DESIGNATE THE BAHSAHWAHBEE NATIONAL MONUMENT
Organization: Great Basin Water Network
Location: Nevada, United States of America
Funding Request: $15,000
The Bahsahwahbee National Monument, in partnership with the National Park Service, would be an opportunity for the nation to learn about the history and culture of Indigenous peoples while also protecting 25,000 acres of a sacrosanct groundwater dependent ecosystem in the nation's driest state. The campaign offers a tribal-led opportunity to protect so much more than a landscape.
The Issue:
To date, there are no areas of landscape commemoration for Western Shoshone people recognized by the Federal Government. The site was a sacred gathering area for ceremony, celebration and healing for millennia prior to colonization of the U.S. Bahsahwahbee is home to springs and lush vegetation. It is also a forest of Rocky Mountain Juniper trees, known locally as the Swamp Cedars. The non-pareil trees grow at 5,000 feet in elevation on the valley floor. Most Rocky Mountain Junipers across the west grow at 8,000 feet in elevation, high in the mountains. The Swamp Cedars shallow roots depend on a subterranean aquifer that gives life to plant and animal communities in the region via springs and seeps. Bahsahwahbee is the heart of an important migratory corridor for animals escaping extreme heat to the south. This well documented, enigmatic forest supports hundreds of species of flora, multiple raptor species, ungulates like pronghorn, sage grouse and many other species. The forest and the springs are sacred for indigenous peoples and vital for wildlife's survival. Water exportation projects, mining, energy and agricultural users have all threatened the sanctity of Bahsahwahbee in the past 150 years. If the groundwater goes, Bahsahwabee will disappear, erasing indigenous peoples and important lifelines for wildlife and plant life in the region. The conservation designation will ensure that the water remains to sustain all the life that Bahsahwahbee gives. But, most importantly, the Monument will ensure the preservation of indigenous culture and history for generations to come.
Grant Award Use:
ATCF’s funding would provide support to the tribes’ National Monument Campaign Director and staff, as the tribes continue to have meetings, broker negotiations and develop technical memoranda with local, state and federal stakeholders working on matters relating to the Bahsahwahbee National Monument campaign.
What Would a Successful Project Result In?
The National Park Service managing the Bahsahwahbee National Monument and working in partnership with Western Shoshone people to provide the indigenous perspective to travelers from all over the world.