Check It Out: New Monument Biden Designated In Arizona Strip

Here in Southern Utah, we have a new national monument in our neighborhood. President Biden designated over 1,562 square miles, or about 1 million acres, around the Grand Canyon as a new national monument. 

The Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument spans three different areas. There are two on the Arizona strip. One borders Jacob’s Lake on one side and the other on the opposite side. There is also a portion on Phoenix side of the canyon.  

What happens now that it has been designated a monument? People are going to want to visit, even if they probably can’t pronounce it. That means someone from the federal government will need to manage it. According to the fact sheet put out by the Whitehouse: 

Consistent with direction in the proclamation, the Interior Department will enter into a memorandum of understanding with Tribal Nations to carry out co-stewardship of the monument and will work with local communities to locate and develop a visitor center and other visitor facilities. 

With three different locations, it seems like they may need three visitor centers. If you have dreams of being a ranger for the forest service, this may be your big opportunity.  

I was wondering what to visit in the new monument. There is a place called Red Butte that is sacred to the native tribes in the area. From the pictures it looks like a bluff with a volcanic cone on it. Frankly, it doesn’t look that compelling. 

There’s a cabin built by sheep herders that you can rent, an old logging camp and an airport that was built in the 1920’s to fly celebrities in to see the Grand Canyon. It is also one of the few places where uranium has been found in the United States. You can see the mines there now as there will be no new ones now that it has monument status. 

If you don’t sign on as a forest ranger, you might want to start a You Tube channel where you explore the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument. You can also tell people how to properly pronounce it. Now get out there and do some exploring.