Earth Notes: Hopi Trails in the Southwest

My final Earth Notes of the year aired recently. Click on the photo below to hear the story. You can also read more about Hopi Trails by continuing below. "Earth Notes" is produced by KNAU and the Sustainable Communities Program of Northern Arizona University. In 2007 I worked with the Village of Sipaulovi (2nd Mesa) …

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Borne Of Water: A Short Film by The Smoking Section & American Rivers

I was asked to provide some perspectives (and my voice) to this short video featuring some great animations. "Borne of Water illustrates the journey of water, from mountain snow to flowing rivers. Inspired by a historical Hopi event, the film shows how climate change is impacting water and rivers today. Reduced snowpack and shrinking flows …

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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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Hisat’sinom to Hopi: Establishing Cultural Affiliation in the Bears Ears Landscape

With the historic visit by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to southeast Utah this week, I think it's worth re-posting a previous blog writing from 4 years ago describing, in part, some of the Hopi questions and answers we find in the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante landscapes. While the increased attention of the …

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Culture Relative to Homeland

An interview from 2014 with Jack Loeffler (Santa Fe, NM) talking about Hopi connections to Landscapes, Culture & Sustainability. Originally appeared in Green Fire Times, 2014 (Santa Fe, NM). JL: How do you perceive culture relative to homeland? LB: Culture relative to homeland is a big idea. Homeland is something that is always in the back of …

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Spirit of Place: Preserving the Cultural Landscape of the Bears Ears

1200 A.D. Dawn breaks over a secluded canyon, spreading a sliver of orange light along the rim as a lone canyon wren welcomes the morning, singing another day into existence. As the light increases in intensity, it illuminates a sheer cliff face, revealing layers of geologic time; ancient cross-bedded sand dunes and million-year old ocean …

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