Grand Canyon fire archaeologist Jason Nez wins state preservation award
Courtesy | Arizona State Parks and Trails
Jason M. Nez, center, is pictured with Larry Sandigo, left, the deputy chief of staff of operations and cabinet affairs for Gov. Katie Hobbs, and Kathryn Leonard, the state historic preservation officer, after Nez received the 2026 Governor’s Heritage Preservation Honor Award for his leadership in protecting cultural and historic resources during the 2025 Dragon Bravo Fire.
MESA, Ariz.
Jason M. Nez, the lead fire archaeologist at Grand Canyon National Park, received one of the 2026 Governor’s Heritage Preservation Honor Awards for protecting cultural and historic resources during the 2025 Dragon Bravo Fire.
Nez earned the award for his leadership during the fire and for his long-term work in resource stewardship. He has mentored Native American youth, firefighters and park managers. His work brings Native perspectives into the preservation of Arizona’s history and provides training for resource advisors in the National Park Service.
The Arizona State Historic Preservation Office and the Arizona Preservation Foundation announced the recipients May 28. The historic preservation office is a division of Arizona State Parks and Trails, and the two organizations have partnered since 1982 to present Arizona’s preservation awards.
To read the full article, please see the June 25, 2026, edition of the Navajo Times.
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