(Jake Bacon/Arizona Daily Sun via AP) In this March 12, 2007 file photo, Ben Nuvamsa, chairman of the Hopi Tribe, speaks at a news conference in Buffalo Park in Flagstaff, Ariz. Native American groups are pressing for permanent protections for grizzly bears, a species some tribes consider sacred but that has been proposed for hunting in Wyoming and Idaho. Tribal representatives were scheduled to appear Wednesday, May 15, 2019, before Congress in support of legislation to block grizzly hunting in the Lower 48 states, regardless of the species' population size. Nuvamsa says grizzlies play a central role in the traditions and ceremonies of many tribes.