FLAGSTAFF, AZ — The Grand Canyon Trust mourns the passing of Congressman Raúl Grijalva, D-AZ, long-time advocate for the environment, environmental justice, tribal sovereignty, and the Grand Canyon, who passed away on March 13, 2025.
During his more than two decades in Congress, Representative Grijalva was a staunch advocate for protecting and preserving the environment and a tireless supporter of Native American tribes in their work to assert their tribal sovereignty and protect their ancestral lands at Bears Ears, the Grand Canyon, and beyond.
He was also a strong advocate for the Grand Canyon, including preventing new uranium mining and protecting waters that flow into the Colorado River, wildlife habitat, and sacred sites on lands surrounding Grand Canyon National Park. Over the course of his long career, he introduced many pieces of key legislation aimed at protecting the Grand Canyon, including the Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act, the Grand Canyon Protection Act, and the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument Act.
More recently, his leadership was key in supporting the successful efforts of the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition to protect their ancestral lands, which led to the designation of Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument in 2023, protecting nearly 1 million acres of federal public lands surrounding Grand Canyon National Park.
“Congressman Grijalva was a true leader and a true friend of the Grand Canyon,” said Grand Canyon Trust Executive Director Ethan Aumack. “He used his position in Congress to amplify the voices and priorities of his constituents, especially those who were not being heard.”
“Congressman Grijalva will be dearly missed, but his conservation legacy lives on across Arizona and well beyond,” Aumack added. “When you visit Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni national monument or stand at the edge of the Grand Canyon, when you pause to breathe in the clean air, or to watch a deer drink from a clear spring, those moments are part of Representative Grijalva’s enduring legacy. Thank you, Representative Grijalva, for your service, for your friendship, and for protecting the Grand Canyon region for future generations.”
