Special Acknowledgments

The Respect Great Bend Coalition recognizes that the establishment of National Parks, Conservation Areas, Monuments, and Wilderness Areas has displaced Indigenous Peoples from their traditional lands and disrupted their essential connections to it.

In addition, various land designations have seldom prioritized Indigenous Peoples’ participation in the creation and implementation of Resource Management Plans. We must avoid repeating these wrongdoings in our efforts to protect the Great Bend of the Gila.

We also acknowledge the Great Bend of the Gila as the ancestral and spiritual homelands of the 13 sovereign Tribal Nations identified in this StoryMap.

Heartfelt appreciation to the talented photographers and videographers we collaborated with to create this StoryMap:
Photographers:

• David Wallace (David Wallace Visuals)
• Mason Cummings (The Wilderness Society)
• Dawn Kish (Dawn Kish Photo + Film)

A special thanks to all the people who contributed their voices in the effort to protect the Great Bend of the Gila:

• Justin Brundin, Cultural Resources Manager, Cocopah Indian Tribe
• Wilana Ortega, Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor, Cocopah Indian Tribe
• Barnaby Lewis, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Gila River Indian Community
• Reylynne Williams, Cultural Resource Specialist, Gila River Indian Community
• Arnie Bread Sr., Pee-Posh Elder, Gila River Indian Community
• Shane Anton, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community
• Dr. Aaron Wright, Preservation Anthropologist, Archaeology Southwest
• Pastor Doug Bland, Interfaith Power & Light
• Rachel Davis, mother and foster mother
• Dax Hansen, owner of Oatman Flats Ranch / Oatman Farms
• Joel Hazelton, Landscape Photographer
• Ian Dowdy, Director of Strategic Data Initiatives, Center for the Future of Arizona