Go Grand in 2019

Grand Canyon National Park turns 100.

BY CHRIS LEHNERTZ

On February 26, 2019, the Grand Canyon will celebrate 100 years as a national park. After 100 years, whether it’s hiking a corridor trail, taking a stroll on the rim, or enjoying the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon continues to provide a space for all people to connect with the outdoors. In 2019, Grand Canyon National Park will commemorate the past and inspire future generations to experience, connect with, and protect the park’s unique natural, cultural, and historical resources. I hope you’ll join us.

Grand Canyon National Park is more than just a scenic landscape; it is a place of residence and worship for America’s first people, a collection of geologic records and natural resources, a place of learning and reflection.

While experiencing the Grand Canyon, visitors gain a deeper understanding of the natural world and are able to see themselves as a part of something bigger and appreciate how interconnected we are with one another. It is this power to inspire connection that encouraged President Teddy Roosevelt to help establish Grand Canyon National Park and protect it for generations to come.

Today, some of those generations have arrived and have brought with them challenging opportunities for park staff and managers. A UNESCO World Heritage site, Grand Canyon National Park welcomes over 6 million visitors every year. The National Park Service’s mission is to protect America’s heritage and its natural, historical, and cultural resources, as well as to ensure that the public has an opportunity to understand and value these resources. For many visitors, it’s not only their first time at the Grand Canyon but their first time visiting a national park. Due to a lack of knowledge and experience in national parks, some visitors act in ways that are harmful to park resources. The best way to guarantee a sustainable balance between resource protection and visitor experience is education. If park staff can connect with visitors before they arrive or during their visit on issues such as Leave No Trace principles, wildlife safety, and the protection of historical and archeological sites, Grand Canyon National Park will be better prepared for the future.

Education also creates a gateway for visitors to appreciate and become good stewards of intangible resources such as dark skies, natural quiet, and clean air. Through education, visitors will have a better understanding of the fragility and uniqueness of the Grand Canyon’s resources and be inspired to protect them.

In addition to the overexposure of park resources, external challenges and threats to the Grand Canyon area have increased and diversified. Resource extraction and structural developments threaten the stability and quality of the Grand Canyon’s water resources. Trends in increasing temperatures and decreasing precipitation threaten the habitat of plant and animal species already at risk. For the Grand Canyon to thrive in the future, it is imperative that Grand Canyon National Park is able to continue to protect these resources. As we look forward to the next century, the National Park Service will continue to use the wisdom that has preserved our heritage and lessons learned from the past to protect the Grand Canyon.

How can you help? The easiest way is to share your Grand Canyon experience.

Talk about your first experience hiking into the canyon, seeing the Colorado River or a soaring California condor. Talk about seeing the Milky Way over the canyon and the importance of dark skies. Then help educate others about the importance of traveling green by using refillable water bottles and riding Grand Canyon shuttle buses, or share your Leave No Trace knowledge and encourage others not to litter at the Grand Canyon (and all national parks).

If there’s one thing we have learned from the past 100 years, it’s that people will carry the Grand Canyon forward. Long before the Grand Canyon was established as a national park, people were a significant driving force on the Colorado Plateau. For thousands of years and continuing today, American Indians cared for, shared knowledge of, and admired this spectacular place. Early pioneers, scientists, and entrepreneurs explored and documented its beauty and shared it with the world. In 2019, we will not only celebrate the Grand Canyon, but we will acknowledge and celebrate its people. It is and continues to be people who are traditionally from this area, and people from around the country and world, who dedicate their time and effort to support the Grand Canyon. The strength of the National Park Service’s stewardship at the Grand Canyon comes from the diversity of its park supporters.

Park supporters and volunteers help conduct critical science research, keep hikers safe, staff our visitor centers, support dark skies, and allow visitors from around the world the opportunity to experience the Grand Canyon. You are a vital part of our next 100 years.

I invite you to come reconnect with the Grand Canyon during park events throughout 2019 at the South Rim, North Rim, Desert View, inner Canyon, and in surrounding communities. Whether you are a regular visitor, a national park traveler, or a virtual explorer, we hope that you are moved to experience and connect with a park that has inspired 100 years of stewardship and will continue to delight visitors and stewards for another 100 years!

Come, be inspired, and Go Grand.

 Chris Lehnertz is the superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The views expressed by Advocate contributors are solely their own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Grand Canyon Trust.