This week, U.S. Representative Paul Gosar of Arizona introduced legislation that would eliminate protections for two of Arizona’s most renowned public lands: Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni–Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument and Ironwood Forest National Monument.

These proposals stand in direct opposition to the overwhelming support Arizonans have expressed for keeping national monuments intact. In a poll run by the Grand Canyon Trust, a vast majority of Arizonans — 88% — support the Antiquities Act. This law has allowed presidents of both parties to designate existing national public lands as national monuments since 1906. Ironwood Forest National Monument, designated 25 years ago, protects 129,000 acres of the Sonoran Desert, safeguarding one of the richest stands of ironwood trees, critical wildlife habitats, and more than 5,000 years of cultural history. Its significance was reaffirmed just last week when the Tucson City Council passed a resolution supporting continued protection for the monument.

Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni–Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument was established in 2023 after decades of advocacy from Tribal Nations and Arizona communities. The nearly one-million-acre designation protects ancestral homelands, the Colorado River watershed, and outdoor recreation opportunities while continuing to allow hunting, hiking, and existing grazing and mining permits.

Efforts to dismantle these monuments disregard years of community engagement and collaboration and compromise that went into defining the monuments and their management plans.

“Attempts to repeal these designations ignore the clear will of the public and sidestep the process that created them,” said Michael Cravens, Advocacy and Conservation Director of the Arizona Wildlife Federation. “National monuments like Ironwood Forest and Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni–Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon were created to protect cultural heritage, wildlife, and water supplies while preserving access for hunters, anglers, and outdoor recreationists. Removing protections would put all of that at risk.”

These monuments are more than protected landscapes; they are living testaments to Arizona’s cultural, ecological, and recreational heritage. Eliminating them would erase decades of work by Tribes, local governments, conservationists, sportsmen, and community members who came together to ensure these lands remain accessible and intact for future generations.