A Message from the Board Chair

BY STEVE MARTIN

I am truly excited about this issue of the Advocate. The fast-approaching 100-year anniversary of Grand Canyon National Park — February 26, 2019 — is a time for all of us who care about the Grand Canyon to reflect upon our journey as stewards of these remarkable lands.

For a place that measures time in millennia, you might ask how significant 100 years is compared to millions of years of Grand Canyon geologic history and thousands of years of Native American history associated with the Grand Canyon.

The answer is that without the last 100 years of protection by the National Park Service, the Grand Canyon would be very different today. The pressures of population, economic expansion, and tourism over the past century have been constantly increasing. Had they been left unchecked, the Grand Canyon landscape would have been riddled with change. Even with the strong protection mission of the park service, much has impacted the canyon. Two dams have dramatically altered its heart, and tourism threatens to overrun some of its most fragile and sacred places. Uranium mining, climate change, and water usage could all significantly impact the canyon in the next 100 years.

One important lesson of the last century is that the National Park Service cannot protect the park on its own. New, creative, and focused citizen advocacy will be essential. In this issue we explore some of the strategies needed to continue our role as stewards. These include welcoming the ideas and energy of the Native American tribes back into the management of the park, exploring the park service’s role over the next 100 years, considering protection strategies for the other important landscapes of the Colorado Plateau, and exploring ways to make sure the economic benefits of the region are shared by local residents. Please join us in anticipating the centennial, and work with us to ensure that the Colorado Plateau remains the beautiful, diverse, and dynamic landscape that we all treasure.