The total area of 917,618 acres (3,713.47 km2) is smaller than the 1,069,970 acres (4,330.0 km2) proposed in legislation.[5] The monument spans a range of elevations across the Colorado Plateau and its ecosystems include the Mojave Desert; Great Basin grasslands, woodlands, and scrublands; and subalpine conifer forests and grasslands. It protects significant aquifer and watershed resources that feed the Colorado River, including the Kanab Creek.[1]
The Arizona Trail passes through the southern segment of the monument.[7]
Protection
The area was first protected as part of the Grand Canyon Forest Reserve in 1893. It became a national forest in 1907 and was later organized as Kaibab National Forest. The first Grand Canyon National Monument, established in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt, became Grand Canyon National Park in 1919.[1] A second Grand Canyon National Monument was created in 1932 and later incorporated into the park.[8]
In 2012, President Barack Obama's Interior Secretary Ken Salazar issued a moratorium on new uranium mining claims in the region surrounding the Grand Canyon, effective until 2032.[2][11][12] The area includes 1.3% of U.S. uranium reserves,[13] as well as many abandoned mines that may pose risks to water quality.[14]
National monument designation
Congressman Raúl Grijalva and Senator Kyrsten Sinema called for the creation of the monument and introduced bills to do so in July 2023.[10][15] Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland visited the Grand Canyon with Grijalva and Sinema's staff in May.[16]
President Joe Biden visited Arizona on August 8, 2023 and issued a proclamation establishing the monument near Red Butte in its southern portion.[17] Event attendees included Grijalva, Sinema, Haaland, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Xochitl Torres Small, Congressman Greg Stanton, and tribal representatives.[18] It was Biden's fifth national monument designation, coming just two weeks after that of Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument.[9] Similar to the nearby Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Nevada, the monument will include tribal leaders in its management.[19] The act is part of President Biden's 30 by 30 conservation goals.[20]
The designation permanently prevents new mining claims within the monument, though there are over 3,000 pre-existing leases that could still be developed.[5][19] The Pinyon Plain Mine near Tusayan, which started development before the 2012 moratorium, began operations in December 2023.[21] Uranium mining companies and some Republicans opposed the monument designation.[22]
Management of the monument will be in cooperation with Tribal nations, including a monument commission made up of Tribal leaders and an advisory committee with a variety of stakeholders.[1][23][20]
In February 2024, legislative Republicans in Arizona filed a lawsuit challenging the monument, alleging that it is too large and will unduly limit mining and ranching.[24]
In popular culture
In 2023, Native reggae rock band Tha 'Yoties had a free national tour in celebration of the monument's designation.[25]