Land may soon be made available to create new cemetery space in northeastern Arizona for Native American communities, depending upon the fortunes of a bill now under consideration in the U.S. Senate.
Arizona Republican Representative Eli Crane has introduced legislation that will transfer just over 10 acres of land currently controlled by the U.S. Forest Service within the borders of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest to the counties of Apache and Navajo.
The measure, which late last year was approved by the House Committee on Natural Resources, has now passed the full lower chamber. “These communities have storied histories dating back to the pioneers, and they deserve to lay their loved ones to rest in the place that means so much to them,” Crane said in a statement.
As proposed, the bill will convey 2.5 acres for the expansion of the Pinedale Cemetery in Navajo County, and another just over 8 acres to expand the Alpine Cemetery in Apache County.
If approved by the Senate, the Apache County and Navajo County Conveyance Act of 2025 would allow for the landscaping and laying out of the new cemetery spaces, with both counties having already committed to paying for all preliminary environmental analysis and survey costs.
The legislation is now being reviewed by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
May 29, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
