Navajo Nation eyes possible purchases of Colorado ranchland

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation has created a committee to look into buying Colorado ranchland that's home to cattle, bison and two mountains the tribe considers sacred. The price tag for the property — roughly 26 square miles (67 square kilometers) on the Wolf Springs and Boyer ranches in south-central Colorado — is $23 million. The two sacred mountains are Big Mountain Sheep/Obsidian Mountain, or Mount Hesperus, and Sisnaajini, commonly known as White Shell Mountain or Blanca Peak. Navajo Nation President Russell believes the purchase would make the tribe's citizens whole, The Gallup Independent reported (http://bit.ly/2o70OE6). Wolf Springs Ranch is described as one of Colorado's largest ranches, and it's nestled under the high peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The ranch has 200 head of cattle and more than 300 head of bison that the tribe could use to expand its beef business and produce bison meat, which sells for about double the price of beef, Begaye said.