The Latest News ...
Grand Canyon News Archive!
May 01, to August 30, 2000

The 15,000-acre Pumpkin Fire may have been ignited by lightning three weeks ago, but it was actually caused nearly a century ago, said Professor W. Wallace Covington Friday as he scanned a blackened stretch of forest burned to charcoal some 15 miles northwest of Flagstaff.

"The crown fire you saw today was man-caused," he said, adding, "We let the forest get too dense and we have to solve that problem ... we owe it to future generations and we owe it to nature to solve problems that we have caused."

Generations of grazing and fire suppression have eliminated the natural cycle of burning that removed forest debris. Logging provided plenty of space for new trees to grow in dense thickets. Now, an acre that held maybe 20 to 80 trees in 1880 may have as many as 900 to 8,000 trees, said Covington. "If you wanted to destroy ponderosa pine ecosystems, you couldn't do it better than we've done it," said Covington.

By failing to implement a comprehensive policy of thinning overcrowded stands and controlled burns to remove forest debris, the stage is set all over the West for disastrous wildfires, such as the Pumpkin Fire, he said.

"The future is getting bleaker. When I came here in '75, this kind of scenario of a 14,000-acre fire ... was pretty much unthinkable," said Covington. "By all the predictions, the ecological simulation models and the landscape models we're looking at these days, we know that these crown fires are going to get larger and larger and more severe," he added.

The lesson of this wildfire, which destroyed a precious old-growth wilderness on Kendrick Mountain and has cost more than $6 million to contain, is a harsh one indeed, said Covington.

The Ecological Restoration Institute at Northern Arizona University says it has developed "science-based" treatment plans that can bring back a healthy forest ecosystem and reduce the risk of catastrophic fires, such as the recent Los Alamos fire, which destroyed hundreds of homes.

Recently U.S. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt said it was time for the nation to adopt what he called the "Flagstaff Plan" developed by the Institute.

But attempts to conduct thinning and prescribed burns on 100,000 acres in the Flagstaff area have been stalled by some environmental groups who argue the prescription proposed by Covington is too drastic and won't solve the problem.

Covington blasted opponents of ecological restoration and claimed their real agenda is to block all logging on federal lands, a claim firmly denied by groups such as the Forest Alliance and Forest Guardians. Covington  suggested that critics of ecological restoration should come to the Pumpkin Fire and take a look around.

A 33 foot motorized boat was recovered from the Crystal Rapid Rock Garden on Wednesday, June 14, after landing there Monday, June 12. The boat was owned by Arizona Raft Adventures. All 17 individuals on the boat were removed via NPS helicopters on Monday.

At approximately 7:00 AM Tuesday, a rescue boat was launched 100 miles upriver at Lee's Ferry, Arizona. Ten hours later, the rescue boat, with a crew of 4 including pilot Bill Gleckler, arrived at Pipe Creek, 10 miles above the stranded boat. The rescue boat used was a 36 foot motor rig owned by Arizona River Runners. The company responsible for the stranded craft only operates one other motorized boat in Grand Canyon, and it was being used for another commercial rafting trip through the canyon. The rescue boat motored to Crystal Rapid for the night.

On Wednesday, June 14, Grand Canyon National Park rangers David Desrosiers and Chuck Sypher, accompanied by the stranded boats pilot, John Littlefield, flew in to assist with the recovery effort. Bill Gleckler was able to position the rescue boat above the stranded raft. The group of seven salvage personnel were able to then secure the rescue boat in position and use it as a staging platform. With the use of a kayak, a haul system was attached to the stranded boat, including multiple Z drags, and the boat was moved back upstream into deeper water. Once in the new position and fitted with a new propeller, the otherwise undamaged motor boat was able to operate under it's own power. Both boats were able to traverse around the right side of the rock garden into deeper water. It is anticipated that both boats will reach the take out point of Diamond Creek, 126 miles downriver, this evening.

An Arizona Raft Adventures 33 foot motor rig with 15 passengers and two crew, floated propless into the Crystal Rock Garden a few minutes before noon today. According to the boats pilot, Johnny Littlefield, the boat lost power after the propeller hit a rock just above the Slate Creek Eddy. "We were coming in on the left run, just left of the rock that makes the upper wave. As we approached the top of the Slate Creek Eddy, we hit a rock that destroyed the prop". The propulsionless motor boat then floated into an island of exposed boulders known to river runners as the Crystal Rock Garden, where the boat came to rest. Deep water races past the island on all sides. The trip was 4 days into a 7 day traverse of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park.

"As soon as we were safely to a stop, the crew called lunch and we had tuna sandwiches", said passengers. Meanwhile, the crew placed an emergency satellite phone call to Grand Canyon National Park requesting rescue assistance. Park rangers responded, and a decision was made to remove the passengers and crew from the canyon. This was accomplished in 2 stages, the first involving transporting all passengers and crew to shore. This was accomplished between 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM in 10 helicopter flights. Once ashore, the party was flown to the South Rim helibase. A second helicopter from the Department of Public Safety was also used to fly members of the party to the South Rim. According to another passenger, "the rescue was as exciting as the rest of the trip had been."

No decision has been made yet as to the fate of the stranded boat. An AZRA rescue boat was launched this afternoon from Lee's Ferry, AZ, one hundred miles upstream, and is anticipated to arrive on the scene sometime after noon June 13th. Rescue personnel haven't decided yet to attempt to winch the raft off the rocks, or to dismantle the boat and fly the pieces to the South Rim.

This is the second time in 10 months a Grand Canyon National Park authorized concessionaire motorized tour boat has been stranded on the Crystal Rock Garden. In late August, 1999, a Western River Expeditions motor boat lost power and floated into the Rock Garden, requiring the evacuation of the entire river party. Continued low river flows of 8,000 cubic feet per second are anticipated throughout this years summer river running season.

On May 25th, rangers received a report that 61-year-old John O'Donnell had failed to return from a day hike in the canyon. His cousin advised that he planned on hiking down the South Kaibab trail, across the Tonto trail , and back up the Bright Angel trail. O'Donnell had only two small water bottles, no food, no flashlight, no map and no extra clothing. Temperatures in the canyon that day ranged from 111 degrees during the day to 102 degrees at night. Rangers established containment points at the South Kaibab and Bright Angel trailheads and swept the three trails. No sign of O'Donnell was found.

An aerial search ensued on the following morning, but initial efforts were fruitless. Rangers familiar with the history of lost people in this area made a second flight of the area and this time spotted O'Donnell. He was found to be suffering from severe dehydration and was hallucinating. He had also been hiding from searchers, who he thought were "bad guys." O'Donnell had water in one of his bottles, but told rangers he hadn't drunk it because a man sitting next to him said it was bad water (O'Donnell was found alone). He was flown out and treated at a local medical facility. Doctors said that he would not have survived another day if he hadn't been found.

Just before dawn on May 28th, a visitor Mike fell 40 feet while trying to retrieve his camera, which had fallen over the edge near the Cape Royal scenic overlook on the North Rim. Rangers rappelled to the man, secured him so he wouldn't fall any further, and provided advanced life support. He was evacuated by helicopter short-haul, lowered to the Cape Royal parking lot, then taken by private air ambulance to Flagstaff Medical Center, where he was admitted with internal injuries and rib fractures.

June 09, 2000 Temporary Detour at Bright Angel Trail

The trailhead for the Bright Angel Trail will be temporarily relocated to the historic trailhead directly adjacent to the Kolb Studio. Barricades and signs will be put in place to direct visitors to where they can begin hiking down the Bright Angel Trail. Proper signage will also be in place to direct visitors with accessibility needs who are using the Rim Trail west of the Bright Angel Lodge.

The North Rim developed area, including the Grand Lodge, North Rim Campground, Camper Store, Grand Canyon Trail Rides and employee office and residential areas are open. The North Kaibab Trail from the North Rim into the inner-canyon is also open. Ranger programs and services are available in those areas that are open.

The following areas are still closed:

• Fuller Canyon Road and the road to Cape Royal
• Point Imperial Roads and adjoining trails
• Ken Patrick Trail
• Widforss Trail
• Nankoweap Trail (above Tilted Mesa)
• all other fire roads

Most of the Kaibab National Forest, including East Rim Viewpoint, is open. However, Forest Road 610 to Marble Viewpoint and Saddle Mountain; and Forest Road 8910 south of the Buffalo Ranch will remain closed for the time being. Fire danger remains high and, therefore, all the national forests in Arizona are enforcing fire restrictions. For specific information on restrictions call toll free at 877-864-6985. For information regarding the North Kaibab National Forest, please call the Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center at 520-643-7298.

The fire on the North Rim that officials had thought was contained last week flared up Sunday, forcing the closure of three roads in the National Park.

The 13,850-acre Outlet Fire, which began as a prescribed burn but got out of hand in early May, had been contained since early last week. But fire crews discovered an area where the fire broke the line overnight Saturday.

Subsequently, the fire burned 500 acres outside the containment boundary on the rim. Fire officials said Monday at 6 p.m. they expected to have the fire fully contained by nightfall. But today they revised that containment estimate to sometime within the next three days.

As a precautionary measure park officials are bringing in an additional firefighting crews to supplement the 250 people working to suppress hot spots and continue mop-up within the fire boundary.

On Sunday, the fire burned from an area below the North Rim where there is no fireline due to steep, hazardous conditions, up onto the rim outside the fire boundary. The fire burned an additional 500 acres Monday and was fought with hand crews and retardant drops. It was not contained as of mid-morning today, said a park official.

Forest officials believe portions of the fire will continue burning until the onset of the summer monsoon rains.

The developed areas of the North Rim, including Bright Angel Point, the Grand Lodge and the North Rim Campground remain open today, with access via Highway 67 from Jacob Lake. But the Fuller Canyon, Cape Royal and Point Imperial roads are temporarily closed because of the fire.

From the Wall Street Journal, on June 06, 2000. Ranked by total number of incidents of crime and rescues. I wonder if the 325 search and rescues is everytime a ranger responds, even on the South Rim?

1. Lake Mead, near Boulder City, Nev., 26 miles from Las Vegas, where there were 540 search and rescues last year and the highest rate of serious crime in the survey. It has a danger index of 13.6.
2. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Page, Ariz., with 150 search and rescues and 156 crimes for a danger index of 11.5.
3. The Grand Canyon, one of the country’s busiest national parks, with 325 search and rescues and 234 crimes for a Danger Index of 11.3.

Lake Mead Superintendent Alan O’Neill, whose territory includes 950 miles, the size of Delaware, and two lakes, with a crew of 47 rangers, says any park is as safe as its visitors, "Regardless of our best intentions, some people are intent on getting into trouble."

Grand Canyon National Park has joined the list of parks and forests in Arizona that are closing public access because of extreme fire danger. Beginning Tuesday at 8 a.m., all backcountry trails above the South and North rims will be closed, as will all unpaved roads.

Developed areas on the South Rim and North Rim will stay open, as will all trails in the inner Canyon. Persons holding valid backcountry permits for inner-canyon hikes may drive on dirt roads to access trailheads.

No wood or charcoal fires will be permitted, and smoking will be prohibited in all backcountry areas.

The following is a list of backcountry trails that will be closed:

Waldron Trail, Arizona Trail, Point Imperial Trail, Ken Patrick Trail, Greenland Cabin Trail, Cape Final Trail, Cliff Springs Trail, Widforss Trail, Uncle Jim Trail (except for guided mule trips)

Other closures include forest trails 6, 57 and 31 in the South Canyon and Saddle Mountain trail systems.

A Belgian backpacker died Friday during a hike in the inner backcountry section of the Grand Canyon. The man had been hiking the Tonto Trail with three companions from Belgium on a planned three day trip when he began having problems. The other backpackers hiked to the Colorado River and asked a commercial rafting group to ask for help about 4:30 p.m.

Park officials said rangers arrived by helicopter in 17 minutes and declared the man dead at the scene. His body was evacuated to the Coconino County Medical Examiners Office for investigation. The other backpackers told rangers they had difficulty locating water and changed their itinerary to make trips to the Colorado River for water. The Tonto Trail traverses a large plateau about 2000 feet above the river on the south wall of the canyon.

With the arrival of summer, and the really hot temperatures, plan your hike well! Camp and rest in the shade and at water. Don't hike during the heat of the day. Hike in before the sunrise and out after sunset. Take advantage of the cooler parts of the day! Soak yourself head to toe when ever you get to any water! Don't over pack and be prepared!

A fire burning deep into one of northern Arizona's most pristine forests continued to defy firefighters Monday, racing up Kendrick Mountain and threatening a historic cabin and a lookout tower. Smoke from the fire was threatening to close Arizona 180, a popular road to the Grand Canyon. As of Wednesday, the fire was 40% contained and slowing down. A blaze that caused evacuation of a Sedona-area campground near Slide Rock and the closure of U.S. 89A was more than half contained. On the North Kaibab Plateau, the ''Stooge'' complex, two fires that have burned a combined 770 acres, were fully contained late Tuesday.

Fires across Arizona pushed the number of acres burned this year to more than 34,000 - almost eclipsing the total for all of last year. Last year, there were about 50,000 acres burned by wildfires. And while the pace is not quite that of 1995, when nearly 245,000 acres were burned, the season has started early this year with lots of old, dry timber to burn. Officials plan to close many parts of the forests to camping soon, for the first time since 1996.

The ''Pumpkin'' fire in the Kaibab National Forest grew to 7,000 acres Monday morning. Then it ran up Kendrick Mountain when winds on the Mogollon Rim picked up and relative humidities dropped.

Winds were blowing toward the northeast, and about 750 people were fighting the fire Monday, assisted by air tankers, helicopters and bulldozers. Four firefighters suffered minor injuries, a fire official said. At the top is a historic cabin and a lookout still used by hikers. The 1912 cabin was wrapped in silver flame-retardant material in hopes it could be saved.

Retardant bombers really drenched the peak, planes droped a pink mixture of water, fertilizer and fire-suppressant. They made numerous drops to try and slow down the fire. So now instead of a silver-wrapped house, there is a pink-and-silver house.

The ''Vultee'' blaze, named for an arch in Oak Creek Canyon, forced the evacuation of Slide Rock on Sunday afternoon. By Monday afternoon, officials were predicting full containment for this morning. As those two fires blazed on, authorities were continued to perform a balancing act with their available resources.

On Wednesday, May 24, the group of sixteen, from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, had attempted a round-trip day-hike to the Colorado River on the Lava Falls Trail. Though short, this trail is extremely steep, difficult, and exposed. With yesterday's temperatures exceeding 108 degrees Fahrenheit, only six of the sixteen hikers had returned by nightfall. At 6:40 p.m. a park visitor used an emergency phone at the Tuweap Ranger Station to report the missing hikers. Three helicopters were dispatched to the scene, but were forced to postpone flights into the canyon due to weather and ensuing darkness. SAR personnel conducted a "hasty search" along the rugged trail after dark. At 11:00 p.m. they located one more hiker from the group, who reported that his remaining (nine) companions were further down in the canyon and near the river, where they intended to spend the rest of the night. At first light this morning, the DPS helicopter located and evacuated all nine from the canyon. One hiker, suffering a leg injury, was flown to the Flagstaff Medical Center. National Park Service Ranger Jeff Martinelli reported that all of the other fifteen hikers were medically evaluated; most were recovering from mild to moderately serious levels of dehydration.

Heat was considered a factor, with temperatures in the triple digits, and they were just unprepared for such a steep and rough trail (1.5 mile).

Mohave County sheriff's spokesman Steve Johnson said the eight were members of a student and faculty leadership group from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Penn. The lost hikers became separated from 12 other group members Wednesday and were found in the area of the Lava Falls Trail along the Colorado River.

May 15, 2000    Big Conservation and Recreation Funding Victory in US House!

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 315-102 in favor of passing the Conservation and Reinvestment Act, which fully funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) at its authorized $900 million. The bill also annually funds the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act (UPARR) at $125 million; the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Fund at $350 million; The Historic Preservation Fund at $100 million; Federal Indians and Lands Restoration at $200 million; Conservation Easements and Species Recovery at $150 million; and Payment-in-Lieu-of-Taxes at $200 million.

Thanks to your grassroots actions, they were able to fend off amendments that would have gutted the core programs within the bill. A grassroots presence during the week’s events leading up to, and including, the vote was felt at every level. More than one Capitol Hill staffer was heard to remark, "Please stop the calls, we’ll vote your way!" Some Members of Congress stood up and talked about the number of letters, calls, faxes, and email that had been pouring into their offices during the week.

Others talked of meeting with LWCF supporters in their home districts. Representative Jay Inslee (D-WA) stood up to talk about a kayak trip through an LWCF-funded site that was organized by local activists.

The Senate will take up LWCF legislation sometime next month, so we have only a few weeks to reconnoiter and keep the momentum moving in a positive way.

May 25, 2000 No cars in Zion!!

May 07, 2000 Canyon clinic reopens

Grand Canyon Clinic was closed down by Banner Health Arizona last weekend, but on Monday it opened under the management of Northern Arizona Healthcare. Appointments will no longer be taken and patients will be seen on a walk-in basis. After hours, those who are ill or injured, a trip to Flagstaff will be necessary.

May 07, 2000 Air-tour industry talks trash again!

Did you need an excuse to write an email to your Senator, or congressman? Here it is. Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters, AirStar Helicopters and Grand Canyon Airlines are among seven air-tour companies represented in a lawsuit against the FAA.  Steve Bassett said the federal government is destroying the air-tour business.

"This is unconscionable act of aggression by the Clinton Administration against visitors to the Grand Canyon," Bassett whined. "At the direct order of President Clinton, the National Park Service and the Federal Aviation Administration have abused their regulatory powers for the sole purpose of irreparably harming and destroying the small business air-tour operators that provide spectacular air tours to nearly 20 percent of the park’s visitors in the only manner many of them can see the Grand Canyon."

New rules imposed on air tours by the Federal Aviation Adminis-tration stem from 1987 legislation which ordered the government to restore natural quiet to the Grand Canyon. The rules calls for quiet in more than half the park for more than three-fourths of the day.

May 07, 2000 New San Francisco Peaks Pumice mine claims banned!!

When the pumice plays out in the 90-acre Tufflite White Vulcan pit, mining on the San Francisco Peaks will come to an end.

Environmental groups and American Indian tribes have also blasted the mine as a visual and cultural scar. But the mine-friendly provisions of the antiquated 1872 Mining Act have made it difficult for Forest Service officials to act on those objections.

Instead of challenging the Act, Coconino National Forest officials issued an environmental assessment Friday that unequivocally recommends withdrawing all 73,000 acres of the Peaks from mining.

Because Babbitt, as secretary of the Interior, has authority to make mining withdrawals from the national forest system, the Peaks withdrawal recommendation is considered a slam dunk.

That won't necessarily put an immediate halt to the pumice mining in the Tufflite pit west of Highway 89. But it will likely quash Tufflite's bid for a 30-acre expansion and any mining on the nearly 50 other claims Tufflite has filed throughout the Peaks.

Forest Service officials also regard the Peaks as a traditional cultural property because of its religious significance to American Indian tribes. They believe it is eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, and such inclusion, said Poturalski, would have the effect of further limiting mining activities on the mountain.

The report  recommends withdrawing the entire Peaks from mining based on a number of factors, including the inability of the Forest Service to adequately protect soils, streams, wildlife, recreational opportunities, viewsheds and cultural values because of mining rights held under the 1872 Mining Act.

Currently, there are 27,659 acres on the Peaks that are off-limits to mining. The report recommends adding 46,721 acres for a total of 73,380 acres.

The report also notes that the mine provides not more than six jobs, not enough to make up for the potential adverse economic impact from mining on tourism and recreation in the Flagstaff region.

The report also identifies 18 threatened, endangered or sensitive species on the Peaks that are adversely affected by mining, and it notes that pumice and limestone, the two minerals mined on the mountain, have no strategic importance as defined by federal policies governing public lands.

The report also characterizes the Peaks as "perhaps the most significant traditional cultural property in the Southwest," and it notes that tribes refer to the unreclaimed mining scars on the mountain as "desecration."

During preparation of the environmental assessment, the Forest Service received more than 3,000 public comments, only four of which opposed the mining withdrawal. One was from the law firm representing Tufflite. Both the Flagstaff City Council and the Coconino County Board of Supervisors support the permanent withdrawal as a way to stop the expansion of the White Vulcan pumice mine.

May 1, 2000      Latest on flows from Glen Canyon Dam!

Low summer steady flow test releases from Glen Canyon Dam are taking place this year. Releases from Glen Canyon are scheduled to be 8,000 cfs from June 1, 2000 through the end of September as part of this test. These test releases are being made for the study and recovery of native endangered fish in the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam. Preparatory to these low summer
flows are 2 months, April and May, of relatively high releases. Releases since April 8 have been steady at 17,000 cfs. Beginning on May 3, releases will be increased to power plant capacity of approximately 31,000 cfs for 4 days.

Beginning on May 3, in the early morning hours, releases will be increased by 4000 cfs per hour until releases are at power plant capacity, approximately 31,000 cfs. Releases will remain at 31,000 cfs until the evening hours of May 6 when releases will be reduced by 1,500 cfs per hour. By 6 am on May 7, releases will have been reduced to 19,000 cfs.

May 01, 2000    Rare April Globe fire still burning!!