Giving Back: Volunteer Opportunities at Grand Canyon

In the course of my fifteen years residing Grand Canyon National Park I have heard countless stories from visitors for whom the Grand Canyon has forever changed their lives. The list includes a school teacher from Taipei, a retired banker from Paris, an opera stage manager from Venice, and dozens of weekend warriors from neighboring communities like Flagstaff and Sedona that hike the canyon any chance they get.

Many have found a way to channel their energy and enthusiasm into volunteer programs as a way to express their gratefulness (if not devotion) to the canyon they hold dear. From removing non-native plants, to counting migrating raptors, the opportunities are many. The outings are fun, informative, and a great way to meet likeminded outdoor enthusiasts.

The Grand Canyon Trust is a great place to start for those looking for ways to give back. Check out their website for more details http://www.gcvolunteers.org/

Big Changes Afoot for Mather Point

Ask just about anyone where they caught their first glimpse of the Grand Canyon and chances are they’ll answer Mather Point. Due to its close proximity to the busiest park entrance station, the lofty overlook is a typical first stop for visitors. Mather Point was named after the first director of the National Park Service, Stephen Mather, and never fails to dazzle the throngs that brave the guardrail-encased precipice.

Beginning this April, the National Park Service will begin a multi-phase construction project that will dramatically alter the Mather Point experience. Roads will be re-aligned, new parking areas will be developed, trailside exhibitry installed, and visitor amenities will be expanded at the nearby visitor center.

Once completed, the new and improved Mather Point area will provide an even more dramatic experience for those that have travelled near and far to gape at one of the natural wonders of the world.

 

Grand Canyon Hiker Symposium: Campfire Stories without the Smoke

Hikers generally need a very good reason to linger indoors, and the Grand Canyon Hiker’s and Backpackers Association is providing a dandy in the form of the third annual Grand Canyon Hikers Symposium.

The event will consist of short presentations by some of Grand Canyon’s elite backcountry enthusiasts, and a few mere mortals, on the twists and turns of a particularly memorable hike. Given the hardships and hallelujahs that the canyon can serve up under even the best of conditions, these hard won tales are certain to entertain both hikers and rim dwellers alike.

Here are the particulars:

When: 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturday, April 4, 2009

Where: Shrine of the Ages, Grand Canyon Village, Grand Canyon National Park

Cost: free and open to the public. Bring a friend!

Follow this link for a map to Grand Canyon Village.

The Shrine of the Ages is located adjacent to Park Headquarters and a short walk from Market Plaza. The Shrine of the Ages is conveniently located within a mile or two of the Bright Angel and South Kaibab Trails if the spirit moves you.

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Twin Ceremonies Celebrate Park’s History and Future

February 26^th was a day of speeches, ribbon cutting, and cake for all on the South Rim. The date marked the 90^th anniversary for Grand Canyon National Park. With the stroke of a pen on February 26, 1919, President Woodrow Wilson added Grand Canyon to the growing list of national parks in the fledgling National Park System. A small ceremony was conducted in the Canyon View Information Plaza, including a rousing interpretive program by NPS ranger Dave Smith in period garb.

 The celebration then moved down the rim to the official opening of the Verkamp’s Visitor Center. Readers of this column will recall that the Verkamp family sold its interest in their century-old family business to the park service in 2008. Three of the family members were in attendance, each giving emotional speech about growing up along the rim. Other dignitaries included a representative from Arizona Congressman Grijalva’s office, and Phyllis Kachinhongva, a Hopi woman who grew up as a neighbor of the Verkamp’s family, and served as an NPS interpreter before retiring recently.

 Phyllis gave a traditional Hopi blessing for the new Visitor Center. As she uttered her final words a California condor flew low over the gathering, much to the delight of the overflow crowd. The new Verkamp’s Visitor Center will be opened all year, with ranger programs beginning on the doorstep throughout the day.

 Follow this link for more information on the historic day’s events http://www.nps.gov/grca/parknews/2009-02-02_90th.htm

 

Craig Childs' "House of Rain" A Must Read

During a visit to the Heartland over Christmas I brought along Craig Childs' latest book "House of Rain." It's a sprawling read that covers the rise and fall of the Anasazi—ancestral puebloan people that inhabited the Four Corners region of the Colorado Plateau for centuries before....(ah, ah, ah, don't want to give it away!). Though my beloved Grand Canyon receives only a passing mention, many of the other places such as Chaco Canyon, Cedar Mesa, and Keet Seel that figure more prominently are also near and dear to my heart. Craig speaks with the authority of one who is intimate with nearly every step on the serpentine trajectory of this fabled culture. "House of Rain" served as an indispensable tether to my adopted home in northern Arizona, even as I rambled about the snow-clad familiarity of my native Iowa. This is required reading for anyone enchanted by the human response to one of the planet's most intriguing landscapes. The book can be purchased onAmazon.com http://www.amazon.com/House-Rain-Tracking-Civilization-Southwest/dp/0316067547/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231384236&sr=8-1

A Glance Back at 2008

Before marching headlong into the New Year, you may enjoy a snap recap of 2008 at Grand Canyon National Park. It was a dynamic year indeed. The National Park Service celebrated both the 100^th anniversary of Grand Canyon being declared a national monument (national park status would follow in 1919), and the 75^th anniversary of the amazing contributions of the depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps. 

Flooding also made the headlines. Once in the form of an experimental "high flow event" on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon (the third of its kind), and the other in a devastating, storm-fueled flash flood that ravaged the Havasu Creek drainage – home to the Havasupai tribe and their majestic waterfalls. 

The park service completed an extensive construction and repair project on the historic Hermit Road, reopening with pomp and circumstance in November. 

Among the "firsts" the park service and their partners conducted a wildly successful "Celebrate Wildlife" day, and a marathon footrace that attracted hundreds of eager runners from around the country. 

The Verkamp family ended their century-long presence on the rim in Grand Canyon Village as purveyors of Native American handicrafts and other souvenirs. The NPS has converted their landmark structure into a visitor center in partnership with the Grand Canyon Association who will operate a retail outlet as well. 

Finally, although the world economic turmoil put a damper on park visitation, people still continued to arrive in droves to enjoy the grandest of canyons. Along with hundreds of my fellow Grand Canyon residents, I look forward to another wonderful year living on the edge, and would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year!

Changing of the Guard at Grand Canyon Landmark

On November 26, Grand Canyon National Park re-opened historic Verkamps Curios as a combination visitor contact station and retail outlet. Verkamps Curios had previously been the longest-running family owned concession in the National Park System before selling their operation and facility to the National Park Service earlier this year. The stately building sits on the edge of the South Rim in the Historic Village District. With its command view of the Grand Canyon, quality merchandise, and cozy fireplace, Verkamps Curios attracted tourists for over one hundred years. The NPS will use it's new facility to provide visitor information by way of interpretive rangers and the wide use of exhibitry. The retail outlet will be operated by Grand Canyon Association, a non-profit park partner that has been assisting Grand Canyon National Park in the areas of education and scientific research since 1932.

Hermit Road Comes out of Hiding after Months of Repairs

After nearly a year of construction, the South Rim’s Hermit Road is once again accessible to park visitors; and with it such popular scenic overlooks as Hopi, Pima, Powell and Maricopa Points.

For decades the seven-mile road, rim trail and parking areas that lie between Grand Canyon Village and historic Hermits Rest fell into disrepair due to a combination of heavy use and the elements. Even after restricting access to private vehicles the infrastructure continued to deteriorate.

In February of 2008 the park service began closing the area and embarking on an ambitious project to address the bucket list of needed repairs. To absorb the thousands of park visitors that were turned away, alternate park service bus routes were added on those roads that remained unaffected.

On November 15th, a newly-invigorated Hermit Road was opened to the public with both ceremony and celebration—just in time for the throngs of holiday travelers.

The Heavy Lifting: Exhibit Honors the Civilian Conservation Corps

In 1933, at the height of the Great Depression, the federal government under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt launched the Civilian Conservation Corps. This popular public works project put thousands of otherwise idle young men to work building and restoring infrastructure and trails in many of the nation's national parks. Grand Canyon National Park played host to as many as eight hundred of these industrious laborers. Among their many accomplishments were the construction of the Clear Creek Trail, the transcanyon telephone line, trailside shelters, and the stone-and-mortar protective wall that runs along the South Rim in the Historic Village District (providing peace of mind to not a few nervous mothers over the decades). At Kolb Studio in Grand Canyon Village, a free exhibit entitled “It Saved My Life, the CCC at Grand Canyon, 1933-1942" will run through October 19^th in celebration of the 75^th anniversary of the CCC's legacy at Grand Canyon. For more information follow this link http://www.nps.gov/grca/parknews/upload/2008-05-23%20CCC.pdf.

Song Sung Blue? Blame the Cow Birds

Few would argue that the Grand Canyon is a visual wonder. For many the view wouldn’t be the same without the ongoing soundtrack provided by the more than one hundred nesting species of birds found throughout the park. The multi-varied calls of the songbirds in particular are inextricable to the Grand Canyon experience (to the dwindling number of visitors not wearing earphones that is). One of the biggest threats to the songbird population is the brown-headed cowbird. These parasitic birds lay their eggs in the nests of non-cowbirds, and leave it to the host bird to hatch and raise their offspring, often at the expense of the host birds own young. The National Park Service will be conducting a survey of songbird nests throughout the park this summer in an effort to determine the severity of the problem. You can help. If you are aware of a songbird nest in the park, please contact wildlife biologist Rosa Palarino. She will do her best to include every known nest in the study. Ms. Palarino can be reached at rosa_palarino@nps.gov.