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At a recent Bears Ears celebration in Monument Valley, high-ranking Navajo, Ute and Hopi tribal leaders vowed to continue their political fight to give Native Americans a voice in the management of America’s newest national monument.
We were a stones throw from the Arizona border. Hundreds of mostly Navajos and Utes, from Utah and the Four Corners, traveled long miles in sudden winter conditions, to gather at the well-heated Monument Valley Welcome Center. Residents of remote desert chapters mingled with the highest ranks of elected leadership from the Navajo Nation and the Utah Dine Bikeyah, and a smattering of sympathetic activists from regional environmental groups.
KZMU News: Wednesday January 6, 2021
San Juan County denied Rally on the Rocks a permit to stage their spring ATV event at the Old Airport Road in Spanish Valley. Although chair Willie Grayeyes said he would welcome the event in Blanding or Monticello, approving the event’s headquarters in Spanish Valley – just a few miles from the border of Grand County – might cause a loss of trust between the two governing bodies. Plus, Grand’s newly seated commission unanimously approved a letter to President Elect Joe Biden requesting that his administration immediately restore the boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument to its original size. And, water advocate Sarah Stock is appointed to serve a two-year term on the Grand County Commission.
Credit Jon Kovash
Utah law currently allows ‘street legal’ ATVs and UTVs to drive on public roads. As the industry gets more popular, there are more vehicles on the road, and more noise reverberating across impacted communities. This program, by independent producers Jon Kovash and Josie Kovash, aims to capture Moab residents mounting frustration around quality of life issues and community health.
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