NNG: Navajo Nation Working to Expand Bicycling through New Trails, Kids’ Programs, and Racing Was: NNG - Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad to shut down

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Cycling Utah
And now the reservation is working on creating the first rail-to-trail conversion on Native American lands with the help of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC). A rail line built to transport coal from the Black Mesa coal mine to the Navajo Generating Station was decommissioned in 2019. NavajoYES jumped on the chance to turn it into a multi-use trail, which could run 60-80 miles and pass-through multiple villages. The local economy depends heavily on recreation and tourism and a recreational trail could bolster such business.

The project presents a new challenge for RTC (of which I am a member). It is the first (and perhaps prototypical) effort to convert an abandoned rail line into a recreational trial entirely on Native American land. Often when converting a trail, proponents must deal with multiple property owners and governments. “A key piece we learned is that in a project like this, there has to be unanimity of support by landowners. If a landowner along the corridor says, “This doesn't work for me; I'm not supportive of it,” then it's a no go,” says Eric Oberg, RTC's Midwest regional director. In this case, it deals mainly with the tribal apparatus as both property owner and government. On the one hand, this simplifies the process. On the other hand, RTC has to learn the specific needs, procedures, and structures of tribal communities.

“It's still in early stages, but it's a super exciting project for them,” Oberg says. The proposal is moving ahead slowly. “I haven't talked to anybody in three or four months,” he says. “Politics is different on a reservation. We're learning. We're providing technical expertise” and reaching out to the public and seeing what federal funding may be available. “This project will be a case study and precedent on how other reservations and tribal governments can and why they should do multi-use trail development.”