The combination of this strained relationshipwith local Navajos and the reality check imposed by Badoni v.Higginson also compelled NPS to reevaluate its interpretiveperceptions of Rainbow Bridge.
Navajos neverunderstood or agreed with the need to comply with Park Service andReclamation regulations and requirements concerning concessions andfacilities at Lake Powell.
TheNation was more than stressed by the process of dealing with Anglobureaucrats over issues it thought were non-issues. Suffice to say that Park Service personnel were concerned withensuring the Nation was treated fairly at Lake Powell while stillmaintaining a proper degree of visitor access at Rainbow Bridge. The details of those negotiations are discussed in Chapter7. Between 19 the Park Service dedicatedsignificant time and resources to developing a cooperative agreementwith the Navajo Nation over fights, access, and commercial management atLake Powell. Rainbow Bridge and its particularrelationship with Lake Powell was a never-ending source of controversy.Despite this atmosphere, the Park Service fostered certain relationshipswith care and concern. Between 19, the Secretary ofthe Interior and the Director of the National Park Service were suedfour times by three separate groups. The National Park Service spent much of the 1960s embroiled innumerous legal battles involving Section 1 of the CRSP and protection ofRainbow Bridge (see chapter 6). Issues and ConflictsI: Rainbow Bridge Religion and Navajo Legal Claims, 1863-1998 (continued)