From the report
2000-2001
Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy,
published by the Navajo Nation Division of Economic Development
Constraints to Economic Development, Item G:
Grazing Permit Although land is abundant it has constraints that curtail quick solutions to improve an economically depressed area. The problem is the status of the land, and is compounded by the use of grazing permits, created by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).
The majority of Navajo land is held in trust by the BIA. Any development on Reservation land requires compliance with all federal and Navajo laws. When the Tribe needs to use it for a specific purpose, it has to be withdrawn from the BIA. This process can take as long as two years. Also, there is something called grazing permits, which was developed by the BIA in the early 1930s in an effort to prevent overgrazing and to control erosion. The permits were issued to use the grass and other surface plants for grazing. Over the years the grazing permits were used and treated as land use permits, which was not the original intent. The situation has given the grazing permit holders a sense of ownership, and their permission is needed to pursue any economic development project on or near areas they claim as their land. Many economic development projects have failed to become reality simply because a grazing permit holder denied consent, and in a number of instances the grazing permit holders have rescinded their earlier offer of land. |