Navajo Integrated Weed Management Plan

Over the last 20 years, the grazing capacity of rangelands on Navajo has been reduced drastically from exotic plant invasion, overgrazing, climate change, and drought. Exotic plant invaders have especially reduced the ecological health of Navajo lands.

With help from Fred Phillips Consulting as the lead consultant, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Navajo Regional Office developed an integrated weed management plan for over 16 million acres of Navajo lands. The plan provides a strategic approach to planning, implementation, and monitoring of weed management projects. To address environmental compliance needs for the plan, we worked cooperatively and collaboratively with the BIA for over five years to develop a Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement and a Draft Programmatic Biological Assessment for federally- and tribally-listed species of concern. The project required extensive collaboration with Navajo Nation, BIA and related agencies, complex GIS analysis, NEPA compliance, and weed management planning. When implemented, this plan will greatly improve the overall ecological health of Navajo lands.

Project Slide Show