Canyon Views Spring Summer 2020, Vol. 27 No.1

CANYON

VIEWS

V O L . 2 7, N O . 1 S P R I N G | S U M M E R 2 0 2 0

A P U B L I C AT I O N O F G R A N D C A N YO N C O N S E R VA N C Y

Canyon Views is published by Grand Canyon Conservancy (GCC), the official nonprofit partner of Grand Canyon National Park.

GCC raises private funds, operates retail shops within the park, and provides premier guided educational programs about the natural and cultural history of the region.

GCC supporters fund projects including trails and historic building preservation, educational programs for the public, and the protection of wildlife and their natural habitat.

D E A R G R A N D C A N YO N C O N S E R VA N C Y S U P P O R T E R S ,

You can make a difference at Grand Canyon!

For more information about Grand Canyon Conservancy, please visit grandcanyon.org.

This issue of Canyon Views tells how the past influences today and guides our work for the future. We’ve expanded the format to bring you more in-depth stories about Grand Canyon National Park and how Grand Canyon Conservancy is helping to ensure its protection for future generations.

Board of Directors: Board of Directors: Teresa Gavigan, Board Chair; Mitchell Walker, Board Vice Chair; Lizabeth Ardisana; Ann Becker; Randall Brown; Kathryn Campana; Awenate Cobbina; Jason Coochwytewa; Nigel Finney; Eric Fraint; Deborah Gage; Teresa Kline; Alejandra Lillo; Shantini Munthree; Mark Schiavoni; Stan Sutherland; Merl Waschler; Tyson Winarski Chief Executive Officer: Theresa McMullan Chief Philanthropy Officer: Danielle Segura Director of Marketing & Communications: Mindy Riesenberg Graphic Designer & Creative Project Coordinator: Meghan Bergeron Copyright © 2020 Grand Canyon Conservancy

Time. We can’t stop it. We can’t manage it. And sometimes, we can’t fathom it.

Looking out over the rim of Grand Canyon, time becomes difficult for me to comprehend. I’m struck by the deep time that’s displayed in the rock layers and how insignificant the human era seems in comparison to this landscape. I think about those who lived in the canyon since time immemorial, the stories they left behind, and the trails they created that we still use today.

In our cover story, Julie Hammonds explains how the Inter-tribal Cultural Heritage Site at Desert View is a step toward reaffirming the American Indian connection to Grand Canyon and creating economic, cultural, and educational opportunities for tribal members while sharing their rich heritage with visitors.

Also in this issue, you’ll get a closer look at how the park maintains trails against the forces of erosion and traffic, how the management of fire helps to balance the delicate canyon ecosystem, and how the park is studying the movements of elk around Grand Canyon Village to develop plans for their protection.

And finally, Wayne Ranney writes about how the changing climate is affecting Grand Canyon while also reflecting on his connection to the canyon over the past 45 years.

I hope the stories on these pages will help you to develop a deeper understanding of Grand Canyon’s past and how it guides our future.

Thanks for spending a little time with Canyon Views.

Cover photo courtesy of Lear Miller

Theresa McMullan Chief Executive Officer P.S. We’d love to hear your thoughts about the new format.

Drop us an e-mail at gccmarketing@grandcanyon.org

Grand Canyon Conservancy P.O. Box 399 Grand Canyon, AZ 86023-0399 (800) 858-2808 grandcanyon.org

1 | C A N YO N V I E W S

Table of Contents 02

Desert View Inter-tribal Cultural Heritage Site: Connecting Visitors to Grand Canyon’s Tribes

10

Clearing the Path: Behind the Scenes on the Canyon’s Trails

14

Humans and Elk – Learning to Live with Each Other

18

The Future Effects of a Variable Climate at Grand Canyon National Park: What Will Tomorrow Bring?

26

Restoring Ecosystems through Fire Management

28

Grand Canyon Conservancy Field Institute

30

A 45-Year Reflection of Life and Work at Grand Canyon National Park

31

Ways to Give

32

Shop Grand Canyon Conservancy

02 14 18

26

30

2 | C A N YO N V I E W S

Desert View Inter-tribal Cultural Heritage Site: Connecting Visitors to Grand Canyon’s Tribes B y Julie H ammonds

Photo by Lear Miller

3

“We are still here.”

So says Stewart Koyiyumptewa, tribal historic preservation officer for the Hopi Tribe.

So say the members of 11 American Indian tribes that feel deep and ancient connections to lands and waters now within Grand Canyon National Park.

For more than 12,000 years, people have lived on what are now park lands, gathering food, telling stories about those places, waters, and animals, and weaving a history and a livelihood.

These tribes include the Havasupai Tribe, the Hopi Tribe, the Hualapai Tribe, the Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians, the Las Vegas Band of Paiute Indians, the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians, the Navajo Nation, the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, the San Juan Southern Paiute, the Pueblo of Zuni, and the Yavapai-Apache Nation—tribes that still exist today, and still feel the canyon’s powerful pull.

4 | C A N YO N V I E W S An Ancient Connection is Tested – Several of these tribes connect their origin to Grand Canyon. Among these are the Hopi. “Our people believe we emerged from the Grand Canyon, and after we’ve completed our life on earth, we go back to the Grand Canyon,” Koyiyumptewa says. “It’s a place of high reverence to the Hopi people.”

Once the national park was established in 1919, the railroad and Fred Harvey’s hospitality company brought tourists to the South Rim to view what looked, to many, like a geological wonder or a divine miracle—but not a home. Many visitors couldn’t believe anyone had ever lived or traveled in that vastness. Even today, some visitors still imagine there are no more American Indians.

But things are changing: a way is opening up for tribes to reaffirm their connection to the canyon, in their own lives and in the minds of the park’s six million annual visitors. These tribes are working with the National Park Service and other partners to bring a new endeavor to life: a Desert View Inter-tribal Cultural Heritage Site.

A Timeless Watchtower Rises – After the national park was established, tribal people sometimes felt cut off from crucial pieces of their cultural life.

They had lost lands and traditional access rights, and had difficulty working with the government to find ways they could still live on their land or use animals, plants, or other park resources.

But even then, someone was striving to maintain a connection between the federally managed park and the tribes: architect and designer Mary Colter, the Harvey Company’s chief architect and designer from 1910 to 1948.

Colter was profoundly influenced by American Indian art and architecture. Her Desert View Watchtower near the park’s eastern entrance, which opened in 1933, evokes the architecture of the Ancestral Puebloan peoples of the Colorado Plateau. Built of native stone, it’s 70 feet tall.

Inside, four stories are connected by staircases that curve upward to spectacular 360-degree views of the eastern Grand Canyon, the Colorado River, and the Painted Desert. Colter selected Hopi artist Fred Kabotie to create some of the memorable murals inside—recently conserved by a team that included Kabotie’s grandson Ed.

Photo by John Dillon

“It’s pretty stunning, what they created, and why,” says Jan Balsom, senior advisor for stewardship and tribal programs at Grand Canyon National Park. “It was to introduce the visiting public to the area’s indigenous peoples. The Watchtower was designed to emulate the cultures and buildings Mary Colter had been studying.”

What was originally created to introduce visitors to the Southwest’s diverse and rich cultural heritage is undergoing a transformation very much in keeping with its origins. The Desert View site is becoming an “inter-tribal cultural heritage site”—the first in the National Park Service. Mae Franklin, former Navajo tribal liaison to the Kaibab National Forest and Grand Canyon National Park, calls the project “an opportunity to tell our stories and showcase our tribes. The goal is to educate the world community that tribes are still here, we are part of the fabric of our communities, and we have our unique ways of thinking and abilities to think about the land.”

Photo by Bristlecone Media

5

Tribes and the National Park Work Together – Desert View was designed as the traditional scenic overlook one might find at any large national park, its signature feature being Colter’s Watchtower. As plans for the cultural heritage site are implemented, the space will offer multiple opportunities for first-voice cultural interpretation from associated American Indian tribes (including cultural demonstrations, which have already begun). Over time, the site will enhance visitor understanding and appreciation of the cultural significance of Desert View and Grand Canyon National Park as a whole and showcase tourism opportunities on surrounding tribal lands.

Significantly, it will give tribal members meaningful opportunities to connect with the canyon, the national park, and its visitors.

“It’s an opportunity to show park visitors a true reflection of who we are,” says Koyiyumptewa. “And then maybe to steer some of those visitors to our own reservations so people can see for themselves that our peoples and cultures are still alive and well.”

“Right now, the South Rim is the number one destination at Grand Canyon, but I hope Desert View will become that someday,” says Koyiyumptewa.

6 | C A N YO N V I E W S

Zuni artist Ronnie Cachini at work in his studio in Zuni, NM.

Tribal Ideas Guide Design – The team developing this project comprises the tribes traditionally associated with Grand Canyon, the National Park Service/Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon Conservancy, the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA), the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and park concessionaires. This group works with a design team led by artist and designer Andy Dufford.

The design team’s ideas are based on the relationship tribes have with the land. “Traditional tribal artists create with the materials at hand, so their work is shaped by nature,” says Dufford. “Because of their exquisite powers of observation and deep talent as makers, they come up with designs that are simple but incredibly rich. There is a continuity of people, places, and things that all work together with the environment.”

“Our process with the tribes has been twofold,” Dufford says. “One piece is about developing site elements that serve to share tribal heritage.” At every step, the tribes are shaping these design plans, which are due to become final this year. The second design piece is “making sure Desert View has a distinctly tribal feel and is different from all other overlooks.”

Dufford calls the inter-tribal cultural heritage site “a unique opportunity to use the charisma of the canyon to interest visitors in a much broader topic, which is these amazing cultures that have inhabited canyon lands from time immemorial.”

Visitors can expect changes to the parking and walkways to sequence arrival so when you pull in, you can see the canyon, much as it was originally designed in the 1930s. “Visitors will have a sense of arrival and where they’re destined to be,” says Balsom. Also, with financial support from Grand Canyon Conservancy, the design team is collecting an image from each tribe for transfer to the site in some permanent form, most likely stone.

Concept renderings of the site, designed by Andy Dufford

7

A Cultural Heritage Site Takes Shape – When the National Park Service took over management of the Watchtower in 2015, the inter-tribal working group and park superintendent at the time, David Uberuaga, started to consider whether and how to use the area to benefit tribes. Some of the first tasks were the conservation of Kabotie’s murals, the establishment of a cultural demonstration program, and the development of internships and projects throughout the park for tribal youth.

The next phase will rearrange the site to give visitors an instant sense that this place is something different.

A new orientation area will answer the questions “What is an inter-tribal cultural heritage site?” and “What tribes are traditionally associated with Grand Canyon?”

A demonstration site will be added, access for people with disabilities will improve, and the amphitheater will be reoriented to showcase the view upriver. As the site becomes established, more cultural demonstration areas could be built for the making of baskets, rugs, or other items, and for activities such as bread-baking or agave-roasting. An existing building will become a tribal welcome center, providing exhibits and encouraging visitation to tribal lands.

Giving visitors a unique experience is only one aspect of the project. In discussions with tribal representatives, Vicky Stinson, National Park Service project manager for Desert View, has noticed that “they’re excited about bringing their families and other tribal members to the site, not only to see things regarding their own heritage but also to learn about other tribes’ heritages. They see this cultural heritage site as a place for themselves.”

8 | C A N YO N V I E W S

“We share Desert View as a symbol to bond the peoples of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

The Watchtower serves as a connection to embrace the heartbeats of our people and visitors far and wide with the heartbeat of the Canyon.

We are still here.”

(Inter-tribal Working Group Vision Statement)

Photo by Terri Attridge

9 Demonstrators Connect With Visitors – The new cultural demonstration program is already connecting tribal members and visitors. Brian Gatlin, the ranger in charge of interpretive programming at Desert View, explains its impact through the story of Zuni jeweler Otto Lucio:

Grand Canyon Conservancy provides key support for development of the inter-tribal cultural heritage site, funding the cultural demonstration program and attending meetings of the inter-tribal working group.

“Otto had all of his various raw materials on display while he meticulously forged them into finished pieces,” Gatlin recalls.

“One young visitor was completely captivated by the beauty of the stones Otto was using. Otto gave the youngster his full attention, describing each type of stone and its origin, and the boy looked on, listening in wonder and awe. When he finished, Otto handed the boy three small pieces of turquoise, for the boy and his two sisters. The excitement and gratitude in the boy’s eyes was touching. It made me wonder what impact these conversations and interactions may have on people’s lives long after their visit.”

According to CEO Theresa McMullan, “These meetings are about listening to tribal members to see what they need for the site to make it an authentic experience, for visitors and for their own tribal members.”

Demonstrators like Lucio can sell their work. “Our rough estimate is that the program has resulted in $500,000 to $750,000 in direct input into native artist communities,” Gatlin says. Other types of demonstrations may not have a commercial aspect, but all demonstrators receive a daily stipend, assistance with travel costs, and local housing, thanks to financial support from Grand Canyon Conservancy.

“While the financial upside is certainly a welcome aspect of the program, the chance to share their culture with visitors, as well as the opportunity to spend time at Grand Canyon, has been even more important to the participants,” Gatlin reflects.

Tribal Tourism Grows – Navajo tribe member Franklin is one of many tribal representatives who see how this project could generate income for tribal members, through the demonstration program and by inviting Grand Canyon visitors to explore tribal lands. “The national park is the hub of northern Arizona tourism,” she says. “If we want to encourage people to come to tribal lands, that would be the place to do it. The key is to ensure the tribes are ready to welcome those travelers.

GCC’s assistance via direct donations and in leveraging government grants has been crucial. Going forward, McMullan wants the Conservancy to support development of a business plan that will help determine not only how the site is used and shared, but what opportunities exist to bring economic development to tribal lands through tourism.

“A business plan is really important, because some tribes can provide tourism infrastructure for visitors immediately, some have to develop that capacity, and some may not even want to go there,” McMullan says.

“Desert View is one of our most important projects right now because it’s such a high priority for Grand Canyon National Park and for the National Park Service in general. This project can set the stage for how parks work with tribal representatives and tribal members, showing the whole nation how that can be done.”

If you’d like to contribute to this important project, call Danielle Segura, Chief Philanthropy Officer, at (909) 771-8737 or e-mail her at dsegura@grandcanyon.org.

“Unlike other communities, my community of Cameron already has tourism, as the east gateway to Grand Canyon National Park. But we’re evolving, learning, and building capacity to benefit from it. We’ve never had this opportunity to speak to global travelers before,” she says. “We’ve been fortunate to be given this platform to say we are still here, and we continue to live our lives and be involved.”

Koyiyumptewa is also excited about economic opportunities for tribes as a result of the inter-tribal cultural heritage site.

He calls it “a project that will be a foundation for other parks to follow once they see how successful partnering and collaborating with native tribes can be.”

“Our tribal colleagues are starting to take ownership at Desert View,” says Balsom. “That’s what we need to happen— that’s how it will succeed.”

Photo by John Dillon

1 0 | C A N YO N V I E W S

Photo by Terri Attridge

Clearing the Path: Behind the Scenes on the

Canyon’s

Trails

B y Chris Brot her s , Grand Canyon N at ional Park Trail Crew Prog ram Manag er

11 Most visitors who venture into the depths of Grand Canyon will take notice of the majestic views, dizzying depths, the diverse wildlife, and the ever-changing interplay between light and shadow that plays across the canyon walls. Few visitors give serious thought, though, to the beauty of the trail beneath their feet—the very thing that allowed them to get to that overlook, water source, or campsite. Grand Canyon trails are remarkable feats of engineering. Most of them were created from necessity. They began as simple footpaths used by prehistoric people to access water sources and hunting grounds. Some of these footpaths were further enhanced by dynamitehappy entrepreneurs hoping to find fortune by mining copper or other minerals. Other trails (such as the South Kaibab), were constructed by the National Park Service (NPS) in an effort to provide access to the ever-growing number of visitors who came by train or coach to see one of the natural wonders of the world. Whatever the initial motivation for their construction and use, the trails at Grand Canyon are now maintained to provide recreational opportunities to millions of visitors each year who wish to experience this unique resource.

On a daily basis, the erosional forces responsible for carving the canyon in the first place are still very much at work. Water, wind, gravity—and in the last century or so, metal-shod mule hooves—grind away at the dirt and stone, erode the trail bed, and destabilize retaining walls and other key structures. Without constant upkeep, the trails would quickly succumb to the effects of erosion, rendering them impassable to all but the deer and bighorn sheep that inhabit the area.

The NPS Trail Crew works year-round, often alongside local youth volunteers, to keep the trails at Grand Canyon passable for both hikers and livestock. In order to provide access to millions of visitors annually, wide, livestock-worthy trails are needed. The North Kaibab, South Kaibab, and Bright Angel Trails have served that purpose since the early 20th century. As the main thoroughfare, or “corridor,” for visitors and livestock, these trails require the bulk of the trail maintenance needs and are maintained to a higher standard than the more remote backcountry trails.

An almost constant presence on the corridor trails, the NPS Trail Crew and volunteers dig out clogged drainages, clear rockslides, rebuild stone steps, replace trail tread, and reconstruct deteriorated retaining walls, of which there are thousands. As you might expect, this work requires intense physical exertion. Hiking up to 10 miles a day carrying 50 pounds of tools and equipment is not unusual. Single digit temperatures near the South Rim in the winter months, and temperatures that exceed 110 degrees near the bottom of the canyon in the summer months, make this work even more extreme. To make things more difficult, there’s close to a one-mile elevation change between Phantom Ranch and the Rim. If they want to have a successful season, trails employees need a strong work ethic, and must be in great physical shape to endure these conditions. Mentally, they have to be prepared for long, grueling days, and nine-day work weeks. Sore muscles, and a “Supai tan,” so named because of the reddish dirt in the Supai rock formation that covers clothing and skin, are the hallmarks of the Grand Canyon trail worker.

Photo by NPS

1 2 | C A N YO N V I E W S

If you plan to hike Grand Canyon’s spectacular trails, make sure you

Hike Smart Cut this list out and keep with you for your next journey into the canyon.

• Be a Lightweight – the less you carry, the more enjoyable the hike.

• Avoid Huffing and Puffing – if you can talk while you are walking, you are walking the perfect speed.

• Take a Break – take a 10-minute break at least once every hour.

• No Food, No Fuel, No Fun – eat often and don’t force fluids.

• Watch Your Time – coming back up is hard so plan on taking twice as long to hike up as it took to hike down.

• Mules and Hikers – mules have the right of way, so step off the trail on the uphill side away from the edge to let them pass.

Photos by Terri Attridge

13 In addition to trail maintenance, the Trail Crew is also responsible for maintaining a herd of 25–30 mules. Grand Canyon’s experienced Pack Crew uses these notoriously surefooted animals to haul supplies and groceries to NPS employees who are stationed in the Inner Canyon. Law enforcement and interpretative rangers, maintenance workers, and science and resource personnel, stationed at either Indian Garden or Phantom Ranch, receive their goods each week from the back of a pack animal. Once deliveries are made, the Pack Crew heads back up-trail, bringing with them trash and recyclables, personal gear, and anything else that needs to return to the Rim. In addition to transporting supplies, mules are also used to conduct trail work. The soil that makes up the footbed of the trail is regularly washed away by rain, or blown away by wind, leaving behind uneven and exposed rock. In order to replenish this soil, dirt often must be transported from up to a mile or more away. Mules are essential to this task. Fitted with special bags which are filled with dirt from specified barrow pits along the trail, mules transport the dirt to the desired location, where it is released from the bags onto the trail. A trail worker will spread it evenly, covering the exposed areas of the trail with a fresh layer of trail tread.

Although trail work at Grand Canyon can often be punishing, it is also some of the most rewarding work available in the park. The gratification that comes from hiking home at the end of the workday along a groomed piece of trail that you and your team just completed is hard to beat. Even more gratifying is to see a well-constructed retaining wall, water-bar, or staircase continuing to serve its intended function 10 or 20 years after construction, knowing that it will likely persevere long after you’re gone. The most gratifying aspect to the job, however, is spending long hours exploring the endless unique hidden areas of Grand Canyon, soaking up the beauty, and playing a role in helping millions of others access this amazing natural resource.

Name that trail!

Do you know which trail this photo was taken on?

E-mail us at gccmarketing@grandcanyon.org with your answer by June 30th and we’ll select one correct reader to win a prize from our stores!

1 4 | C A N YO N V I E W S

Humans and Elk Learning to Live with Each Other B y Mind y Riesenberg

Illustration by Meghan Bergeron

One of the reasons people visit national parks is to see wildlife in their natural habitat. At Grand Canyon, visitors may get a glimpse of animals like bighorn sheep, bats, bison, deer, ringtails, and mountain lions. But with more people visiting the park, human-wildlife interactions are increasing.

And elk are right in the thick of this predicament.

According to Brandon Holton, wildlife biologist at Grand Canyon National Park, elk were first observed in Grand Canyon National Park in the mid 1960s. These were Yellowstone elk that had been transplanted to eastern Arizona, Flagstaff, and Williams by the State of Arizona in the early 1900s. By the 1990s and 2000s, they became more abundant as the population surged, finding refuge in the South Rim Village and becoming habituated to humans. Because they’ve lost their natural fear of people, elk are attracted to visitor use and residential areas in the Village, typically where human-supplemented food and water resources are found. Areas of high elk use in the Village are focused at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center, the Grand Canyon School, and near the lodges.

As a result, many potentially harmful elk–human interactions have occurred over the last decade, and although uncommon, injuries to visitors have been reported.

Sometimes the best relationship

is a long distance relationship

15

Distance makes the heart grow fonder.

Distance gives us new perspective.

100 ft / 30 m

50 ft / 15 m small mammals, birds, reptiles

deer, elk, bison, condors

100 feet = about two bus-lengthss

Learn more about safe viewing at wildlifedistance.org

In order to reduce and mitigate negative elk-human interactions, Grand Canyon Conservancy is partnering with Grand Canyon National Park to monitor the movements of adult elk in and near the Village to better understand their seasonal movements and the resources to which they are attracted.

“This study will allow wildlife managers to better understand habituated elk ecology in a wildland/urban environment, including interactions with visitors and residents in the South Rim Village,” said Holton.

“With increasing visitation, reducing wildlife/human conflicts becomes even more important.”

Since 2018, seven cow elk (females) and one bull elk (male) have been collared for study. Scientists track their movements via GPS collars, which are programmed to collect a GPS location every four hours (six locations per day) for three years. GPS locations are uplinked to satellites, which transfer real-time locations through e-mail on a daily basis. The collars are equipped with a release mechanism that is programmed to release at a specific time and day so the collars may be retrieved after three years.

As of 2020, six collared elk are still being tracked. These elk have consistently remained in the park on a year-round basis since being collared—about 98 percent of all GPS locations of the collared elk have been inside the park boundary. Not surprisingly, the highest concentration of elk in the Village occur in highuse visitor areas where humans are likely to provide food and water, whether intentionally or inadvertently (for example, gardens, grass, and increased surface water). There isn’t an exact population estimate for elk in the park, however, a genetics study conducted in 2015 indicated that there was an effective population size of about 200 elk occupying the south rim.

“This study should assist wildlife managers with their understanding of how elk are moving across the South Rim landscape and help them identify hotspots of activity and areas of potential conflict between elk and visitors,” said Holton. Ultimately, this information will help inform an elk management plan aimed at reducing direct and/or indirect human supplementation of food and water, decreasing elk attraction to high-use visitor areas and decreasing the opportunity for negative interactions between elk and humans.

Scientists also hope to learn more about elk survival rates and causes of death.

One final word of advice from Holton,

“Remember, elk are wild animals and visitors should maintain a safe viewing distance to avoid any trouble.”

1 6 | C A N YO N V I E W S

17

Recently conserved, these vibrant American Indian murals decorate the interior of Desert View Watchtower.

Photo by John Dillon

1 8 | C A N YO N V I E W S

The Future Effects of a Variable Climate at Grand Canyon National Park:

What Will Tomorrow Bring?

B y Wayne R anney

Climate change.

The term crops up everywhere these days—in newscasts, political debates, around the proverbial water cooler at work—it is even brought up in houses of worship as a moral imperative. In our country, the concept of climate change remains controversial.

This is not because the scientific community that studies it questions the evidence (they do not). Rather, the controversy lies beyond the realm of science, embodying a legitimate concern that many of the remedies proposed to offset its negative effects will require substantial changes to our energy infrastructure and national economy (or that the predicted consequences are too dire, or that humanity is too small an entity to affect a global-scale system, or is tied up in tribal politics). But the science is clear that our climate is changing and regardless of the cause, we cannot escape its effects by merely bemoaning the inconveniences it may bring to established norms.

NPS Photo by Erin Whittaker

For as long as our planet has circled the sun (nearly 4.6 billion years!) Earth’s climate has changed. The geologic record held in rocks and ice holds the evidence for these sometimes slow, sometimes rapid, perturbations in incoming solar radiation, precipitation, and temperature. The problem with humans vis-a-vis climate change is that for most of our existence the science of geology did not exist. Inadvertently perhaps, we developed the mistaken belief that everything we see on Earth today is the way it has always been. Our awareness of the scale of geologic change is a relatively recent development in humanity, and the rapid blossoming of this earthly pulse pushes our species into a deeper awareness of the mutability in all of earth’s natural systems. Our rapidly developing geologic awareness is, in a way, outpacing our sustainability.

19

Anyone with a deeply held appreciation and love for Grand Canyon National Park will naturally contemplate what the effects of climate change might have in this relatively small corner of our globe. National Park Service (NPS) managers and scientists have been and will continue to monitor the numerous natural systems at work in the park, collecting baseline data that can ultimately show when and where these changes may take place.

While all facets of the park’s natural systems will be affected by these changes, there are four areas of critical concern to discuss further:

1) Hydrogeology and water management, 2) Forests and wildfire, 3) Wildlife and invasive species, 4) Recreation and park visitation.

Hydrogeology and Water Management – Without a doubt, the number one area of concern regarding climate change in Grand Canyon National Park is how it may affect the discharge of water in springs within the canyon. The approximately 750 springs in the park provide perennial and seasonal flow to myriad desert streams, life-giving water in an otherwise arid environment for wildlife and visitors, and habitat for rare, endemic, and threatened species. Every one of the six million-plus visitors and the 2,500 full time residents of the park is dependent on a single spring within the canyon for their domestic water—Roaring Springs. Together with the aging infrastructure of the Trans-Canyon Waterline (built in the 1960s), concerns about the future reliability of this spring —and how a decrease in its discharge could affect entire park operations—is the number one priority for park managers.

2 0 | C A N YO N V I E W S

In the last few decades, a few substantial and highly visible springs in the canyon have gone dry seasonally during extended periods of low winter precipitation (Vasey’s Paradise along the Colorado River and Dutton Springs in the Deer Creek drainage come to mind). These episodes of spring failure helped to bring attention to the ongoing reliance that exists between water discharge from Roaring Springs and the park’s growing and unwavering domestic water needs.

A better understanding of Grand Canyon’s subsurface plumbing system has now become a very active avenue of study within the park.

Sustainable water flow in Grand Canyon’s springs originates almost entirely from the amount of winter snow that falls on the two rims. (Spring water also is sourced from storage in the underground aquifer as well as rainwater precipitation, however, neither sources are ultimately sustainable.) This gradually melts and percolates downward through fractures and faults in the rocks, creating a complex natural plumbing system. With an interest in knowing more about the details of how this plumbing system operates, fluorescent dye-tracer studies on the North Kaibab Plateau were initiated in 2015. Non-toxic tracers were allowed to mix with snowmelt and enter sinkholes on the plateau (sinkholes are the recharge areas for inner canyon springs on the north side). The tracers could then be detected as they flowed from multiple inner canyon springs. The results show a complex flow pattern, but most importantly they revealed the transit time for spring water through the rocks. The transit time is a critical component of the studies—if it is found to be too fast then springs may be prone to quicker decreases in spring discharge.

Most climate models (as well as information from tree ring studies) predict that the American Southwest will experience longer and more frequent droughts if the climate warms.

Taken together with the results of the dye-tracer studies, this indicates that relying exclusively on a single spring for the park’s entire domestic water supply may be overly optimistic with respect to long-term future reliability in water delivery. A decrease or elimination of snow levels on the Kaibab and Coconino plateaus will necessarily cause a decrease in the discharge for many, perhaps even all, inner canyon springs.

Therefore, park managers are considering modifications to the configuration of the new Transcanyon Waterline as the park reconstructs the pipeline due to its age and disrepair. One option is to capture water from Bright Angel Creek near Phantom Ranch, rather than continue to harvest it from Roaring Springs. Alternatively, the park could continue to use Roaring Springs as a water source, while considering a series of water saving measures including water conservation, water reuse, and additional water capture by other means. Meanwhile, park scientists and collaborators are continuing to refine their knowledge of the sustainability and ultimate source of spring water in the canyon. On many different fronts, park managers are aware of and responding to the evidence and the observed trends related to water sustainability. Water management as it relates to spring water in Grand Canyon National Park is one of the top management priorities related to climate change.

Forests and Wildfire – The health of Grand Canyon’s forests may be one of the more visible impacts of climate change that is readily apparent to visitors and residents. Perhaps coming as surprising to some, one third of the national park’s acreage (or about 400,000 acres) is covered in forest, including the pinyon-juniper woodland, Ponderosa pine, and mixed-conifer.

Predicted dryer and warmer conditions will certainly impact the distribution of these species, with each community being stressed at their lowermost elevations. Extended droughts are also responsible for changes in how fire behaves.

21

125 years of fire suppression have created overgrown conditions in forests that cause trees to grow too densely together. When natural or human-caused fires encounter these densely grown forests, they may climb a “ladder” of variably aged trees into the forest crown, killing trees that normally are resistant to fire. Just prior to the turn of the millennium, a crisis in forest health was diagnosed and managers moved to reintroduce fire (as well as mechanical forest thinning) into the ecosystem. You have likely encountered the slash piles of woody debris stacked in the forest along the South Entrance Road toward Grand Canyon Village.

Other causes of tree mortality are also on the increase. Since the turn of the millennium at least two beetle infestation events have resulted in significant tree mortality that have thinned out pinyon pine populations in northern Arizona.

A close relationship exists between beetle-kill infestations and drought—when pine forests become stressed by drought, the trees do not develop enough sap, which is what normally repels beetles from boring into the trees’ living cambium layer. Although the beetle is what specifically kills the trees, it is merely the messenger in this instance. The underlying cause for much of the recent pine tree mortality is drought.

USDA Photo by Lance Cheung

2 2 | C A N YO N V I E W S

Chris Marks, Deputy Fire Management Officer at Grand Canyon National Park, has been observing the forest here for over 17 years. When he first arrived in the park, there were no large-scale thinning projects underway to promote forest health. “It became apparent however, that restoring healthy forests in the Ponderosa pine community required the reintroduction of fire into the ecosystem,” he stated. He added that since his arrival, the NPS has been able to return about 70 percent of this community back to near-natural conditions (defined as forest conditions that closely resemble those existing just prior to Anglo settlement). “Essentially, I am working myself out of a job,” he joked.

Since about 1998, nearly every acre of Ponderosa pine forest in the national park has experienced at least one fire. The areas that have experienced multiple fires belong to the 70 percent of forests that have been restored. The other 30 percent have experienced only one fire during that time or still have too many trees or burnable fuel, and so are not yet restored to a satisfactory degree. The NPS is keen on returning as much of this community as possible to a condition similar to pre-settlement conditions.

When thinking about forests at Grand Canyon, it is the Ponderosa pine and mixed-conifer forests located on Grand Canyon’s North Rim and Kaibab Plateau that may come to mind. Here, large stands of Ponderosa pine grow between elevations of about 6,500 and 8,000 feet.

The mixed-conifer forest is found at higher elevations on the Kaibab Plateau, rising to about 9,200 feet outside the park in the Kaibab National Forest.

This forest is composed of blue spruce, Douglas fir, white fir, and Engelman Spruce. Because two different agencies with differing missions manage resources on the North Kaibab Plateau, an Interagency Fire Management Organization was created to cooperate in the management of this single ecosystem. Through time, the boundary between the national forest and national park, which has been discernable from space photographs because of past management practices, will become less obvious and more blurred.

Fire managers have allowed fire to be reintroduced throughout much of the North Kaibab forest. On the Walhalla Plateau, a mosaic of forest conditions now exists thanks to the restorative properties of fire. Climate change and the threat of extended drought, however, could alter this balance which managers view as mimicking “pre-settlement conditions.” Marks has also observed that fire behavior and tree resiliency itself may be changing. In the past, even low to moderate intensity fires would cling to the forest floor and merely clear out and “clean up” the forest fuels. Now however, even low intensity fires may have the capacity to negatively impact forest health. Low moisture content and persistent drought stress within the trees may be the cause of this surprising development.

Fires throughout the western U.S. are becoming hotter and more intense. Fire season is becoming longer. Trees are less able to fend off the effects of fire and forests are becoming less resilient as well. The very structure of our forests is undergoing change.

Wildlife and Invasive Species – Another visible manifestation of climate change in Grand Canyon National Park can be observed in the changes already brought to bear in the park’s wildlife distributions.

Indeed, a significant change occurred in the late 1990s when American bison (Bison bison) left the semi-arid grasslands of the House Rock Valley for the cooler and more forested areas of the North Kaibab Plateau.

The bison were first brought to the area in 1906 by Charles “Buffalo” Jones, a rancher who in the mid-1880s developed an interest in preserving the once vanishing species. The bison were later cross bred with cattle in a failed experiment to breed a tamer type of buffalo, called cattalo. Today’s herd still retains some genetic markers of the cattle experiment, although they look and behave like full-blooded bison.

23

When the Kaibab Plateau was declared the Grand Canyon Game Preserve in 1906 by President Teddy Roosevelt, Jones brought 87 bison including three bulls to the new preserve. In 1927, the Arizona Game and Fish Department purchased the herd and moved them to the southern House Rock Valley (today’s House Rock Wildlife Area). They remained there until the late 1990s when a change in herd management, combined with nearby wildfires, allowed some of the animals to migrate upslope to the forested plateau. For about 10 years, the animals migrated between the forested uplands (to feed) and the House Rock Valley (to calve their young). Since 2009 however, they have remained year-round on the plateau.

Although a few recent studies have concluded that bison are native to eastern and northern Arizona, it must be noted there were none described from Arizona at the time of settlement and any prior populations were limited to only a few animals and it is unlikely that large herds of bison were ever a part of this ecosystem.

The bison on the plateau have wreaked havoc on the meadows and springs in the forest and park managers are in the process of gradually reducing the number of animals allowed to remain here.

Changes in temperature and precipitation affects other wildlife populations as well. Under warming temperatures and decreased precipitation, female bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) may tend to migrate to higher elevations above the river, resulting in increased interactions with humans on the rim. If this occurs, mountain lions (Felis concolor) may encounter female bighorn sheep with much greater frequency and impact the population. This possibility, however, must be contrasted with the idea that bighorn sheep may be too closely tied to their preferred habitat along the Colorado River and the food resources they rely on within the canyon. These contrasting possibilities will cause managers to develop adaptive management techniques, rather than any one predetermined management scheme.

There are so many species of animals within Grand Canyon National Park, it boggles the mind to think about how climate change might adversely affect all of the possible interactions within and between species. One of the biggest concerns is how invasive species—those species not yet present in the park—could enter and disrupt the current ecosystem. In the last few years, javelina or collared peccary (Pecari tajacu) have been observed in Grand Canyon Village and in Waldron Basin along the Hermit Trail. These animals, with their poor eyesight and protective instincts, have a reputation of forcefully fending off perceived threats. Should they “discover” the deeper parts of the Grand Canyon, their range may expand greatly and wreak havoc to inner canyon vegetative communities. Two sightings of coatimundi (Nasua narica) are already known from Grand Canyon. These close relatives of racoons are found mainly in South and Central America but have been moving out of Mexico and southern Arizona recently.

Invasive apprehensions are not limited to vertebrate animals either. Today the park managers are concerned about the introduction of quagga mussels (Dreissena bugensis) in the Colorado River and its tributaries.

Native to a single river system in the Ukraine, they were first reported in the Great Lakes region in the 1980s.

These rapidly growing invaders encrust and clog pipes, boat engines, and shorelines. They have already invaded the waters of the Powell reservoir north of Grand Canyon and a few individuals have been spotted in some back eddies below Lees Ferry. Fortunately, however, the water temperature of the Colorado River as it exits Glen Canyon Dam and downstream water turbidity may work in favor of limiting their expansion within the national park. Should the Colorado River become warmer however, due to climate change, their expansion may allow them to invade the park’s river and streams.

Kaibab National Forest Photo by Ed Hiatt, Illustration by Meghan Bergeron

2 4 | C A N YO N V I E W S

Recreation and Park Visitation – As it relates to the human environment, climate change could impact the way in which we interact with Grand Canyon’s natural systems. A warmer and dryer environment may cause springs on the canyon’s south side to dry up completely. These springs are already small compared to some on the north side, where more abundant precipitation makes for larger springs. Today, hikes on the popular Tonto Trail are limited to a certain degree to the spring melt season, when otherwise dry drainages experience seasonal discharge. Hiking along this 92-mile scenic platform would cease entirely if perennial springs such as Grapevine, Garden, Horn, Monument, Hermit, and Boucher were to disappear entirely. Diminished flows in the Colorado River are another concern, which may cause for more rocky runs in the canyon’s famous rapids.

The decrease in spring water discharge within the canyon and an increase in wildfire danger may have significant impacts on the public’s ability to visit the canyon entirely or portions of it. The park has already experienced road and trail closures on the North Rim due to the Warm Fire (2006) and the Fuller Fire (2016).

Grand Canyon Village has developed evacuation protocols in the event that a large, catastrophic fire moves toward the village. There are only two ways out of the Village creating a concern for residents and visitors alike.

25

NPS photo by Michael Quinn

Summary – There is little doubt that Grand Canyon is already experiencing some of the effects of climate change.

And as the future unfolds, these changes could intensify and continue to stress the park’s natural and human resources. Jeanne Calhoun, the NPS Division Chief of Resource and Science Management at Grand Canyon National Park, asserts that Grand Canyon National Park is preparing for a changeable future. “We know changes are coming and although we cannot entirely predict them, we can monitor many of our natural systems and become better prepared,” said Calhoun. The park is exploring programs that the public will likely welcome in the near future. Rainwater harvesting is one such change that may be coming soon to the park’s many rooftops.

An increase in solar power generation may also be one of the more visible tools that could lessen the park’s exorbitant electric bill (the greater portion of which comes from the pumping of water to the South and North Rims). “The challenges are great,” Calhoun said, “but we are excited to meet them with the tools and resources available to us.”

After all, positivity in the face of such challenges has always been the hallmark of those lucky people who come under the spell of Earth’s grandest canyon.

2 6 | C A N YO N V I E W S

Restoring Ecosystems through Fire Management B y Pamela Ed wards

Photo by Chris Marks

Fire management at Grand Canyon has evolved over time, from naturally caused fires and managed burns set by some of the canyon’s original inhabitants to current efforts to preserve natural and cultural resources.

Ponderosa pine forests are common on both the North and South rims. These forests historically experienced low to moderate intensity fires every five to 15 years. Consequently, they were characterized by an open canopy with large, mature trees, and a diversity of herbaceous vegetation along the forest floor. Grand Canyon’s other forest types also evolved with fire. But nature and lightning were not the only source of ignition. For millennia, native people had been managing fire for various reasons, including to improve wildlife habitats and enhance the growth of significant plants.

“The human contribution to historic fire management has been underestimated,” says Jason Nez, a member of the Navajo tribe and a National Park Service (NPS) archaeologist specializing in fire effects at the canyon.

Chris Marks, Deputy Fire Management Officer at Grand Canyon National Park, says there is now greater recognition that native people used fire to shape various ecosystems. “The challenge lies in knowing if the ignitions were human caused or natural, so we consider all of them natural,” he said.

U.S. Forest Service, Southweste​rn Region, Kaibab National Forest Photo by Dyan Bone

27 In the late 1800s, land management practices in the west started to change as the European American population increased. Fires were extinguished from most landscapes, and Grand Canyon was no exception. By the mid-1900s, conditions had deteriorated in many forest types. The land was not “hozho,” the Navajo word for balanced. Nez points out that fire behavior is a good barometer for the health of a landscape. “If fire is subtle, it indicates that things are hozho,” he said. “If fire is not subtle, it gives obvious and needed answers.”

The NPS and other land management agencies began to recognize fire’s imperative role in maintaining ecological integrity.

Grand Canyon’s forests had significantly changed in just a few decades. These changes occurred at multiple levels, from ecosystem structure to function. In ponderosa pine forests, tree densities had greatly increased, overall biodiversity levels had decreased, and fires were becoming more severe.

By 1980, managers at Grand Canyon National Park began proactively managing fire. Between 1980 and 2018, about 220,000 acres burned in the park. Prescribed fire and naturally ignited fires managed for beneficial resource objectives accounted for 90 percent of that acreage.

Partnerships are an important aspect of fire management.

The intimate relationship between the park service and the U.S. Forest Service on the Kaibab Plateau illustrates collaborative landscape-level management. All park service lands north of the Colorado River and the North Kaibab Ranger District are part of the North Zone Interagency Fire Management Program. A supervisor may oversee employees from both agencies and be responsible for managing fire on park and forest lands. Marks highlights that the North Zone was established to manage fire across the landscape and not by boundary. North Zone Fire Management Officer Peter Goetzinger echoes this sentiment. “The intent is to blur the fence and restore fire to both sides,” he said.

The park service also seeks input from other land management agencies and Grand Canyon’s 11 traditionally associated tribes prior to each fire season. The park solicits tribal feedback on fire plans and shares a pre- and post-season fire report annually. “Our goal is to have a positive relationship with the tribes on their traditional lands,” Marks said. “We need to ensure that fire’s ecological role continues, while still protecting culturally sensitive sites.”

The protection of cultural and natural resources is a critical component of fire management. Prescribed fire plans take these resources into consideration from the beginning. With unplanned starts, resource advisers, such as Nez, are consulted immediately on any concerns. This information is considered, along with fire indices, such as weather and fuel moistures, and the fire’s proximity to human life and property, to determine if a fire will be suppressed or managed for multiple objectives. Unplanned human ignitions are always extinguished.

Significant progress has been made in restoring fire’s ecological role in the landscape at Grand Canyon National Park, “We are bringing back active fire regimes and restoring ecosystem processes,” says Marks.

2 8 | C A N YO N V I E W S

Meet GCC Field Institute Instructor: Melissa Giovanni B y Mind y Riesenberg Grand Canyon Conservancy’s Field Institute instructors are leading experts in their fields, from archaeology to geology, from history to photography, and more. In this issue of Canyon Views, we introduce you to geologist Melissa Giovanni, who has been an instructor since 2016.

Giovanni’s path to becoming a Field Institute instructor began when she attended the 2015 Field Institute Hiking Guide Training Seminar with a friend.

“At that point, I knew nothing about Grand Canyon Conservancy (then Association) or the Field Institute,” she says. “I had spent many years leading geology field camps around the Colorado Plateau, and as I sat listening to the talks, I found myself thinking, ‘I could give one of these!’”

With her usual gumption, Giovanni went up to the Field Institute’s Senior Program Manager, Jack Pennington, introduced herself, gave him her card, and told him she’d like to get involved. That summer, she joined Wayne Ranney’s “Geology on the Edge” course.

“Hiking around the canyon with Wayne is like visiting the Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo,” says Giovanni.

“My little geologist mind was blown and I was completely hooked.” By spring 2016, Giovanni was leading her first trip for the Field Institute.

Giovanni has a B.S. in geology from the University of Arizona and a Ph.D. in geology from UCLA. She loves teaching, and prior to working with Grand Canyon Conservancy, she developed and taught a five-week field camp focusing on the evolution of the Colorado Plateau. When she’s not leading hikes in Grand Canyon, she’s a tenured professor of environmental science at the College of Southern Nevada.

Mindy Riesenberg, Grand Canyon Conservancy’s Director of Marketing and Communications, talked with Giovanni to learn more: Mindy Riesenberg: What does your role as an instructor entail?

Melissa Giovanni: My top two priorities are safety and fun. I want to ensure everyone’s health and well-being to guarantee the fun. Our students come ready to soak up all things Grand Canyon, so that makes the teaching part of my job easy! And one part of the job that I take very seriously is the delivery of spectacularly bad jokes along the Devil’s Corkscrew.

MR: What do you love about being a Field Institute instructor?

MG: The incredible people I get to work with.

Canyon legends, rangers, river runners. And on every trip I get to experience the canyon for the first time again through the eyes of my guests. One of my favorite things to do on a trip is watch my guests experience a truly dark sky for the first time.

MR: What advice do you have for people planning to take a Field Institute hike?

MG: Physical preparation is important but mental preparation is often overlooked. I don’t mean mentally preparing for the physical challenge—folks are great at doing that. I mean preparing to give yourself over completely to the experience. Open yourself up to unexpectedness. It’s hard to describe but prepare for a completely different pace of existence. As I like to say during orientations, I generally live life at about a million miles per hour, but Grand Canyon is the one place where I do not want to move fast. Embrace the geologic pace of the canyon. Move slowly. Just BE in this place.

The canyon will do the rest.

“I am so incredibly grateful to be part of the Grand Canyon Conservancy Field Institute in service of the park’s mission to educate visitors on the significance of Grand Canyon and help them experience its magic.” – Melissa Giovanni

29 Giovanni pointing out spectacular billion year old ripples in the Hakatai Shale in Red Canyon.

To learn more about taking the trip of a lifetime with Grand Canyon Conservancy Field Institute, visit grandcanyon.org/fieldinstitute.

3 0 | C A N YO N V I E W S I am falling in love with all that the canyon has to offer—geology, wildlife, plants, clean air, or whitewater—what I am really falling for is the solitude and the way it creates a path to knowing myself.

Modernity has a way of stripping us of our former relationship with nature. But Grand Canyon allows us to transcend time and reconnect to something real—simple upright walking, exploring landscapes, discovering self, embracing all. This is how a lifeless rock works its magic. In being so large and so difficult, the canyon repulsed farmers and settlers; nor did it give much in the way of mineral wealth. And therein lies its value.

Wayne R ann ey tod ay

A 45-Year Reflection of Life and Work at Grand Canyon National Park B y Wayne R anney Were they able to speak to us from the depths of time, I’m convinced the trilobites preserved in the Bright Angel Shale would shout, “Where did those 500 million years go! Time flies by so fast.”

I believe it is the nature of time to move ever more quickly as it passes, an acceleration through time.

Naturally, my 45 years of living and working at the Grand Canyon seems to have blown by as fast as the run through Lava Falls (about 15 seconds). And yet by human standards, 45 years is deemed a lifetime!

As I begin to imagine what the next 45 years might bring to this place, I can imagine a day, not too far off, when entrance to the park might be restricted by a limited number of total “user days.” Many will decry the idea but nearly all forms of enjoyment within the park now are already governed by such necessities. With a limited water supply, unchecked growth in Grand Canyon Village is untenable. So I will gladly trade the odd casual visit in the future for visits that can ensure the right amount of deep connection with Grand Canyon.

These 45 years have shown me that the canyon provides what is too rapidly being destroyed elsewhere—

When I arrived here as a young man to take a job as a backcountry ranger in 1975, Grand Canyon had about 2.6 million visitors per year. Now those numbers are reversed at 6.2 million and will only increase as long as the canyon leaves spellbound those who encounter it. My time here causes me to reflect on how and why the Grand Canyon captured my life, changing its course not just then, but time and time again. How can a seemingly lifeless “hole in the ground” have affected me, and so many others, to redirect their lives toward something that once was just a “blank spot” on the map?

I likely answered my own question. For me, the greatest attribute of this place IS the solitude and its absence of human intrusion. Within this massive, carved out space, one can lose himself in a completely singular world of color, form, textures, and cascading waters, with just enough danger to heighten the senses. “Getting lost” in the canyon is a desired outcome for me and likely what draws me back over and over. But “getting lost” in this sense means establishing a connection to our innermost truth, as the trappings of the human world fade away far back up the trail. And while I may think

Wayne Ranney in Grand Canyon Photo by Bryan Brown

31

MONTHLY GIVING Your monthly gift provides reliable and consistent funding for park programs and protects this natural wonder for future generations.

Here are just some of the benefits of monthly giving:

IT’S MORE SUSTAINABLE. By participating in monthly giving, you reduce the amount of paper mailings we send you.

Photo by NPS

WAYS TO GIVE GIVE EVERY MONTH AND FOREVER Start giving monthly today at donate.grandcanyon.org call: (800) 858-2808.

To learn more about bequests and becoming a Bright Angel Circle supporter, visit: grandcanyon.giftlegacy.com.

For more information on ways to give, visit: grandcanyon.org/ways-to-give call: (928) 638-7036 email: gcconservancy@grandcanyon.org.

YOUR SUPPORT NEVER LAPSES! No more writing and mailing checks.

Monthly gifts are made automatically and securely.

YOUR DONATIONS WILL PROTECT AND ENHANCE GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK EVERY MONTH ... ALL YEAR LONG!

LEAVE YOUR LEGACY AT GRAND CANYON Planning your will or trust?

Include Grand Canyon by leaving a bequest to Grand Canyon Conservancy — a significant way to help further our mission. You’ll leave a lasting legacy for the park, while also lessening the burden of taxes on your family. And on top of that, you’ll be considered a Bright Angel Circle supporter!

3 2 | C A N YO N V I E W S

Shop

Grand Canyon Conservancy shop.grandcanyon.org Check out these products available online or on your next visit to one of our retail stores at the canyon!

3) 1)

5)

2) 4)

1) Hike Smart Packable Backpack

2) Life is a Grand Adventure Unisex ¾ Raglan T-Shirt

3) The Canyon is Calling Lady Hiker T-Shirt

4) Grand Canyon National Park Pendleton Blanket

5) Grand Canyon National Park 100 Views

Shopping GCC’s stores supports Grand Canyon National Park, and GCC Supporters receive 15% off every purchase!

Taking a day hike and want to pack light, easy, and breezy? This lightweight day pack features a quick grab top handle, divided main compartment with a draw cord closure, front bungee cord and a front buckle closure. There are side pockets, a lid compartment and two zippered pockets. The adjustable straps are mesh lined along with the back panel. This backpack folds into a 7.5” x 6” pouch in the lid pocket.

100% Polyester ripstop fabrication.

Measures 9” x 17” when open. $30

Looking for a unique keepsake to remember your trip to the canyon? This gorgeous Pendleton blanket will remind you of the canyon’s colorful layers and dark skies. Since the early 1900s, Pendleton has honored America’s national parks with a collection of distinctive park blankets. This 100% pure virgin wool blanket has an authentic Pendleton label.

Made in the U.S.A. $269

When you visit Grand Canyon National Park, everything is truly GRAND! Take your steps down the trail in this incredibly soft tee.

Made by Wild Tribute. Wild Tribute 4 the parks donates 4% of proceeds to our national parks and public lands. $34

Want to gaze at the canyon but can’t make the trip? Grand Canyon National Park 100 Views showcases 100 breathtaking photos by many of the canyon’s most talented photographers.

Capturing the deep and abiding appeal of the canyon, the images are paired with essays by canyon veteran Scott Thybony in a love letter to an irreplaceable wonder of the world.

Grand Canyon National Park 100 Views is the official publication of Grand Canyon National Park’s 2019 Centennial, and is a true collector’s item. 156 pages, hardcover. $30

The Canyon is calling— don’t let it go to voicemail!

This women’s short-sleeve tee is perfect for spring and summer hikes at Grand Canyon—or anywhere else.

Are you ready to answer the call?

Made by Wild Tribute. $28

Use promo code 15GCC20SP online at checkout.

Grand Canyon Conservancy Supporters Make a GRAND Difference “I give to GCC because Grand Canyon is one of our greatest natural treasures, and the national parks are underfunded – they really need our support. Since I work in art museums, I’m sensitive to the authenticity of this place and love how carefully the architecture has been maintained. The tower at Desert View is a great example of wonderful works of art being conserved and properly cared for with the support of GCC.”

— Kate Markert

Washington, D.C.

“Grand Canyon is immense and aweinspiring, but it’s also surprisingly fragile with many pressures on its natural resources. It’s important to help protect it for our generation and many more to come. GCC helps maintain the canyon’s beauty and makes the park more enjoyable with its many trail and building renovations.”

— Edward Kim

Needham, MA

“It’s important to us that when we donate to causes, the recipients will be good stewards of the funds. It was evident that Grand Canyon Conservancy was involved in numerous projects that help preserve the natural and cultural resources of the park. GCC also has authentic people who, at the annual Grand Gathering, treated us first-timers like family and embraced our young children. Every good program must have a future.”

—Tommy, Kerri, Ari, and Remi Dean

North Salt Lake, UT

Top: Caption: Bunky and Kate Markert at Grand Canyon. Photo courtesy Kate Markert Middle: Edward Kim. Photo by Terri Attridge Bottom: Remi Dean, Ranger Jill Staurowsky, and Ari Dean. Photo by Veronica Tierney

G R A N D C A N YO N C O N S E R VA N C Y P. O . B O X 3 9 9 , G R A N D C A N YO N , A Z 8 6 0 2 3 WE INSPIRE PEOPLE TO PROTECT AND ENHANCE G R A N D C A N YO N N AT I O N A L PA R K F O R P R E S E N T A N D F U T U R E G E N E R AT I O N S .

grandcanyon.org

I N S P I R E . E D U C AT E . P R O T E C T . | P L E A S E R E C YC L E