The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon National Park contains one of the most well known natural wonders of our country: The Grand Canyon. It is located in Arizona. Over the years, the Grand Canyon has attracted many visitors, and today the park sees nearly five million visitors yearly (NPS, History & Culture). It has always been a target for human interest, going back to the days where Native Americans ruled the land and continuing through present times. However, like the rest of our natural world, the Grand Canyon faces many threats, mainly due to humans. What are these things that threaten the Grand Canyon, what is being done to combat them, and what else can be done to protect the Grand Canyon National Park?

Within the Grand Canyon lays the Colorado River, which scientists believe carved it out 17 million years ago, much earlier than the previous estimate of 6 million years (Wilford). The river consumes the area over time, eventually forming the magnificent canyon that we see today. The canyon runs east-west so it has a North Rim and a South Rim. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long, 18 miles wide and 5,000 feet deep (Grand Canyon Facts). It contains several ecosystems and hundreds of unique species of animals and over a thousand species of plants (Grand Canyon Facts).

The Grand Canyon contains very old objects that date from up to 12,000 years ago (NPS, History & Culture), back to early Native American culture. Therefore, it has been known to, used by, and been occupied by humans for a very long time. According to the U.S. National Park Service, "the park has recorded over 4,800 archeological resources with an intensive survey of nearly

Le 2

3% of the park area" (NPS, History & Culture). The Grand Canyon was first given federal protection in 1893, but it wasn't for nearly another 30 years that it would become a National Park. This happened in 1913, three years after the National Park Service was created (NPS, History & Culture). The Grand Canyon is thus one of the oldest national parks in the country. Before it became a national park and a magnet for tourism, the Grand Canyon attracted explorers, pioneers, and corporations looking to harness resources from it.

Being a national, the Grand Canyon has always been a target of conservation. The first such effort was started by Franklin D. Roosevelt, who in 1933 put people to work who were jobless due to the Great Depression (NPS, CCC). He created the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and filled it using poor and unemployed men. It lasted for nine years, and during its time they traveled around the country completing conservation projects at national parks and other sites. They engaged in projects such as "tree planting, trail construction, erosion control, forest fire fighting, state park development, and fire road construction" (NPS, CCC). According to the National Park Service, four federal agencies were used to make sure that the CCC was successful. The Department of Labor selected the workers, The Department of War transported, supervised, and managed their care, and the Departments of Agriculture and Interior designed the projects and supervised the Corps.

What types of threats does the Grand Canyon face today? Well, there are many in fact. Due to pollution, building, and other human activities, nature is

Le 3

often thrown out of balance, and without further human intervention to reverse these problems, natural habitats are threatened. According to a report by the National Parks Conservation Association, one challenge is "Colorado River management actions that do not incorporate adaptive strategies for protecting and restoring fish, river flows, riverine habitats, cultural sites, and archaeological resources along the river corridor" NPCA, 3). Other problems include sounds cape management, such as over flights that can disturb visitors, wildlife, and the 11 Native American tribes which live in the park (NPCA, 3). Greater and better relationships with these tribes are also wanted. Mining activities from the past and present, along with air pollution from nearby areas also pose threats to the health of the park. Due to environmental change, the canyon even faces threats from non-native animals intruding. According to Anne Minard of the High Country News, drought has recently brought bison into the park. They were originally taken into Arizona for an experiment to breed them with cattle, although that failed (Minard). "Biologists with the National Park Service say the huge animals (males can weigh up to 2,500 pounds) are wallowing in riparian areas and damaging cultural sites. They considered building a fence, but that would affect other wildlife, such as mule deer" (Minard). The NPCA also states that there are "front country and backcountry management and protection needs, particularly in regard to the challenges of park size, visitation patterns, and shortfalls in funding, which compromise efforts to preserve and protect the park's resources." Finally, the Grand Canyon faces the threat of climate change, like much of the