Save the Grand Canyon’s Waters: The Fight Against Pinyon Plain Mine

Six miles from the Grand Canyon’s majestic South Rim, a crisis is unfolding in slow motion.

The Pinyon Plain uranium mine isn’t just another hole in the ground. It’s a gamble with one of Earth’s most precious watersheds. Right now, 9 million pounds of uranium ore sits stockpiled on the surface, a toxic legacy in the making.

For the Havasupai people—whose name literally means “people of the blue-green waters”—this isn’t just an environmental issue. It’s an existential threat. Their ancestors have lived beneath the Grand Canyon’s towering cliffs since before recorded history. The mine sits directly above their primary water source, and they’ve already seen millions of gallons of precious water rendered unusable.

The timing couldn’t be worse. After decades of dormancy, the mine began commercial operations in December 2023. But here’s what’s changed: Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has called for a new environmental review, acknowledging what scientists and Indigenous leaders have been saying for years—the mine’s environmental assessment is dangerously outdated.

Think about it: We’re using 1980s science to justify 2020s mining. That’s like trying to perform heart surgery with a medical textbook from the Cold War.

The stakes? Once uranium contaminates groundwater, there’s no taking it back. No do-overs. No ctrl+z. The same springs that have sustained life in this arid landscape for millennia could be poisoned for generations.

Here’s How You Can Act:

1. Make Your Voice Heard
   Contact your congressional representatives. Tell them you want a new environmental assessment—one based on current science, not Reagan-era studies. The U.S. Forest Service is already considering this review. Your voice can help make it happen.
2. Stand with the Havasupai
   Visit the Havasupai Tribe’s official website to support their ongoing legal battle. Their fight is our fight—they’re protecting water that belongs to all of us.
3. Spread the Word
   Share this message on social media with #StopPinyonPlainMine #ProtectGrandCanyon #WaterIsLife. But don’t stop there—talk to your friends, your family, your colleagues. This isn’t just an Arizona issue—it’s about protecting one of America’s crown jewels.
4. Stay Informed and Ready
   Sign up for action alerts at grandcanyonfoundation.com. When protest opportunities or letter-writing campaigns emerge, show up. Numbers matter.

The Grand Canyon has been carved by water over millions of years. It’s taken nature eons to create this masterpiece. We can’t let it be destroyed in a handful of decades for short-term profit.

This is our moment. This is our chance to prove we’re worthy stewards of this ancient landscape. The choice between temporary uranium profits and permanent water protection shouldn’t be a choice at all.

The canyon’s future rests in our hands. Let’s make sure future generations will thank us for what we do today.

https://www.change.org/savethegrandcanyon

ProtectGrandCanyon #WaterIsLife #StopPinyonPlainMine