow the blaze. With more rain in the forecast, though, the threat of flooding is real.
In the land of coal, Navajo Nation looks to renewable energy
FLAGSTAFF – The Navajo Tribe has long been dependent on coal for good jobs, but its leaders now are embracing renewable energy sources, including solar.
Pride in the ‘two-spirited’: Navajo LGBTQ youth find unlikely champions in their elders
UPPER FRUITLAND, N.M – Lesbian, gay and bisexual Navajo youngsters are getting support from their elders, who believe that “two-spirited” people have sacred roles to play in traditional Navajo society.
‘Our stories need to be told’: Grand Canyon park enlisting Native input as it marks 100 years
FLAGSTAFF – Native voices are being heard as Grand Canyon National Park gets ready to celebrate its centennial next year. Park officials are converting the Desert View overlook and watchtower into a cultural site featuring tribes who have called the canyon home for hundreds of years.
Likely closure of coal-fired power plant bringing dramatic change to Navajo Nation
LECHEE CHAPTER HOUSE, Navajo Reservation – SRP announced last year it planned to shut down the Navajo Generating Station ahead of schedule because producing electricity from coal is much more expensive and dirtier than natural gas. No other job on the Navajo Reservation pays as well as the Navajo Generating Station. Revenue, taxes and royalties from coal make up about a third of the Navajo operating budget and most of the Hopi Tribe’s budget.
Grassroots group works to save wild horses on parched Navajo Reservation
Last month, more than one hundred horses were found dead, drowned in the thick mud surrounding a dried up watering hole on the Navajo Nation.