Happy World Rivers Day!
#WorldRiversDay is a celebration of the world’s waterways. It highlights the many values of rivers and strives to increase public awareness, and encourages the improved stewardship of rivers around the world. Here on the Navajo Nation, our current boundary of our homeland is marked by some of the major rivers vital to the Southwest, such as the Colorado River, the San Juan River, and the Little Colorado River.
On September 24, 2025, the Tó Nizhóní Ání (TNA) watershed and food sovereignty crew members traversed across the Navajo Nation to attend a Volunteer Day organized by the Navajo Nation Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Diné Native Plants Program. The TNA field crew attended one of the three workdays at the Tó Tsoh (Big Water) Wash located within the Lukachukai (Lókʼaaʼchʼégai) community. The Diné Native Plants Program organized an installation of Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs) with erosion control structures in the Tó Tsoh Wash. The Tó Tsoh Wash is a tributary of the Chinle Wash/Creek which feeds into the greater San Juan River on the Navajo Nation.
The goal for this visit to the eastern edge of Central Agency was to learn about different methods other organizations are using to combat increased erosion, reconnect a stream with its floodplain, and reintroduce native plants where invasive species are dominating. Local resident and Navajo Nation Climate Change Program personal, Howard Leonard Jr said it best by stressing the need for invasive species removal or mitigation. “Russion Olive yiłnoo’, éí dooya’aht’eeda t’oo ayoo selii beninaa’agii do ya’t’eeda,” said Mr. Leonard Jr. “Dii éí Russion Olive yiłninigii t’oo ayoii tó hałt’ood, t’oo ayoii tó yiyinzin.” TNA also sought to network and share knowledge gained between our organizations in restoring watersheds with unique challenges. The Black Mesa region (Dził Yíjiin) does not hold perennial (continually recurring) flows like those that cascade from the Chuska (Chʼóshgai) mountains, so flowing water was a welcoming sight for our crew members. Tó Tsoh Creek was the only current Diné Native Plants Program project work site with flowing water this year.
After observing some existing structures, Jesse Mike, Diné Native Plants Program coordinator, led our team to build an example BDA with sagebrush, large boulders and branches. “We came up with this project where we were going to be focusing on reducing erosion,” said Jesse “And bringing back native species, so our willows and cottonwoods, to some of our stream systems here in the Chuska Mountains.” The referenced example BDA led our crew to make our own, allowing flows to pass under the rocks through the branches. Crews came together after lunch to build additional BDAs along areas of the wash where solid rock anchors exist to bolster structures during strong flow events. In between BDAs, our crew experimented with one rock dams organized in a book stacked manner, which yielded decreased turbidity of the water downstream. The result was a larger pool of water upstream of the BDAs, which the land and living beings benefit highly from.
Ahéhee’, thank you, to the Diné Native Plants Program for hosting this event. We look forward to future potential collaborations on our watersheds. For more infomration about this event, please contact Andrew Atencia with Tó Nizhóní Ání at Andrew@tonizhoniani.org or Chambreigh Onesalt with the Diné Native Plants Program at conesalt@nndfw.org.
