Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni and Ironwood Forest national monuments listed as top 10 threatened landscapes

TUCSON, AZ  — The Wilderness Society recently released its flagship report: “Not for Sale: The Fight for Public Lands.”  

The report features 10 ecologically and culturally significant American landscapes currently threatened by drilling and mining interests. Four national monuments were named most threatened in the report, including Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon, Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante and Ironwood Forest national monuments.  

In response to the report release, Mike Quigley, Arizona state director at The Wilderness Society, said: 

“An overwhelming majority of Arizonans want to see our national monuments protected, not sold off to the highest bidder. This report reaffirms what we stand to lose: the cultural, ecological and recreational values that we cannot get back once they are gone. We owe it to future generations to ensure these irreplaceable landscapes, and the freedom they provide us, remain intact for decades to come.”  

These landscapes face a common threat: a dangerous agenda from leaders in Washington D.C. to expand oil, gas and mining at the expense of healthy communities and wildlife habitat, economic prosperity, historic and cultural sites, and our freedom to recreate on public lands.  

In September 2025, Representative Paul Gosar introduced two bills to abolish Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni and Ironwood Forest national monuments. This legislative action follows a leaked memo from the Interior Department last year which identified both national monuments as on the Trump administration’s chopping block for a potential roll-back of protections.   

This attack on America’s outdoor heritage and some of the country’s most iconic natural places is widely unpopular. In a recent Conservation in the West poll, 93% of Arizona voters say existing national monument designations should be kept in place. 

For media inquiries, contact Keri Gilliland at kgilliland@tws.org.