When the Kayenta and Black Mesa coal mines closed, many Hopi and Navajo families lost a key source of fuel for home heating. With coal no longer available, some turned to gathering firewood – an effort complicated by land-use restrictions and limited resources. On the Navajo Nation, firewood collection is often restricted to designated clan lands, and removing wood from another’s allotment is not tolerated. While some Hopi mesas have forested areas, wood is often scarce, and cutting live trees … [Read more...] about Volunteers Cut, Split, Deliver Firewood to Tribal Communities
navajo nation
Needing a Paw Up
Sydney, Jazmin and Cody, three siblings who are cattle dog mixes, were born to their homeless mom under a storage shed near Navajo Mountain. Today, they are fully vaccinated and dewormed, and being adopted by families. “A caring person living in Kayenta retrieved them after they were weaned, but could not catch mom to spay her,” said Toby Frost, a Prescott resident who has been passionate about helping homeless animals for more than 20 years. Frost has been fostering the three puppies. … [Read more...] about Needing a Paw Up
Ways to Help the Health Worker Shortage in Northern Arizona
If you’re finding it difficult to find or see a primary care doctor these days, you’re not alone. Arizona ranks 42nd in the nation for the ratio of active primary care physicians to residents – about 78 physicians per 100,000 people, according to a 2019 report by the Center for Rural Health at the University of Arizona. To keep pace with demand, our state will need an additional 1,941 primary care doctors by 2030. Arizona also faces significant shortages in lower-wage medical workers, … [Read more...] about Ways to Help the Health Worker Shortage in Northern Arizona
Disinfecting on the Navajo Nation
As COVID-19 wages another relentless attack across the country, Flagstaff, Phoenix, Peoria, Tempe and Tucson are requiring masks in city facilities for staff members and visitors – whether they are vaccinated or not – as the highly contagious delta variant is being blamed for the surge. “Delta has become overwhelmingly dominant in our state and pretty much everywhere else,” said David Engelthaler, director of the infectious disease branch of TGen North. “Delta is an extremely fast-spreading … [Read more...] about Disinfecting on the Navajo Nation
Destination: Forever Home
A puppy had been badly burned and needed immediate medical care, according to the urgent online post. It was Saturday morning, March 6. Recently-retired American Airlines Boeing 787 Captain David Weeks was at home in Flagstaff, enjoying the sound of the breeze through the pines on this unusually warm winter day when he read the message on the Pilots N’ Paws discussion board. The pup, six or seven months old, had been stabilized at a small remote clinic, but required an emergency flight to … [Read more...] about Destination: Forever Home
An Incredible Team Effort: Navajo-Hopi Relief Group Raises $18 Million in One Year
When Ethel Branch first launched a modest GoFundMe last March to help Navajo and Hopi elders and families withstand the impacts of COVID-19, she had no idea how quickly it would grow. One year later, the grassroots Navajo-Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund has received over 100,000 donations, gifts and grants totaling $18 million and has forged partnerships and mobilized hundreds of volunteers to deliver humanitarian relief to thousands in need. “The success of our fundraising campaign was … [Read more...] about An Incredible Team Effort: Navajo-Hopi Relief Group Raises $18 Million in One Year
$235 Million Rural Development Loan will Improve Navajo Tribal Utility Authority
Arizona Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly and Arizona Congressman Tom O’Halleran (AZ-01) applauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) decision to award the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) a $235 million Rural Development loan for critical improvements to utility services on the Navajo Nation. “The Navajo Tribal Utility Authority is critical to providing reliable electricity, water, and gas to the Navajo Nation. Today’s funding ensures the Navajo Tribal Utility … [Read more...] about $235 Million Rural Development Loan will Improve Navajo Tribal Utility Authority
Amangiri: Desert Decompression for Those Seeking Uncomplicated Elegance
Secluded among petrified sandstone monuments in the Southern Utah desert, about a 25-minute drive from Page, is a wealthy minimalist’s dream. Amangiri, a Sanskrit word for “peaceful mountain,” is a starkly serene luxury resort situated on 600 acres in the Grand Circle region, an area exhibiting unparalleled raw beauty, famous for its national parks like the Grand Canyon, national monuments including Grand Staircase-Escalante and the Navajo Nation, whose culture is intricately woven into the … [Read more...] about Amangiri: Desert Decompression for Those Seeking Uncomplicated Elegance
Navajo Nation’s Major Disaster Declaration Approved
Following the support of Arizona Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly and Arizona Representatives Tom O’Halleran (AZ-01), Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-02), Raúl Grijalva (AZ-03), Andy Biggs (AZ-05), David Schweikert (AZ-06), Ruben Gallego (AZ-07), Debbie Lesko (AZ-08), and Greg Stanton (AZ-09), the administration approved Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration from the federal government, which will allow the Nation to access additional resources to combat the … [Read more...] about Navajo Nation’s Major Disaster Declaration Approved
Disinfecting Support for the Navajo Nation
Hitting with a vengeance, COVID-19 made its first frightening appearance on the Navajo Nation in mid-March and quickly grew in magnitude, as limited health facilities on the reservation shifted into high gear and were rapidly overwhelmed. With a population of 173,667, according to the 2010 census, the Navajo Nation spans 27,000 square miles in parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. The largest and most populated reservation in the country saw an infection rate of coronavirus spiking in May … [Read more...] about Disinfecting Support for the Navajo Nation
