Forest Service hosts community meetings for proposed Yavapai-Apache Nation Land Exchange

Arizona News – The Prescott, Coconino, Kaibab and Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests have begun the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process for a proposed land exchange with the Yavapai-Apache Nation and a Draft Environmental Assessment is available for public review and comment. The Forest Service is hosting two informational community meetings: Jan. 17 in Camp Verde and Jan. 18 in Prescott. These are open house format. Agency leadership, subject matter experts and resource specialists will be on hand to answer questions and provide instructions for submitting formal comments.

Camp Verde Open House

Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Phillip England Auditorium, 210 Lincoln Rd.

Prescott Open House

Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024
6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The Center, 1280 E. Rosser St.

The Yavapai-Apache Nation Federal Land Exchange involves the proposed exchange to the United States of approximately 4,782 acres of inholdings within the National Forest System, owned by the Yavapai-Apache Nation. The Nation’s exchange lands include six parcels located in four national forests – Prescott, Coconino, Kaibab and Apache-Sitgreaves – all of which are surrounded by National Forest System lands. In exchange, the Nation would receive approximately 3,201 acres of federal land, most of which is in the wildland-urban interface, and nearly all of which is contiguous to the Nation’s existing lands near Camp Verde, Arizona.

The Draft Environmental Assessment and supplemental materials can be found on the project website at fs.usda.gov/project/prescott/?project=63848. Additional information is also available at yavapai-apache.org/land-exchange/.

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Tooz on January 16, 2024 1:58 pm

Why is it that whenever the “government of the United States“ has dealings with the Native American peoples, the Native American peoples always get cheated and end up with less land? I’ve been studying all this for the last year, and they always get less and less land. A movie about the “Lakota tribe against the United States government” shown at Mary D Fisher Theater was about how they got cheated out of the Black Hills. The government is now, finally, trying to offer them money, but they don’t want the money! They only want their sacred land back. The government wants to “poison the land” by mining for all kinds of elements that poison the water, poison the land, and then poison the people. I don’t blame them for not taking the money. And we should not be allowing the mines to go in anywhere on the lands. The film festival also showed that same destruction happening in other places in the world, like South America. And, Why is the forest service giving them less in quantity than what they are taking from the native peoples? Again… This is happening. The more I studied this, the more I got angry at the United States government. I had no idea of the atrocities… in order to get all these forest service and other lands in the first place, they murdered many if not all native peoples, and then just took the land. Please research all of this yourselves. Learn about our “real history “. ÁWatch “buffalo” by PBS, and “Killers of the Flower Moon” and research many other stories. Even where the enchantment resort is at the opening of Boynton Canyon, is blocking the Navajo entrance and they have to “beg“ for permission to go in there. It was their most sacred site. Someone apparently moved in to that entrance and built there many years ago, and then sold it and it eventually became the enchantment resort. Then they had bankruptcy after bankruptcy, because the “Nature spirits of the earth”, who are alive and conscious (who the native peoples all talk with and respect) did not want them there. It was only after a ceremony was done the Native American Way by one of the previous owners that the bankruptcies stopped. People used to be able to go into there freely, including elders and those in wheelchairs and on crutches. Now everyone is being “forced“ to walk all the way around on the trails to be able to even get down into the canyon. All of this sacred land should be easily available to all, and especially for the native peoples. And the forest service should give back, at least the same amount of acreage as they are taking, if not more.

2 Comments

Tooz on January 16, 2024 1:58 pm

Why is it that whenever the “government of the United States“ has dealings with the Native American peoples, the Native American peoples always get cheated and end up with less land? I’ve been studying all this for the last year, and they always get less and less land. A movie about the “Lakota tribe against the United States government” shown at Mary D Fisher Theater was about how they got cheated out of the Black Hills. The government is now, finally, trying to offer them money, but they don’t want the money! They only want their sacred land back. The government wants to “poison the land” by mining for all kinds of elements that poison the water, poison the land, and then poison the people. I don’t blame them for not taking the money. And we should not be allowing the mines to go in anywhere on the lands. The film festival also showed that same destruction happening in other places in the world, like South America. And, Why is the forest service giving them less in quantity than what they are taking from the native peoples? Again… This is happening. The more I studied this, the more I got angry at the United States government. I had no idea of the atrocities… in order to get all these forest service and other lands in the first place, they murdered many if not all native peoples, and then just took the land. Please research all of this yourselves. Learn about our “real history “. ÁWatch “buffalo” by PBS, and “Killers of the Flower Moon” and research many other stories. Even where the enchantment resort is at the opening of Boynton Canyon, is blocking the Navajo entrance and they have to “beg“ for permission to go in there. It was their most sacred site. Someone apparently moved in to that entrance and built there many years ago, and then sold it and it eventually became the enchantment resort. Then they had bankruptcy after bankruptcy, because the “Nature spirits of the earth”, who are alive and conscious (who the native peoples all talk with and respect) did not want them there. It was only after a ceremony was done the Native American Way by one of the previous owners that the bankruptcies stopped. People used to be able to go into there freely, including elders and those in wheelchairs and on crutches. Now everyone is being “forced“ to walk all the way around on the trails to be able to even get down into the canyon. All of this sacred land should be easily available to all, and especially for the native peoples. And the forest service should give back, at least the same amount of acreage as they are taking, if not more.
- JB on January 16, 2024 6:41 pm
  
  Sadly we live in a country that has lost its way. Hatred, Racism, Sexism, Criminality etc are the norm rather than the exception just as it was when we stole this this from the rightful owners.
  You are correct that Tribal Lands are shrinking because of US and States Governments discovered that the “god forsaken” lands we didn’t want and forced them to reside on have tremendous mineral, coal and oil deposits within. Oh and there’s also precious metals and uranium in them thar hills. So let’s renege on our signed treaties with them and take what’s ours is the mentality.
  What do they get in return? Contaminated land air and water,, lung disease, cancers etc. a portion of the water access rights they were promised and just recently the Northen Arizona tribes gained access to the industrial power lines running through their lands which was promised to them decades ago when the lines were put up over and through their lands.
  Unfortunately the way our country is headed things are only going to get worse for them- much worse because a ship of fools want to take us back to the 1800’s!