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swag

(26,480 posts)
Mon May 18, 2020, 11:10 AM May 2020

The Grand Canyon is re-opening, without informing visitors of the Navajo Nation's strict lockdown

https://heated.world/p/a-deadly-re-opening

Emily Atkin

Like all indigenous communities, the Navajo Nation is deeply tied to the natural world. Its elders in particular hold invaluable knowledge about the changing environment—knowledge which climate scientists rely on to inform their research and perspectives about the planet.

It’s a bit ironic, then, that nature-lovers now pose the biggest threat to the Navajo community and its vital knowledge. That’s because over the weekend, the National Park Service decided to re-open Grand Canyon National Park—apparently without informing visitors of the Navajo Nation’s strict lockdown, curfew, and social distancing rules, which are now in place until June 7.

Combined with Arizona Governor Doug Ducey’s decision to re-open Arizona’s economy over the weekend, the National Park Service’s decision to re-open the Grand Canyon has left Navajo leaders concerned that they may not be able to control what happens to their people. “Even a slow phase of reopening one of the largest tourist destinations in the world will overwhelm our communities,” Vice President Myron Lizer said in a statement.

Some Navajo activists are calling on those in the environmental community to step up and help. “We need a rapid response,” said Bleu Adams, cofounder of Protect Native Elders.

“A lot of our knowledge is held with the elders,” she added. “If they’re gone, we lose everything.”

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The Grand Canyon is re-opening, without informing visitors of the Navajo Nation's strict lockdown (Original Post) swag May 2020 OP
What a travesty. NT enough May 2020 #1
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