Letters | 20 years late

Posted by Navajo Times | Apr 30, 2026 | Letters |

20 years late

Editor,

On behalf of grazing permit holders, I question why BIA Navajo Region is using incomplete draft Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) grazing permit system. BIA’s mission statement says, “BIA is committed to provide high quality services to our customers in a timely and professional matter.”

In a timely manner? BIA taking 20-plus years to do a draft SOP is not timely. In professional matter? BIA using draft SOP 20-plus years late for grazing permit transaction as permit transfer and probates is not doing things in a professional matter. BIA not consulting the Navajo Nation Council RDC Committee to comply with government-to-government relation Interior policy is not doing things in a professional matter.

I was hired as natural resource manager at Fort Defiance Agency Branch of Natural Resource in 2000. Navajo Region did not have an authorized SOP. Rather than waiting for Region to develop one, we developed an interim Agency SOP in 2003. We asked for input from the Region and the tribe but received none. We implemented agency interim SOP policy for grazing and agriculture land use permit administration. Even the write up of the interim agency policy was a struggle with a 40-plus year professional range staff person not successful with producing the Agency SOP. With many years of experience at one agency, he was expected to draft an agency SOP.

Twenty years later, BIA Navajo finally produced draft SOP. The 92-page draft has five problems:

1) Draft SOP states “BIA Navajo region developed SOP Guidelines….” This is falsification when the work was done by a Bilagáana contractor in Colorado. It is absurd BIA used our tax money to have a white man contractor do what our own Diné range professionals with range science degrees can do with years of experience working on rez grazing issues, and why did BIA ask a non-Navajo contractor to copy the draft SOP we started 20 years ago at Fort Defiance Agency;

2) BIA failed government-to-government relation Interior policy. BIA failed Presidential Executive Order 13175 when they accepted the draft SOP without Navajo Nation consultation. EO 13175 mandates federal agencies to consult tribal governments whose interests are affected by activities on federally administered resources;

3) Grazing permit processing checklist (draft SOP Appendix A) has missing issues needed to ensure range land is not overused with too many permits in one area and/or allowing excessive sheep units that evolved into many land disputes and grazing land degradation;

4) There is no provision in the SOP checklist to address permit holders confined in nursing homes. Checklist does not have someone with legal authority to determine mental capacity of those in nursing homes whose thumbprints are accepted by BIA as legal transactions; and

5) Conservation Plan Template. Draft SOP Appendix A states BIA requires livestock owners to write their own Conservation Plan, which violates 55 BIAM Supplement No. 2, Part 1.2(B). The manual directs: … “the BIA to prepare management plans for all grazing units.”

Draft SOP does not direct BIA to take care of the Conservation Plan, neither does SOP direct livestock owners to do BIA’s job.

Conservation Plan involves vegetation study, range assessment, analyze precipitation data, analyze water sources, soil study, GPS/GIS mapping, coordinate forest/fire management guidelines, coordinate wildlife population, et cetera. Developing conservation plans are the responsibility of the specialist with a range science degree, not technicians, livestock owners, or land users.

Nels Roanhorse
Oak Ridge, Ariz.

Veterans deserve better

Editor,

My name is Sean A. Begaye, and my clans are Sleep Rock People, born for Many Goats. I grew up in Fort Defiance. My mother’s family is from Narbona Pass/Nazlini, New Mexico, and my father’s side is from Dilkon, Arizona.

After high school, I joined the Marine Corps and served 10 years, then commissioned after graduating from ASU as an army officer. I served in both Iraq and Afghanistan in combat deployments. In 2021, I retired after 22 years in the service as a captain. I also have an MBA from UNM.

I wanted to run for Navajo Nation president because we need a compassionate and dedicated leader who is willing to help our Navajo people. But before I made my decision I came to a crossroads. I have seen President Buu Nygren’s political machine across the reservation, and I know he is a formidable opponent. I have also seen Speaker Crystalyne Curley over the past year, and she has put on a good show.

While I am confident, I will get many voters, I have seen the writing on the wall – the Navajo Nation has to get to know me and what I stand for first. I first came into contact with Justin Jones at a veterans event and heard him speak. In his speech he mentioned three words – the creed of the U.S. Marines: Honor, Courage and Commitment in his speech. This captured my attention. I wanted to talk to the man, to meet him face to face, and look him in the eye and to find out what he was about and to see if he was going to put the Navajo people first. So I sat down with him for two hours and we had a heart-to-heart discussion.

I had filed the paperwork and was ready to proceed, but I know this is not a game, it’s serious business. Our Navajo people deserve the best person for the job.

Nygren and Curley are both running for Navajo president in 2026, but they have both brought infighting and disunity to the Navajo people during the last four years. They promised to work together, however, they did not. We, the Navajo people, have witnessed their disharmony on full display – in the paper, in the courts, and in our Navajo people’s chambers that represents us. Nygren did not show up for his address to Council several times, then he was sued by the Speaker and her allies for his unprofessional conduct and his disgusting behavior of bullying/belittling – and abusing his line-item veto.

This demonstrated division – with Nygren openly defiant of the Council and the Speaker’s inability to work with the Navajo president for the betterment of our people. This disunity resulted in perhaps millions lost in ARPA funding. Money that could have been spent on housing, money that could be spent on water, electricity and to help our veterans.

As a Navajo, I want to see a candidate who is truthful, who is honest, who will stand up for the people and say no to corruption, and one that has ethical standards. I also would like to see a veteran like myself, a veteran who understands other veterans and what we went through. A veteran who has shed that blood, sweat and tears – and signed his name on a dotted line.

Nygren is not a veteran, he does not really care about our veterans and has done many things to ignore the plight of our Navajo Nation veterans.

First, he appointed a division director who has failed our veterans and has made bad decisions, resulting in only 91 being bought. The director also has not ensured her staff is not trained, the veteran service officer’s whose sole job is to help veterans with their claims are not all certified, only 2/5 are fully trained. Our chapter veteran commanders and agencies have given her four No-Confidence Resolutions. These are not hallmarks of a winning team. These are not good decisions. In any other place she’d be fired. We need to stop this toxic environment. Our veterans deserve the best.

Nygren has decided to keep the director of the Navajo Nation Veteran Administration. This is his decision and it is a poor decision. This is not leadership. The Council has done little under Curley to help the veterans. Andy Nez and George Tolth are the only two who seem to work hard for the veterans. Curley and her public fight with Nygren have resulted in loss time and the loss of potentially millions of dollars.

I shared my thoughts on these matters with Jones, and he told me that there is corruption, people like these are the problems with the Navajo Nation government. Jones said he was not a relic of the current structure in Window Rock. He wants to put people with good backgrounds who are willing to do the right actions for the Navajo people. Jones is not a politician, he is not part of the circus and is giving up his comfortable job as a lawyer to run for the Navajo Nation. Jones is also a U.S. Marine and understands what it takes to be a leader. He graduated from one of the hardest military institutions who only take the best, the few, the proud, the Marines, and earned that title. He served honorably and got out, then got a degree, then a Juris Doctorate. This demonstrates his commitment to not only education but to service as a Navajo.

As I said before, after meeting with Jones we discussed the future of the Navajo people – looking for ways to utilize our lands, to innovate, and to look for opportunities to build our economies. For veterans, Jones knows the problems and recognizes that in the next four years there will be no ARPA and no $2 billion dollars. The next leader of the Navajo Nation veterans will have to work with all elements of the tribe to provide homes, to provide electricity, to provide water, homes for our veterans, and has to be willing to reach to outside the reservation for help.

The Navajo people deserve a leader – and at this time I found Jones to be that leader. He is a man who deeply cares about his people. A man who is willing to stand up to corruption and a man who is willing to quit his life as a lawyer. The Navajo people need a man like Jones to lead this next four years and bring back sanity to our government, to make those decisions for budget cuts for more services, and to make good choices on leadership. We cannot afford to have the same people term after term – being division directors and accomplishing little.

I once asked Arbin Mitchell a question – and he sat there looking at his phone – and then was unable to answer the question. We do not need these friends of prior administrations who have accomplished little.

Back in 1998, I left the Navajo Nation and left Fort Defiance. There were two gas stations and today there are only two gas stations. This needs to change.

I spoke with Jones and find he is the leader to help heal our nation and bring harmony and to hold those who have taken advantage accountable. We need a man that is willing to work with Council as a team to get things done, to move forward with tangible goals, and not just “thinking about the future.” We need a man like Justin Jones.

We do not need Buu Nygren or Crystalyne Curley to bring their disharmony, therefore I support moving forward to endorse Mr. Justin Jones 2026. I encourage you, friends and family, to support Jones.

If you would like to speak to me more on this topic, feel free to inbox me at [email protected].

Sean A. Begaye
Fort Defiance, Ariz.

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