The proposed Grand Canyon Escalade development, from the get-go, has been a nightmare for Confluence stakeholders under the Ben Shelly and Rex Lee-Jim administrations.
Under the re-awakening of Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye and Vice President Jonathan Nez, it is our hope that land users and residents will finally gain peace of mind.
Moving forward, we hope the land users re-establish their relationship with the Holy People–that includes Mother Earth, the wind and water people along with sacred-banded cliffs and canyons; they are forces in the Navajo earth based religion, which have existed since time immemorial.
We believe “the two mighty” rivers, the Colorado and the Little Colorado, have spoken.
If Mr. Begaye and Nez truly are sincere about their position, we thank them. We also extend our appreciation to the enormous support we received from the the Grand Canyon Trust, the river runners, the nation and the world to Save the Confluence.
We also are grateful to our neighboring tribes, countless activists, and the 3,000 Navajo individuals who signed our petition, in addition to the Navajo chapters that stood with us against the development at Grand Canyon east rim.
Nevertheless, while the president’s stance is being recognized as good and welcome news, we will remain cautious of the Navajo Nation Council.
This is the Navajo Nation Council that the Confluence Partners may lobby to push a bill through, and we believe such an attempt could continue to divide the Bodaway/Gap community.
We respectfully ask the Navajo council to respect the decision of the Begaye/Nez administration.
Save the Confluence