Earth Notes: River House Conservation (KNAU)

My 2nd "Earth Notes" story aired this week, and focuses on the conservation work that is occurring in the Bears Ears National Monument. You can hear the episode by clicking the image below ⤵️ Click Image to hear story. These short stories are proving to be a fun and challenging way to rework some of …

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Earth Notes: Homolovi Turquoise (KNAU)

The following is a short piece that I wrote for the radio program, "Earth Notes", produced by KNAU and the Sustainable Communities Program at Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, AZ). Hear the story HERE I wrote this for a couple reasons, one being that I have strong interest in turquoise and jewelry made from/with turquoise. But …

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Beyond Stone & Mortar: Preserving Indigenous Presence within Ancestral Landscapes

My latest article about the conservation work we completed in the Bears Ears area is now available via the link below. The piece is featured in the Spring/Summer 2022 edition of the Grand Canyon Trust's publication,  "Advocate Magazine". Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps, Zuni #642. Photo: Lyle Balenquah Please consider supporting the Grand Canyon Trust in …

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“Full Circle”

A great article, "Full Circle", authored by Karuna Eberl recently appeared that highlights the conservation work we have been doing within Bears Ears National Monument. The article is featured in the Spring 2022 edition of National Parks, the quarterly magazine of the National Parks Conservation Association. You can find the article HERE There is also …

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Lifeways of the Little Colorado River – Grand Canyon Trust

"No matter its color—clear, red, or blue—the Little Colorado River gives life to the lands, communities, and cultures through which it flows." Follow the link below to hear and read various Indigenous perspectives about Paayu, the Little Colorado River, and why it deserves continued protection and preservation as a Cultural Landscape and unique, desert ecosystem. …

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“Speak Softly, Tread Lightly & Show Much Respect….”

I recently had the opportunity to speak with the "Science Moab Podcast" about my views on Indigenous Archaeology as well as on-going conservation work in Southeastern Utah. This interview was included as a part of the Moab Festival of Science. You can hear the interview here-->https://sciencemoab.org/perspectives-from-a-hopi-archaeologist/ The interview was followed by a live-stream Q & …

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The Work Continues in Bears Ears

Here are a couple of links to recent articles from High Country News and CNN about the current and future work in the Bears Ears issue. With the change in administration and nomination of Representative (NM) Deb Haaland to serve as Secretary of the Interior, there is renewed hope to reverse the harmful impacts implemented …

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Paa’tuuwa’qatsi: Water is Life

The turquoise waters of the Little Colorado River just above the Confluence. The Grand Canyon landscape contains some of the Southwests most unique ecosystems of rivers, springs and riparian zones. These areas are home to many plant and animal species, some found nowhere else in the world, or that represent the last viable populations holding …

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Upcoming Release: Becoming Hopi

Cover of "Becoming Hopi". “I know my story. But the only real, tangible evidence of the clans being here is the sites, the pottery, and the artifacts. These places make you ponder history”.~Riley Balenquah, Hopi, Rattlesnake Clan, Paaqavi Village. I wish my dad could have lived to see this book come to fruition. He passed …

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