International Day of Forests
Friday, March 21, 2025, was the International Day of Forests! Here on Black Mesa (Dził Yíjiin), forest and woodlands make up a large part of our communities, from pine trees on Black Mesa’s northern edge to piñon-juniper for the central and southern edge of our region. This year’s theme, Forest and Food, is fitting for our Indigenous communities, who continue to hold on to our traditional ways of land stewardship and food sovereignty.
For Diné people, our forests are more than just trees; they provide food and medicine for our communities. As we celebrate our forests, we must also protect them from proposed projects that want to clear them for development. One such project was the proposed Black Mesa Pumped Storage Project, which was defeated in large part due to community opposition and the Navajo Nation’s designation of highly sensitive areas (RCP) on the Navajo Nation.
Biological Resource Land Use Clearance Policies and Procedures, aka RCP areas, contain the best habitat for endangered and rare plant, animal, and game species, and the highest concentration of these species on the Navajo Nation. This area aims to protect these valuable and sensitive biological resources to the maximum extent practical. On this day – and every day – let’s continue to advocate for forest protection that upholds Indigenous rights, protects biodiversity, and builds resilience in the face of climate change.
Chapter RCP Map Source: Navajo Nation Department of Fish & Wildlife
