OUTDOOR
RECREATION ON THE
NAVAJO NATION
Gloria Tom, Director
Navajo Nation Department of Fish and
Wildlife
Navajo Nation Division of Natural
Resources
Responsible Entities for Outdoor
Recreation Planning/Development
• Fish and Wildlife
• Fishing Lakes/Campgrounds
• Parks and Recreation
• Tribal Parks System
• Forestry
• Picnic Areas in NN
Commercial Forest
Recreational Fishing
• Lake campgrounds and
picnic areas
• 12 cold-water lakes,
primarily rainbow trout
• 5 warm-water lakes,
channel catfish,
largemouth bass
Navajo Nation Tribal Parks
Forest Campgrounds/Picnic Areas
Outdoor Recreation Planning on the
Navajo Nation
• Tribal Planning
Process
• DNR Process – annual
planning/master plans
for each Department
• Site specific OR projects
– consultants are hired
• Non-Tribal Entities
• Parks and Recreation
has successful
partnerships for
Monument Valley and 4Corners Tribal Park
development
Top Issues – Vandalism
Before
After
Top Issues – Cultural Sensitivity
Tourism versus Navajo Culture
• Many natural, pristine places
are linked to Navajo origin
• Little Colorado River Gorge –
one of the last remaining
pristine areas on the NN
• Proposed development to
attract tourists and thus,
generate revenue for the NN
• Grassroots people oppose
such development and
exploitation of these resources
Challenges in Outdoor Recreation
Planning
• Human/Financial
Resources
• Lack of technical experts
in outdoor recreation
planning and
development
• Lack of dedicated OR
Planning staff
• No stable tax basis to
generate funding for
outdoor recreation
planning and
development
Successes
• Trash receptacles
• Remoteness is an
obstacle to a stable
trash disposal
network
• People are using bins
more
• Large percentage of
the trash is
community trash, not
recreation area trash
Successes
BEFORE
AFTER
Thank You!
Gloria Tom, Director
Navajo Nation Department of Fish and
Wildlife
P.O. Box 1480
Window Rock, Arizona 86515
(928) 871-6450
www.nndfw.org
www.navajo-nsn.gov