Sen. Kelly Statement on National Monument Designation Near Grand Canyon

Today, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly released the following statement on President Biden’s designation of a new national monument near the Grand Canyon. The Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument will protect nearly 1 million acres of public lands and thousands of cultural and sacred sites important to Native American tribes in the region.     

“President Biden’s designation of this new national monument is a welcome decision that will protect cultural sites as well as the communities and recreation jobs that depend on this land. It’s also the result of years of advocacy by Arizona community and tribal leaders who I was proud to support by leading this effort alongside Senator Sinema in the United States Senate,” said Senator Kelly.   

Kelly continued, “I’ve had the opportunity to see the Grand Canyon’s beauty from space and up close and there is just no other place like it. Now, generations of tribal residents, hikers, bikers, rafters, and others will continue to enjoy all the Grand Canyon region has to offer to the benefit of our state and our economy.”  

In July 2023, Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema and Congressman Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07) introduced the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument Act, a bill to establish approximately 1,069,970 acres of federal lands currently managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service in Arizona as a new Grand Canyon National Monument to protect and enhance the area. The legislation sets standards for the monument, including the formation of a tribal commission composed of one representative from each of the 12 federally recognized members of the Grand Canyon Associated Tribes to help oversee the development.