Bidí Roots is an Indigenous-led nonprofit that informs, supports, organizes, and provides vital resources for the Diné (Navajo) people. Founded in 2024 by Diné community members Treina Jones and Taymond Tolthe, the group began as a grassroots response to Energy Fuels Inc.’s transportation of uranium ore through the Navajo Nation. Although the Navajo Nation passed a law in 2012 regulating the transport of radioactive materials on tribal land (with exemptions for state and federal highways), many Diné people argue that recent uranium shipments undermine tribal sovereignty. Transporting this radioactive material threatens to contaminate the Diné people’s air, water, and soil and poses serious health risks, including higher rates of cancer, autoimmune disorders, and birth defects. Bidí Roots combats these injustices by informing Navajo communities about the dangers of uranium transport, hosting educational events, and organizing protests against uranium operations on Diné lands. Serving the Diné and other Native tribes, Bidí Roots strives to become a hub for community action.
The Pinyon Plain Mine, located near the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, is where the uranium transported through the Navajo Nation is sourced. Photo: U.S. Forest Service (public domain)
With two organizers and a small group of volunteers, Bidí Roots is a grassroots Diné activist organization working to protect their environment and the people connected to it. Since its inception, Bidí Roots has collaborated with other Navajo-led groups, including Diné C.A.R.E., to raise awareness about the threats posed by uranium operations on Navajo lands. In February 2025, Bidí Roots joined other environmental and Indigenous organizations—including the Sierra Club and the Northern Arizona Climate Change Alliance—to protest uranium transport on Navajo lands outside Flagstaff City Hall. The protest was coordinated with Haul No!, another Diné activist group that has long opposed uranium mining in the Navajo Nation. That same month, Bidí Roots organized a second protest in Tuba City, Arizona, where the group is based. While uranium transport remains the organization’s primary focus, Bidí Roots also opposes other mining operations, including the Mt. Taylor uranium mine, which is slated to begin operating in the early 2030s.
A man holds a sign reading “This is the future” as part of a protest organized by Bidí Roots in Tuba City, Arizona, on February 12, 2025. Photo: Treina Jones/Bidí Roots