The Latest News and Current Events ...
The Grand Canyon News!

December 17, 2003 Park releases additional launches down the River!

Officials at Grand Canyon National Park confirmed today the release of 18
additional launches to perspective permittees on the Park's non-commercial
waiting list. These permits have been made available as a result of the 2002
lawsuit agreement between Grand Canyon Private Boaters Association with
others, and Grand Canyon National Park. The settlement stipulates that
unused summer commercial allocation will be turned over to non-commercial
launches for the following off-peak season. The dates are limited to the
spring of 2004 season: March 1, 3, 4, 7, 10, 11, 13, 15, 18, 20, 23, 26, 29,
31 and April 3, 6, 7, 8.
 

December 17, 2003 More Condors on their way!!!

Arizona’s population of California Condors will increase on December 19 when ten condors will be transported to the release site in the Bureau of Land Management’s Vermilion Cliffs National Monument.  All of the young condors hatched last year at The Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey.   On December 1, there were 217 California Condors in the world, 84 of those were in the wild in Arizona, California, and Mexico.

The ten young condors will be transported by Norm Freeman of Chino Valley, Arizona, in a specially designed motor coach.  The condors will travel from the World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho to a transfer area below the release site at the base of the cliff in the Bureau of Land Management’s Vermilion Cliffs National Monument.  The condors will be divided into separate four-wheel drive vehicles for the steep drive to the release aviary on the top of the 1,000 foot cliff.

After an acclimation period of at least six to eight weeks, the young condors will be released in small groups.   The public will be invited to view those releases.  As information becomes available about the releases, it will be placed on The Peregrine Fund's web site (www.peregrinefund.org/whats.html).

December 9, 2003 Hold Placed on Adding Names to River Permit Waitlist!

Grand Canyon National Park is placing a hold on adding new members to the
noncommercial river permit waitlist. As part of the current Colorado River
Management Plan (CRMP) planning effort, park staff and planners are
carefully examining and considering alternatives to the current waitlist
permit system. An overwhelming majority of public comments stated the
opinion that the permit system should be overhauled. With this in mind,
park management does not want to perpetuate the current system while other
alternatives are being considered. There are now over 8,000 people on the
waitlist, and more than 1,000 are typically added each year. In the event
that the current system is selected as part of the final CRMP decision, to
be completed by December 31, 2004, the system for allowing additions to the
waitlist would simply be reinstated.

Until a record of decision is made for the CRMP, current waitlist members
will be served in the same manner as they have been in the past. They will
soon receive the familiar annual letter regarding waitlist procedures, the
schedule of release dates, and other topics. The River Permits Office may
be contacted at 1-800-959-9164 or 928-638-7843.

Please go to www.nps.gov/grca for more information regarding Grand Canyon
National Park. Information about the Colorado River Management Plan may be
found at www.nps.gov/grca/crmp

November 30, 2003 Park Finally releases River Data!

It took a lawsuit, but finally the NPS released to the public long sought
information concerning administrative and science use on the river,
ending a contentious six year information stalemate.

This information is important as various constituency groups involved
in the on-going Colorado River Management Plan attempt to better
understand what the total current actual river use is. Up until now it
has been impossible form a complete picture of current canyon use in
regards to river running.

The release of the data in essence constitutes the "missing piece of
the puzzle" and will now allow everyone concerned to know how much
traffic actually goes down river in a given year. Until now, planners
and advocates for recreational reform have long had to rely on wild
guesses as to how much administrative and research use, for what
purpose and when, takes place.

As part of the lawsuit settlement agreement (GCPBA vs. Alston, et al,
2000) signed in the year 2002. The National Park Service was required
to gather this data and transmit it to the various litigants.
Recreational use advocates have long questioned the NPS concerning
their administrative/science/research use, but until now, had been met
with a total lack of response.

The data was delivered to GCPBA attorney Lori Potter of the Denver,
Colorado law firm of Kaplan, Kirsch & Rockwell LLP. At GCPBA request Ms
Potter copied and electronically distributed the information to various
interest groups. The complete document has been posted on the GCPBA
website and may be downloaded. The file is 118 pages and 13.5 megabyte
.pdf file, so download times on all but the fastest connections will be
fairly slow. The document may be found at:
http://www.gcpba.org/litigation/NPSSettlementData.pdf

While providing a look at NPS use, the document leaves many questions
unanswered. While the data discloses how many individuals participated
in administrative trips, unlike data collected for private river
runners repeat use, it does not disclose how many
administrative/science/research participants were involved in repeat
trips during the time period covered, nor is similar data on repeat use
available for commercial trips, either for patron or guide use.

The data presented covers a three year period of use beginning in
January of 2000, concluding with December, 2002. GCPBA was hoping the
NPS would furnish data over a longer time period so the public could
better understand the Park's use patterns and determine whether or not
there has been a long term growth in this use.

November 26, 2003 Glen Canyon Dam Update!
From gcpba

Lake Powell Operations

Releases from Glen Canyon Dam in December will be higher than November.
In December, releases will average 9,800 cfs with a total of 600,000
acre-feet scheduled to be released. On Mondays through Saturdays in
December, daily fluctuations due to load following will likely vary
between a low of 6,500 cfs (during late evening and early morning
off-peak hours) to a high of 12,500 cfs (during late afternoon and early
evening on-peak hours). On Sundays, releases will likely vary between
6,500 cfs (during off-peak hours), and 8,000 cfs (during on-peak
hours).

Releases from Glen Canyon Dam in January of 2004 are currently
scheduled to be 788,000 acre-feet, which is an average of 12,800 cfs.
Releases in January will be part of the ongoing experimental flows
(described below). The fluctuation range will be greater than under
normal operations, ranging from a low of 5,000 cfs to a high of 20,000
cfs.

Because of the draw down condition of Lake Powell, releases from Lake
Powell in water year 2004 are being scheduled to meet the minimum
release objective of 8.23 million acre-feet. This is consistent with
the requirements of the Criteria for Coordinated Long-Range Operation of
Colorado River Reservoirs.

Experimental Flows

Daily high fluctuating releases from Glen Canyon Dam, as part of the
Glen Canyon Dam experimental flows, were implemented from January
through March 2003, when releases ranged between a high of 20,000 cfs to
low of 5,000 cfs each day. These same high fluctuating releases are
scheduled to be repeated in January through March of 2004.

The January through March high fluctuating releases are intended to
benefit the endangered humpback chub. Scientists have recognized that
the humpback chub population has been in general decline since highly
fluctuating flows were curtailed in November of 1991. Those flows
helped keep the non-native fish, especially the rainbow and brown trout,
in check. The trout are thought to prey upon and compete with native
fish such as the endangered humpback chub.

The experimental flows from Glen Canyon Dam received environmental
clearances in December 2002. The flows were analyzed in an
environmental assessment in accordance with the National Environmental
Policy Act. The experimental flows are the result of ongoing studies by
scientists from the United States Geological Survey and were recommended
by the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Work Group, a Federal
advisory committee. The experimental flows address the decline of two
key resources in the Grand Canyon: sediment and population viability of
endangered humpback chub. The Finding of No Significant Impact on the
experimental flows can be found at
http://www.uc.usbr.gov/amp/flow_fonsi.pdf.

Basin Hydrology

Severe drought conditions in the Colorado River Basin continue. As we
move into a new water year there are really no signals of the drought
easing. Water year 2004 began on October 1, 2003 and the first month of
the new water year was much warmer and drier than average. Basinwide
precipitation in October was only 35 percent of average. November has
been more favorable with cooler wetter conditions predominating.
Basinwide snowpack is currently at 104 percent of average as of November
26, 2003. Soil moisture levels throughout the basin are very low,
however, and the November snow has fallen upon very dry soils. This
scenario is not favorable for next spring's runoff, as much of the
melting snow will be absorbed by the dry soil. Reclamation is
estimating that with average snowpack conditions this winter, runoff
next spring would be about 75 percent of average.

The Colorado River Basin is now in its 5th year of drought. Inflow
volumes have been below average for 4 consecutive years. Unregulated
inflow in water year 2003 was only 53 percent of average. Unregulated
inflow in 2000, 2001 and 2002 was 62, 59, and 25 percent of average,
respectively. Inflow in 2002 was the lowest ever observed since the
completion of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963.

The trend of low inflow continues. Unregulated inflow in November,
2003 will end up being only about 64 percent of average. As of
November 25, 2003 observed inflow to Lake Powell is 5,700 cfs, about 55
percent of what is usually seen in late November.

Low inflows have reduced water storage in Lake Powell. The current
elevation of Lake Powell is 3,600.9 feet (99.1 feet from full pool).
Current storage is approximately 11.8 million acre-feet (49 percent of
capacity). The good news is that even after 4 years of severe drought
Lake Powell is still storing a large volume of water (nearly 12 million
acre-feet).

November 19, 2003 Not in the middle of no where any longer!!

Grand Canyon National Park officials arrested a California man attempting
to preach the Bible to tourists after tourists say he chased, punched and
bit them.

According to court documents, David B. Chimel, 41, of Oceano, Calif., is
accused of fighting with tourists Friday near the El Tovar Hotel in Grand
Canyon Village on the South Rim.

Rangers went to the hotel on a report of a fight in progress. When
they arrived, a group of people were holding a yelling and struggling
man on the ground in the middle of the road.

Officers questioned witnesses at the scene after arresting Chimel. The
witnesses said Chimel had been sitting on the porch singing "Just a Gigolo"
and reading aloud from a small Bible. Several tourists complained to hotel
staff that Chimel was making them uncomfortable and approaching them.

One family was near the Hopi House and told officers they watched Chimel
chase a car, yelling at the people inside the car that they would be
"destroyed." Chimel then came at the family. They told him to keep back, but he kept coming, taking two knives from his pants and dropping them on the ground as
he approached.

After Chimel was arrested, officers said they found no indication he was
under the influence of alcohol or drugs. A criminal background search
turned up arrests in California for burglary, forgery, parole violation and
contempt of court.

Mark Aspey, assistant U.S. Attorney in the Flagstaff bureau, said that
during Chimel's initial appearance Monday, Chimel indicated to the judge
that Friday's incident was the first time he had taken his preaching to the
level of physical confrontation in order to get someone to listen to his
message.

Chimel will be in court again Thursday morning for a preliminary hearing to
determine if there is probable cause for the case to continue to trial.

November 13, 2003 Rain and Snow!

On the South Rim it rained all day yesterday and we received 9/10 of an inch.
It snowed on the North Rim. ( This was just after the day that Los Angeles had big thunderstorm, lightening, hail, and floods.)

November 12, 2003 Rabid Fox Found at Phantom Ranch!

Coconino County Health Department is attempting to determine whether anyone
had contact with a rabid fox while visiting the Phantom Ranch area of Grand
Canyon National Park. On Friday, November 7, 2003, the fox was killed when
it tried to attack a Park Ranger. The fox was submitted to the Arizona
State Health Laboratory, where it tested positive for rabies.

November 05, 2003 Hearst Burn on the South Rim

Fire Managers at Grand Canyon National Park will be conducting a 60-acre
prescribed fire in the Hearst Burn Unit today. The "Hearst Burn" is part of
a long-term research project designed to reduce accumulations of dead
forest fuels in the ponderosa pine ecosystem. The burn is located in the
Grandview area on the park's South Rim. Smoke will be visible along East
Rim Drive throughout the day and smoke impacts are possible tonight. No
road closures are anticipated, but please use caution when visiting this
area.

November 13, 2003 An Evening with George Steck!

Presented by the Grand Canyon Association, Grand Canyon National Park, and many friends and admirers. A reception will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Kolb Studio on the South Rim. George will be on hand to chat and sign books, and refreshments will be provided by Xanterra Parks and Resorts. The activities will move to the Grand Canyon Community Building at 7:00 p.m. for a slide-show by photographer Gary Ladd, the film "Worm Hole" by author Tom Myers, and assorted historical video and film footage.

George Steck is one of Grand Canyon National Park's premier hikers. He has hiked approximately 6,000 miles, spent 1,100 days in the canyon, and in 1982 hiked the entire length of the canyon from Lees Ferry to Grand Wash Cliffs on the north side of the Colorado River. He even repeated the effort the following year from Lees Ferry to Lava Falls Rapids. His well-known books, Grand Canyon Loops I & II, have been republished and compiled into one edition by the Falcon Press, and followers fondly known as "Steckies" are regularly seen with his book in hand while finding their way through the canyon.

George has worked as a Volunteer In Park (VIP) over the years on many projects including compiling a list of Grand Canyon place names and correlating them to topographical maps prior to the GIS era. He has also been consulted as a subject-matter expert by incident commanders for search and rescue operations.

November 06, 2003 Young California Condor in Arizona Takes Flight!!

The nest for this Condor chick is several miles west of the Battleship, closer to Salt Creek. Last years Battleship chick failed to hatch.

Biologists from Grand Canyon National Park and The Peregrine Fund have confirmed the fledging of the first California Condor nestling in Arizona in perhaps over a century. The flight was observed at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 5. The chick jumped out looking like it wanted to land but there was nothing there. It ungracefully circled and landed 500 - 600 feet below cave in a remote canyon. The California Condor was included on the first Federal Endangered Species List in 1967.

"It was spectacular!" stated Sophie Osborn, Field Manager of The Peregrine Fund. "It was not was not the graceful flight we had envisioned, more like a controlled fall and our hearts were in our throats as it dropped 500 to 600 feet below the nest cave. Minutes after the chick landed it started to explore its environment, tugging on a yucca plant and hopping from boulder to boulder. We waited and hoped so long for this to happen that being part of it was indescribable!" finished Osborn.

"Our biggest worry after the chick left the cave was how long it would take for the parents to find it, stated Chad Olson, Raptor Technician for the National Park Service. "Both parents were away from the area when the chick fledged. To our great relief, female 127 flew to the nest about two hours after the chick fledged, realized the chick was not in the nest cave, immediately found it, and dropped down to feed it. Since fledging is such a dangerous time for the chick it is tremendous to be past this and on to another exciting phase." finished Olson.

The chick is healthy and alert to its surroundings. Biologists are planning to attach telemetry equipment and assess overall health issues. The bird will be closely monitored.

Biologists first suspected that Condors 123 and 127 were incubating an egg in March 2003. Daily observations were made, with assistance from a group of "Nestwatch" volunteers. The parents became very attentive to the nest in early May. The existence of the chick was confirmed on August 18 after biologists made an arduous 24-mile hike in 100 degree heat down to below the nesting cave. Daily monitoring continued.

"We are very pleased about this new step in the recovery of the California Condor species," stated Joseph Alston, Superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park. "We are proud to be a part of this highly anticipated and monumental event for both the park and the Colorado Plateau. We look forward to working with our partners in order to ensure the well-being of this new arrival to the condor population and to ensure continued success in the program."

Three pairs of California Condors produced eggs in Arizona in 2003 (one in BLM's Vermilion Cliffs National Monument and two in Grand Canyon National Park). Two of the eggs did not hatch, which is not uncommon for California Condors during their early breeding years. In fact, this was the second egg laid by Condor 127 and the third laid by Condor 119. In California this year, one egg was laid and hatched in early May, but, unfortunately, the chick did not survive.

As Roger Taylor, Arizona Strip Field Manager for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) states, "We have been anxiously awaiting this bird's first flight. With the good condor viewing opportunities that are typically available along the Vermilion Cliffs, perhaps the public will have an opportunity to view the young condor this winter."

"The significance of the first wild-hatched condor in Arizona is tremendous. While captive-bred condors have exceeded our expectations, it is this chick and others like it in the future that ensure condor recovery in Arizona," says Arizona Game and Fish Director Duane Shroufe.

"The partners have watched this chick prepare to fledge with as much anticipation as any natural parent might," said H. Dale Hall, Southwest Regional Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "We all wish the best for this fledgling and look forward to further successes."

 Images and other information may be obtained from the following websites:
The Peregrine Fund: www.peregrinefund.org/press/condor_chick_fledges_2003.html
The Grand Canyon National Park Foundation: www.gcnpf.org ,
Grand Canyon National Park: www.nps.gov/grca 

October 28, 2003 Condor Chick Update

Chick #305 is now 25.5 wks old but is still in the nest cave. It appears fully feathered and its wing and tail feathers look great. The chick spends most of its time perched in the
entrance preening and resting, but each day has one or two bouts of frenetic activity. During these bouts the chick does a lot of hop-flapping, running back and forth inside the cave, flapping at the entrance, and climbing around on some precarious ledges leading out of the cave entrance. It doesn't yet seem to be on the verge of flying from the cave, however almost daily the chick gets bolder during these episodes of activity, and it could fledge by accident almost any time (i.e., slip while climbing around near the cave entrance and be forced to fly). The parents continue to make routine feeding trips to the nest, and there are no indications that the chick is having any problems processing food. The chick's crop expands normally after feedings, the crop disappears quickly over the following 24 hrs, and the chick mutes regularly.

Although everything looks great so far, we are extremely concerned right now about the threat of lead poisoning for the chick and the parents. We're about half way through the hunting season, and many birds including the father of the chick have been seen cropped near deer gutpiles and/or deer remains. Additionally, both parents have been foraging extensively on non-proffered carcasses on the North Kaibab Plateau. Recently the mother of the chick (#127) was trapped and tested for lead exposure by the PFund, and tested low. But the male has yet to be tested. As for the other condors, two birds are currently undergoing chelation treatment for lead poisoning according to Sophie Osborn from the PFund, and a few others have been exposed and are being held for further testing.

So although we're cautiously optimistic the chick will fledge soon, many serious threats still linger.

Chad Olson, Raptor Biologist

October 28, 2003 Successful burn out completed on Rose Fire!

Favorable conditions allowed fire managers to complete a
large burn out operation on the Rose Fire today, to keep it within the
boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park. Hand and aerial ignition were
both used to consume unburned fuel between the main fire and the fire line.
This tactic slows the progress of the main fire. The burn out was
approximately 1500 acres in size, increasing the acreage of the Rose Fire
to roughly 2000 acres. This fire continues to be managed under a Wildland
Fire Use strategy, which allows some lightning-caused fires to burn, under
specific conditions and within a predetermined area, for resource benefits.

The 10,096-acre Poplar Fire, which is being managed under a suppression
strategy, was monitored today. Fire managers may perform a burn out
operation on this fire tomorrow, if wind and weather conditions remain
favorable. Again, the purpose of this will be to keep the fire within the
Park's boundary.

The Rose Fire poses potential hazards associated with continued burning. A
temporary closure to ensure public safety has been implemented in the Swamp
Ridge area. The Swamp Ridge Road (W-4) is closed from the Kanabownits Road
junction, west to Swamp Point. The North Bass Trail has been closed from
the trailhead at Swamp Point to Redwall Canyon. The Powell Plateau Trail
has also been closed from the trailhead at Swamp Point to its terminus on
Powell Plateau (full closure). These areas will reopen as soon as fire
behavior has moderated and the area is safe for reentry.

A slight change in wind direction has moved the smoke plume away from the
Park's developed areas, and fine particle (PM2.5) concentrations have
dropped below the EPA health impact levels. Visibility averages continue to
be unacceptable, but are also improving rapidly.

Fire Name Status Location Start Date Size
Poplar Fire active Big Springs Area 09/04/03 10,096 acres
Rose Fire   active south of Swamp Ridge Rd 10/07/03 2,000 acres

For additional information about the fires, call 928-638-7819. For
backcountry travel information, call 928-638-7875.
 

October 24, 2003 Swamp Ridge Road Closed again!

Swamp Ridge Road will be closed tomorrow morning, October 25th, due to increased fire activity on the North Rim. This closure will prohibit access to the Muav Saddle Trail, as well as the North Bass Trail from Swamp Point south to Redwall Canyon. The closure will be lifted as soon as fire behavior has moderated and the area is safe. The fire crews were setting up camp at the Del Monte Campground near the Kaibab Lodge.
 

October 16, 2003 Park Contract Helicopter Crashes!

The Grand Canyon National Park helicopter - contracted from Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters - was involved in a non-injury crash two miles north of the park boundary. The McDonnell Douglas 900 Explorer (No Tail Rotor/NOTAR) helicopter had just completed a reconnaissance flight of the Poplar Fire Complex on the North Rim and was en route to a landing zone on the North District of the Kaibab National Forest when the aircraft experienced a loss of control on final approach. The ship rolled onto its left side upon landing. The aircraft was severely damaged.

The pilot, M. Bordon Miller, has 25 years experience (10,000 hours) including 7.5 years contracted by the National Park Service. The others on board were Russ Truman (District Fire Management Officer, Kaibab NF); Mark Murray (Helicopter Manager, Grand Canyon NP); Lynn Emerick (Poplar Fire Incident Commander, Grand Canyon NP); and Mark McCutcheon (Acting North Rim Unit Manager, Grand Canyon NP). All occupants were taken to Kane County Hospital in Kanab, Utah, for evaluation.

"We are extremely relieved that no one was apparently injured in this incident," stated Grand Canyon Superintendent Joe Alston. Grand Canyon National Park Management and Aviation staff members are working with the US Forest Service and the Coconino County Sheriff’s Department to ensure site safety and integrity. Department of the Interior, Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters, and Federal Aviation Administration investigators are expected to arrive at the crash site Friday.

October 15, 2003 No Mules! Trail crew is hard at it!

October 09, 2003 The Yavapai Point Webcam is back!

October 07, 2003 Fires fading on North Rim!

With the recent cooler weather the fires are essentially out and no longer a threat. Look at those trees!

October 06, 2003 Aspens are changing on the North Rim!

The changing of the season is occurring on the North Rim of Grand Canyon
National Park.   Fall colors are currently at their peak. As colors on the North Rim change it is a reminder that the North Rim's visitor season is winding down.  The staff on the North Rim has begun preparations to shut down visitor services and facilities, though the park will remain open to visitors on a day-use basis until snow closes Highway 67 leading into the park.

The National Park Service's (NPS) North Rim Visitor Center will close at
6:00 p.m. on Monday, October 13th.  The "Nature Walk" will be given on
October 14th as indicated in the park publication, "The Guide".  Advanced
campground reservations for the North Rim Campground will no longer be
taken, however, a limited number of campsites with limited services,
(portable toilets), will be available on a first-come, first-served basis
until snow closes Highway 67.  The North Rim Backcountry Office will be
open until 5:00 p.m. on October 31st.  Hikers and cross-country skiers will
be permitted to use the park's group campsites throughout the winter months
if they have obtained a permit through the park's South Rim Backcountry
Office, or by going to the Visitor Center desk at Pipe Springs National
Monument. 

The South Rim Backcountry Office is open year-round and can be reached by calling (928) 638-7875, Monday through Friday from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. MST.  Permit requests can be faxed year-round to (928) 638-2125.
Permits are not considered earlier than the first of the month, four months
prior to the proposed start date.

Overnight accommodations through the concessionaire, the service station and
related visitor services will close before noon on October 14th. The last
meal served at the North Rim's Grand Lodge will be breakfast.  The final
night for lodging will be October 13.  The camper store and gift shop will
close for the season at 9:00 p.m. October 13.  The final day for mule rides
on the North Rim will be October 11th. The Kaibab Lodge, four miles from
the park boundary, will be closed after breakfast on October 14th and the
Country Store, located outside of the park boundary, will remain open until
mid-November, and then will be closed until May 15, 2003.

Sept. 30, 2003  Fires still burning on the North Rim!

Three fires continue to blaze on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The
largest, the Poplar Fire grew quickly on the park's North Rim
yesterday, and doubled in size to 6,855 acres. This rapid movement to
the east made it necessary to close Highway 67 to southbound traffic at
the park's boundary. Highway 67 remains closed to southbound traffic
today. The North Rim entrance station, entrance cabin, and power line
are still threatened by the fire's activity and actions are being taken
to mitigate the risks. The North Rim developed area is not threatened
by the Poplar Complex fires.

There is not a formal evacuation in place on the park's North Rim.
However, North Rim visitors are being encouraged to gauge their
immediate plans on the high possibility that fire behavior will
increase again today. There is a strong possibility that, when this
occurs, Highway 67 will be closed to both north and southbound traffic,
eliminating the opportunity to travel in or out of the park for the
next several days. Highway 67 will be reopened as soon as fire behavior
has moderated and the area is safe for travel.

The Corral Fire was contained at 14 acres yesterday. Fire managers also
made a decision to begin containment of the Big Fire, to keep it out of
Big Springs Canyon. All three fires in the Poplar Complex are being
managed under a Wildland Fire Use strategy, which allows some
lightning-caused fires to burn within a predetermined area, and under
certain conditions, for resource benefits. This strategy also calls for
suppression actions to occur when resource management objectives are
not being met.

A Type 2 Incident Management Team, under the command of Van Bateman,
assumed responsibility for management of the Poplar Complex as of 6:00
am this morning. This is a larger organization than the Fire Use
Management Team that had been assisting with the fires. Additional
crews, equipment, and support personnel are expected to arrive today.
An estimated 300 personnel should be in place by this evening.

Fire Name Status Location Start Date Size Big Fire Active Big Springs
Area 08/23/03 441 acres Poplar Fire Active Big Springs Area 09/04/03
6855 acres Corral Fire Contained 9/29 North Kaibab Trailhead 08/15/03
14 acres

For additional information about the fires, call 928-638-7819. For
backcountry travel information, call 928-638-7875.

September 21, 2003 Helicopter Crash kills 7!!

The Associated Press (AP) has reported that a helicopter headed to bottom of canyon on a sightseeing trip, crashed Saturday afternoon near the Grand Canyon, killing all seven people on board.

The chopper crashed at 12:55 p.m. after departing from Grand Canyon West Airport, said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Diana Joubert. Grand Canyon West Airport is east of Mead View, Arizona on the Hualapai Reservation.

According to Joubert, all the passengers on the helicopter were killed, but their names have not been released.

This is the second fatal crash involving sightseeing helicopters in the area in the last several years. On August 10, 2001 a Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopter Tours craft crashed killing six, with one survivor. In 1992 10 people were killed when an Adventure Airlines fixed wing, twin engine craft went down in the same vicinity. In 1986, 25 sightseer's and crew were killed in a mid-air collision over Tuna Canyon at mile 99.5. In that accident a helicopter carrying five collided with a fixed wing craft carrying 20 people.

September 16, 2003 Mule rides Cancelled! Wranglers Laid Off!

Xanterra Parks & Resorts, operator of lodges, restaurants and activities at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, is suspending both day and overnight mule trips while the National Park Service and Xanterra perform maintenance on the Bright Angel and South Kaibab Trails.

Xanterra's visitor mule rides will close beginning September 22, and mule operations will remain suspended until further notice. The National Park Service has advised Xanterra that maintenance work will take at least six months to complete.

"We cannot predict an exact reopening date for mule operations until the trail workers get in there and determine just how much change to the landscape the forces of erosion have made," said Bill Johnston, Xanterra's general manager of South Rim operations. "Fortunately, the National Park Service here at the Grand Canyon has recently received the funding necessary to do this job."

Xanterra is now contacting its guests who have reservations for day trips to Plateau Point or overnight trips to Phantom Ranch on the floor of the canyon. The company will also not accept any new reservations for mule rides until the trail work is completed. Reservations for mule rides are typically accepted up to 23 months in advance. Both trails will remain open and unrestricted for hikers and private stock users. Mule operations on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon will continue as scheduled.

Johnston added that Phantom Ranch will remain open and provide overnight accommodations for hikers. While the trail work is being performed, Xanterra will conduct maintenance operations of its own with updates to cabins and restrooms at Phantom Ranch. "Even though we will be working on some of the cabins, more beds will be available for hikers because of the mule rides being on hiatus," he said.

Is the Trail crew big enough to work on two trails at once? Why do both trails have to be repaired at the same time? No notice was given to the wranglers. Reportedly they were offered jobs on Trail Crew.

September 9, 2003  The Norwalk Virus returns to the River!

NPS Rangers evacuated 2 individuals from a commercial river trip with GI illness.  The evacuation took place from just above Crystal Rapid.  The illness was first reported by a passenger on this trip  on 9/2/03 near river mile 30.  The illness has spread through the group.  At this point we have conflicting reports that anywhere from 7 to 19 people have become ill. 

June 23, 2003 Forest Fire on the Powell Plateau!

The park issued a news release yesterday afternoon that indicates the fire is still burning on the Powell Plateau (right near Muav Saddle) and at that point was at 610 acres.  Still burning naturally while fire fighters monitor it.  North Bass Trail, Swamp Ridge Rd., and Powell Plateau Trail remain under temporary closure.

May 18, 2003 Express train to the South Rim?

The proposal by Grand Canyon Railway, headquartered in Flagstaff and with operations out of Williams, would offer 90-minute train rides from Williams, with a possible spur into Tusayan, to the South Rim via express rail. Announced in January 2002, the proposal anticipates that improved track on the existing 65-mile rail line would cut nearly an hour off the 2¼-hour trip on the historic train ride.

"The reason why this is suddenly on the table, is that Grand Canyon has proposed a new idea: a spur into Tusayan, which is an attractive alternative to people and businesses there," said Rep. John Shadegg. "In its original version, the proposal was that people would have to go to Williams, and ride the train (to the canyon) from Williams."

Park officials hope to eliminate most automobile traffic from the South Rim, where about 90 percent of the park's 4.6 million annual visitors congregate.

NPS officials are cool to express rail!

May 06, 2003 Real Coffee on the South Rim!

The General Store switched over to real brewed Seattle's Best. 8oz = 1.45  12oz = 1.95.

No comparison to that watered down coffee concentrate they serve at the Maswik and Yavapai Cafeterias...A bit on the pricey side... But I guess that is just sticker shock for me. It's great to have some real coffee!

April 18, 2003 North Rim Road Opening May 09!

The North Rim snowpack is light this year, and most dirt roads are already free and clear of snow. ADOT's website indicates the highway AZ67 is to open on May 9 @6am. For up to the minute info on AZ67 you can call the ADOT highway people in Fredonia at 928-643-7380. The lodge should open by the 15th, and maybe earlier.

March 18, 2003 Condors nesting!

Condors 119 & 122 are again nesting in their same site in the Redwall at the Battleship.  Condors 127 & 123 are nesting in the Redwall in upper Salt.  At this time the park has not closed any areas to climbers or hikers.

March 17, 2003 Biologists kill trout to save Humpbacks!
from the AZ daily Sun, by Michelle Beaver

Early efforts to save an endangered fish species from the digestive tracts of predatory trout in northeastern Arizona may be working. In January, a U.S. Geological Survey "electro-fishing" team killed 4,512 nonnative fish that are probably eating the humpback chub in the Grand Canyon Basin of the Colorado River.

They went back in February and killed half as many nonnative fish and say the decrease may be because there were fewer trout to kill. A third trip is planned this month. "So far, this plan is appearing to be very successful," said Steve Gloss, program manager for biological resources at the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, which is helping the USGS. in this project. "These fish aren't anywhere else in the world, so it's important that we help them."

The three trips were planned as the first part of an effort to save the humpback chub from extinction by decreasing the nonnative fish population in the chub's habitat. The fishing team will go out three more times in the summer. The idea is that the chub will have fewer predators and less competition for resources.

In 1993, there were about 8,000 chub in the basin. By 2001, the population had dropped to about 2,000. Now there are only 1,100. The chub once thrived in the Grand Canyon's sediment-filled water, but the river's natural balance was thrown off when the Glen Canyon Dam was built upstream 40 years ago.

Chub like the extreme temperatures of the Grand Canyon and adapted well to its sometimes violent patterns. Researchers think the chub's humped back stabilized the fish in the turbulent flow of the Colorado River's pre-dam era. Now the waters are clear and gentle because the dam controls the current and holds back 95 percent of the area's sediment. Gloss said nonnative trout like clear, calm waters and are dominating the chub. The nonnative trout population in the Grand Canyon has tripled to more than 1 million since 1996.

The electro-fishing teams intend to do something about that. Twice in the last two months, a crew of 18 USGS biologists spent a total of 20 nights fishing in a 10-mile stretch of the Colorado River. The area where the Colorado meets the Little Colorado River is near a humpback chub spawning site. During the electro-fishing expeditions, two motorboats maneuver down opposite banks of the river at one end of the stretch. Two more are at the other end. All four intermittently pass a mild electrical current through 20-by-20 foot sections of water to temporarily stun all the fish in the area. The stunned fish float to the top and are netted. Then the crew members euthanize all the non-natives by putting them in a bath of carbon dioxide. They're weighed and the data is recorded. This information tells biologists more about the habitat and allows them to estimate the relative size of native and nonnative populations, said geological survey biologist Lew Coggins. The researchers remove the fishes' stomachs to learn how much of the trout's diet is comprised of native fish such as humpback chub, razorback suckers and the flannelmouth sucker.

All adult native fish are pulled into the boat with nets and weighed. Scientists also insert a tiny identification tag that can only be read with a scanner. They are then released in the same place they were caught. "Sometimes all a species needs is to be protected long enough to grow a little," said Denny Fenn, director of the Southwest Biological Science Center, which is part of the USGS. "Then they're not as vulnerable to their predators."

The Grand Canyon Trust, a Flagstaff-based conservation group, supports the project but thinks it doesn't go far enough, said Nikolai Ramsey, a trust program officer. He said the project would be more effective if other steps were taken. The trust wants the water flow to mimic pre-dam patterns, with high flow in the spring and low flow in the summer. The group also wants a device to warm the water, and for more sediment to be released.

March 14, 2003 Search for Overdue Hiker
from the nps morning report
On the morning of March 10th, dispatch received a report of a backpacker who was two days overdue from a hike in a remote section of the western part of the park. Mike Mahanay had gone on a seven-day solo backpacking trip from Parashant Canyon to Snap Canyon, a distance of about 125 miles. This section of the canyon is remote, hazardous and has no trails; very few people visit the area on foot. Searchers from Lake Mead NRA, Grand Canyon NP, Grand Canyon/Parashant NM and BLM searched for Mahanay by vehicle, boat, airplane and helicopter. Mahanay was reported to have a considerable amount of experience hiking in the canyon and had advised family and friends that he’d try to reach the river and await assistance if he encountered any problems during his hike. He was spotted from the park’s helicopter near Snap Canyon at 2:30 that afternoon. River ranger Chris Mengal picked him up and took him to the Temple Bar ranger station. Mahanay was in good condition, but had eaten the last of his food that morning. He said that he’d realized that he’d taken too long of a hike for the period of time he’d allotted. Fourteen people were involved in the search.
[Submitted by Bil Vandergraff, Incident Commander] http://data2.itc.nps.gov/morningreport/morningreportold.cfm

January 31, 2003 Snow at the Canyon?

Not since Jan 4th. 65 degree days on the S. Rim! They say the driest and hottest January on record for Northern Arizona.

January 31, 2003 Canyon a top spot for Romantic Sunsets!

Duh! The Society of American Travel Writers recently polled its members to find the top places in the world to feel the romance of a sunset and the Grand Canyon was picked as the #2 spot. Mallory Point in Key West was chosen as #1. Other romantic places to catch a sunset included San Francisco Bay, anywhere in Hawaii and the Greek Island of Santorini. 'A Southwestern desert' rounded out the list of the top 15 spots. In August 2002, they also chose the Grand Canyon as the #1 'Must See Spot' in the world.

January 31, 2003 Conservationists target flaws of new roadless rule!
from the AZ Daily Sun
A new Bush administration policy allowing local governments to claim rights of way on primitive paths, wash bottoms and dirt tracks may lead to new roads in northern Arizona threatening wildlife, archeological sites and wilderness, conservationists say.
The Interior Department says rules issued Jan. 6 finally will settle hundreds of land disputes splitting federal land agencies and states, communities and counties across the nation.

But the Grand Canyon Trust and the Arizona Wilderness Association say the rules could open up vast areas of Grand Canyon National Park and newly created national monuments, such as Grand Canyon-Parashant, to vehicle traffic, mining and commercial development.

"We're concerned about preserving the integrity of federal lands. This has the potential to unravel a lot protection that has been put in place for years. Obviously there would be significant threats to the ecological integrity of these protected places," Tom Robinson of Grand Canyon Trust said.

The Interior Department policy revives a provision of the 1866 Mining Act called Revised Statute 2477. The statute granted permission to communities and states to acquire legal rights to build roads over public lands to help open up the West for development. The statute was repealed in 1976.

Environmental groups say the Bush administration bowed to pressure from western states when it enacted the new rules. They also said any BLM approval of a right of way application through national parks, monuments and wilderness areas will face appeal or litigation.

"It just sets an awful precedent. It pretty much disregards the values of public lands. It certainly poses a threat for wilderness areas, proposed wilderness areas and national parks," said Kim Crumbo, the Arizona Wilderness Coalition's Grand Canyon regional coordinator.

A 1997 memo to then park superintendent Rob Arnberger said: "Fifty-six primitive roads and road segments, totaling 110 miles" are located within Grand Canyon National Park.

The roads, now closed, were created by livestock and wagons. The primitive roadways were also used by miners and hunters, the memo said.

"If authorized by Congress, we anticipate an active effort on the part of Arizona counties to acquire legal right-of-right to these roads which will require NPS to remove 231,000 acres of the park from Wilderness consideration or from being managed as primitive areas," said the 1997 briefing statement.

"Studies have shown that the presence of these roads has increased wildlife poaching, theft of archeological resources ... fires and creates habitat fragmentation," the briefing document concluded.

Environmental groups are concerned that Mohave County officials will use the rule to take jurisdiction over roads that access remote areas of Grand Canyon.

"We think access is important but there are a lot of ecological costs. There has to be a balanced approach to protecting wildlands. We really got way too many roads ... to open it up like this would really be counterproductive in terms of protecting the things that we value," Crumbo said.
 

January 27, 2003 Visitation Down! >> Yea!

An article in Saturday's Daily Sun indicates that visitation to the Grand Canyon is still falling. 2002 visitation was 4,339,139, the lowest annual figure since 1991. The 2002 figure was off by 1.4 percent from 2001. However 2001 was down by 8.6 percent over the previous year.

Although the article singled out 9/11 as a culprit no doubt world wide economic factors are also involved. Visitors by bus is still down but people arriving by car is up since 911 since more Americans are driving on their vacations.

January 27, 2003 Mating Condors at the Canyon!

Besides the two pairs of condors that mated and had failed nests last year there are now three other pairs that could potentially lay eggs.

January 24, 2003 Hiking Guru John Azar moves to Fredonia

Dove Menkes says, "Azar is now in Fredonia, to set up some sort of business and terrorizing demure maidens. All one of them! (Not much night life in Fredonia and Kanab!)"

January 23, 2003 Job at Grand Canyon!

The following two types of positions at Grand Canyon are now open!
1. VACANCY IDENTIFICATION NUMBER: DD165266
OPENING DATE: Jan 23, 2003
CLOSING DATE: Feb 06, 2003
POSITION: MAINTENANCE WORKER (TRAILS) , WG - 4749 -06
PROMOTION POTENTIAL: WG - 06
SALARY: $15.06 Hourly

THIS IS A Competitive , Term Seasonal position. This position is subject to
FURLOUGH.

2. VACANCY IDENTIFICATION NUMBER: DD164548
OPENING DATE: Jan 23, 2003
CLOSING DATE: Feb 06, 2003
POSITION: ANIMAL CARETAKER (PACKER) , WG - 5048 -07
PROMOTION POTENTIAL: WG - 07
SALARY: $16.31 Hourly

THIS IS A Competitive , Career/Career Conditional Seasonal position. This
position is subject to FURLOUGH.

January 23, 2003 Four Corners power plants get temporary reprieve!
from the Arizona Daily Sun
Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain joined Senate Democrats Wednesday saying the health of Americans would be threatened by a Bush administration proposal to let utility and industrial plants upgrade their facilities without improving air pollution controls.

Aging power plants in the Four Corners and an estimated 144 industrial sources in Arizona could benefit from the new rules and could increase current pollution levels, said state and regional environmental groups.

The administration plan relaxes some 25-year-old Clean Air Act regulations that require power plants, refineries and other industrial sources that lack modern pollution control systems to update their pollution reduction technology when they increase output and air pollution.

Nationally, environmentalists claim that as many as 50 percent fewer air polluters would be required to install modern pollution controls under the new rules.

Republicans said the new regulations would help manufacturing companies become more efficient and reduce U.S. use of foreign oil. They also said the old rules have prevented companies from making some technological changes that would cut pollution.

The proposal is supported by manufacturing groups, but opposed by environmental organizations such as Flagstaff-based Grand Canyon Trust.

It is also the subject of a lawsuit brought by nine Northeastern states, which are worried it will increase the air pollution blown in their direction from the Midwest.

Rick Moore of Grand Canyon Trust said the Bush plan won't have any impact on the operation of the Navajo power plant in Page that is currently updating its pollution-control devices and the Mohave Generating Plant in Laughlin, Nev., that is under order to do so.

But aging power plants in the Four Corners and several Arizona plants could expand production under the Bush proposal without having to spend millions of dollars to install air pollution control devices, said Moore.

"Currently most power plants operate below their permitted levels ... with this relaxation, it's possibility those permitted levels could go up, so we could get more pollution out of the plants," said Moore.

January 23, 2003 Aircraft Noise Report

The National Park Service at Grand Canyon, today released a report titled, Aircraft Noise Model Validation Study, dated January 2003. The report completes a study to determine which of four computer models best calculates tour aircraft audibility in the Grand Canyon. The results of the study are important because computer models are the only practical means to
assess progress in meeting the requirements of Public Law 100-91 to substantially restore natural quiet at Grand Canyon National Park. Audibility is the measurement used to define substantial restoration of natural quiet. Find the report at http://www.nps.gov/grca/overflights/

January 19, 2003 Fish fight over saving Chub!

Along the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon a fish fight is under way. It pits plentiful trout against the endangered humpback chub in the cold, clear waters downstream from Glen Canyon Dam.

Everyone should root for the chub, an ugly fish with a pronounced dorsal hump, a narrow flattened head and small eyes, endemic to the Colorado River Basin dating from about 4000 B.C.

Two years worth of experiments began this month. They're designed to improve the chub's chances of recovery in a habitat that's been altered significantly - not so much by the trout but by the presence of the dam, built in 1963.

Where once the mighty Colorado was a churning, muddy flow that roared with snowmelt in the springtime but by summertime had slowed, gradually warming to temperatures suitable for swimming, today its flows are lower and more constant.

It's a habitat in which the trout thrive - calm, cold and clear water - but which is anathema to the chub, which like the water warm and muddy.

The experiments are small steps - important steps - in finding ways to let the chub and Glen Canyon Dam, a valuable asset to the region's economy, co-exist. The task is daunting, a point underscored by Steve Gloss, the lead biologist at the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, who says, "Trying to put the river back to the way it was is next to
impossible."

Think of the experiments as a surgical strike at the trout. Scientists will vary dam releases during the trout breeding season of January to March to disrupt trout spawning. They also plan to kill 30,000 non-native brown and rainbow trout each year along a nine-mile stretch of the river that takes in the confluence of the Little Colorado River.

Fish will be stunned with electro-fishing techniques, captured in nets and then euthanized, with their remains used as garden fertilizer by the Hualapai Tribe. Any chub caught in the sweep will be catalogued and returned to the river.

Why the confluence of the Little Colorado River? Because this tributary is warm and that's where the dominant population of the chub are, clinging to life. Their population has dwindled to about 1,100 adults - a precipitous drop in the last decade that scientists attribute to less turbidity in the river. These steady flows also have increased the number of trout at the
confluence, where scientists believe they prey on the young chub.

The aim of the experiments is commendable: to thin the trout population to lessen their predation on the native species and allow trout left in the river to grow larger, benefiting anglers in search of a trophy.

But let's not delude ourselves. If all works as envisioned it'll be minimal progress. Plucking 60,000 trout out of the river, at a cost of $650,000 per year, probably won't ensure the survival of the chub.

That's why discussions by the work group of the Adaptive Management Program - all the stakeholders, from utility representatives to Native Americans, from federal agencies to environmental groups - must continue.

Ideas under consideration to help the chub include warming the temperature of water releases, injecting more sediment into dam flows, using a weir to catch brown trout at Bright Angel Creek and placing young chub in a hatchery until they're old enough to be released.

"It's not a single silver bullet that will solve the problem of the declining native chub," says the Bureau of Reclamation's Randy Peterson, manager of the Adaptive Management Program.

Removing the trout and disrupting their spawning season is low risk and relatively inexpensive compared, for example, to water temperature modification at the dam, a costly idea which could run as high as $50 million.

We believe another aspect of the current experiment holds special promise. Scientists will transplant chub to above Atomizer Falls, a reach of the Little Colorado River where there are currently none. If it works, other tributaries might become a natural refuge, too.

Let there be no mistake: The values and resources of the incomparable Grand Canyon ecosystem deserve maximum protection.

These experiments are sensible tools to assess conditions, add to the knowledge base and - let us hope - serve as a catalyst for more studies that, in time, will restore the health of the Grand Canyon.

January 18, 2003 8 more condors!

Arizona's population of endangered California condors was to increase to 41 with the arrival of eight more birds Friday. The young condors were hatched last year at The Peregrine Fund's center in Boise, Idaho.

Officials of the nonprofit conservation group helping to return the giant birds to the wild said the young condors will be released in small groups after an acclimation period of at least six to eight weeks.

As of Jan. 1, there were 80 condors in the wild in Arizona, California and Mexico.

California condors are the biggest and among the most ancient of North America's birds. They nearly became extinct -- dropping to only 22 in 1982 -- before biologists launched a multimillion-dollar recovery program.

The Peregrine Fund started the condor reintroduction program in 1996 with a release at Vermillion Cliffs, 30 miles north of Grand Canyon National Park.


January 01, 2003 Happy New Year!