(The Center Square) – Proposed legislation would transfer 3,060 acres of land from the United States Forest Service to the Tonto Apache Tribe in the Payon, Arizona, area in the form of a trust.
Arizona Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly introduced the “Tonto Apache Land Transfer Act” would fulfill the tribe’s goal to expand its reservation and construct more housing. Roughly 100 people live on the reservation, according to the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona website.
“My legislation transferring culturally significant land to the Tonto Apache Tribe represents our continued work honoring and respecting Tribal sovereignty and protecting culturally significant land,” Sinema said in a statement.
The legislation is currently in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The senators touted previous bills signed by President Joe Biden, including the Blackwater Trading Post Land Transfer Act, that expanded landed access for some tribes in Arizona.
The USFS said it cannot comment on legislation that’s in progress when The Center Square reached out. According to a news release from the senators, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Tonto National Forest back the move. Gila County and Payson are also in support of the legislation.
“Transferring this land to the Tonto Apache Tribe is about respecting their history and ensuring their community has the resources to grow and thrive,” Kelly said in a statement. “This bill will give them more control over land that holds deep cultural significance, strengthening their community and connection to their heritage.”
