Park Service: Rainbow Bridge site gets new protected status

PAGE, Ariz. – Much of Rainbow Bridge National Monument along Lake Powell in southern Utah has gained a new protected status.

The National Park Service says 85 acres within the 160-acre monument have been designated a “traditional cultural property” due to the site’s historic and ongoing cultural significance to at least six American Indian tribes.

The agency says the designation places the site of the 290-foot-tall sandstone bridge on the National Register of Historic Places.

According to the agency, a listing on the register provides protection by requiring a consultation with associated traditional communities and a rigorous review process before any federal project that could affect the site can begin.

The bridge has been associated with traditions of the Hopi, Kaibab Paiute, Navajo, San Juan Southern Paiute, Ute Mountain Ute, and Zuni people.