® GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK CANYON GRAND R esource ChallengesandFutureDirections August 2010 ® Center for State of the Parks ® More than a century ago, Congress established Yellowstone as the CONTENTS world’s first national park. That single act was the beginning of a remarkable and ongoing effort to protect this nation’s natural, historical, and cultural heritage. Today, Americans are learning that national park designation EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 alone cannot provide full resource protection. Many parks are INTRODUCTION 8 compromised by development of adjacent lands, air and water pollu- tion, invasive plants and animals, and rapid increases in motorized COLORADO RIVER recreation. Park officials often lack adequate information on the MANAGEMENT 19 status of and trends in conditions of critical resources. The National Parks Conservation Association initiated the State of SOUNDSCAPE the Parks program in 2000 to assess the condition of natural and MANAGEMENT 29 cultural resources in the parks, and determine how well equipped the National Park Service is to protect the parks—its stewardship capac- URANIUM MINING 35 ity. The Center for State of the Parks also authors reports detailing threats to park resources and contributes technical information to AIR QUALITY 40 inform NPCA’s work. EXTERNAL THREATS 46 For more information about the Center for State of the Parks, visit www.npca.org/stateoftheparks or contact: NPCA, Center for State of BACKCOUNTRY the Parks, P.O. Box 737, Fort Collins, CO 80522; phone: MANAGEMENT 53 970.493.2545; email: [email protected]. FRONTCOUNTRY Since 1919, the National Parks Conservation Association has been MANAGEMENT 60 the leading voice of the American people in protecting and enhanc- ing our National Park System. NPCA, its members, and partners work TRIBAL RELATIONS 68 together to protect the park system and preserve our nation’s natural, CLIMATE CHANGE 74 historical, and cultural heritage for generations to come. CONCLUSION 79 * More than 325,000 members * Twenty-three regional and field offices * More than 120,000 activists A special note of appreciation goes to those whose generous grants and donations made this report possible: Robertson Foundation, G.D.S. Legacy Foundation, Ray Bingham, Ben and Ruth Hammett, Lee and Marty Talbot, and anonymous donors. Cover photo: View of the Colorado River from the Nankoweap Trail. Photo courtesy of Alan English. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY NATIONAL PARK SERVICE 1 ark on National P y Grand Can In acknowledgment of the significance of to the current status of park resources and are Grand Canyon Grand Canyon National Park to America’s considered in this evaluation. National Park attracts visitors throughout national heritage and to the global community, After analyzing existing information on the year, receiving the National Parks Conservation Association natural and cultural resources at Grand Canyon more than 4.5 million evaluated significant challenges and opportu- National Park, the National Parks Conservation annually. nities with regard to resources that the park Association concludes that the park’s resources currently faces. Grand Canyon National Park face serious challenges. This report details why has a long and storied history of resource this is the case and provides recommendations protection, visitor use, and park-focused on how to meet these challenges. legislative efforts, all of which have contributed The Colorado River appears as a vibrant green ribbon winding through the more muted tan, gray, and terra cotta-colored canyon walls. MARK LELLOUCH/ NATIONAL PARK SERVICE 2 ark on National P y Grand Can EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Although its designation as a national park The Grand Canyon is both a geological and provides many protections, Grand Canyon still biological wonder, featuring rocks that are faces threats to its resources. Currently, ongoing more than a billion years old, a major river external activities, such as water diversion, over- running through an arid region, and a wide flights, mining, and power generation, all can diversity of species that live along an 8,000-foot deleteriously affect park resources. In addition, elevation gradient. Human connections to the the park’s popularity continues to grow. As the area date back thousands of years, and some second-most visited National Park in the system tribes associated with the area include the (Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the canyon in their origin stories. Expanded explo- first), Park Service staff experience significant ration of the region in the late 1800s brought pressure in trying to preserve resources and increased tourism and settlement, and with this provide high-quality visitor experiences. In a came increasing pressure to privatize and number of cases, many of which are docu- exploit the area and its resources. The emerging mented in this report, legislation has been threats to this unique place galvanized preser- enacted to address complex problems involving vation efforts. Formal federal attempts to these efforts. Unfortunately, this report also protect the canyon began in the 1880s, and documents that legislation has often been finally in 1919 Grand Canyon National Park unsuccessful at correcting the degradation of was created with the National Park Service as its resources and the visitor experience. managing agency. Additional legislation has Stresses on this iconic American national increased the park’s size over time, with the park are numerous. NPCA, in this report, iden- most significant being the Grand Canyon tifies and proposes solutions to the primary Protection Act (1975), which brought the park resource challenges facing the park. These chal- to approximately 1.2 million acres. lenges are: • Colorado River management actions that do National Park System, also provides in this not incorporate adaptive strategies for report information on further actions to meet protecting and restoring fish, river flows, these challenges. Concrete steps can be taken in riverine habitats, cultural sites, and archaeo- efforts to protect Grand Canyon National Park. logical resources along the river corridor; Recommendations can be found in each chapter and are summarized below. The need • soundscape management for natural quiet, for additional personnel is not included here, including managing overflights that may but is detailed in individual chapters. disturb park visitors, wildlife, and the tradi- tional activities of the park’s 11 affiliated • To address Colorado River management American Indian tribes; actions (i.e., Glen Canyon Dam operations) that continue to degrade natural and cultural • mines that could be developed on lands 3 resources along the river corridor, changes in adjacent to the park, as well as environmen- water flows supported by the existing scien- ark tal contamination from past mining activi- tific evidence must be made to foster restora- ties within the park; tion of these resources. • air pollution from miles away that has the • To provide for natural soundscapes largely potential to obscure scenic vistas, harm on National P free of noise caused by aircraft overflights, y visitor and employee health, and damage the Park Service must have the ability and sensitive plants; authority to manage noise within the park’s • other threats from adjacent lands, including boundaries, including prohibiting flights in Grand Can damage caused by grazing and water devel- certain areas and capping air tour numbers. opment, as well as the presence of non- • The Secretary of the Interior has temporarily native, invasive plants and animals; barred the filing of new mining claims— • frontcountry and backcountry management including those for uranium—on the nearly and protection needs, particularly in regard one million acres of public land surrounding to the challenges of park size, visitation the Grand Canyon. Permanent protection of patterns, and shortfalls in funding, which park waters, natural resources, visitor experi- compromise efforts to preserve and protect ence, and local communities from the the park’s resources; impacts of uranium mining on lands near Grand Canyon National Park could be • the need for permanent funding for more achieved by an act of Congress to perma- proactive, strategic consultation activities to nently withdraw sensitive public lands from continue to foster effective relationships with mineral extraction. the park’s 11 affiliated American Indian tribes; and, • Protecting Grand Canyon National Park’s air quality and scenic vistas, as well as the health • potential impacts due to climate change on of its visitors, from air pollution depends to the Colorado Plateau. a great extent upon the actions of state and tribal authorities and the U.S. A summary of each challenge is presented in Environmental Protection Agency, because this report to highlight its current status and the National Park Service does not have discuss efforts to address it. direct authority over external sources of NPCA, as the leading voice of the American pollution that affect the Grand Canyon. The people in protecting and enhancing our Park Service needs to communicate concerns about emissions to regulators, who then adequate franchise fees for building must fully enforce laws aimed at cleaning up improvements and visitor services. existing sources of pollution and preventing • The small percentage of visitors who venture air quality degradation from new sources of beyond the park’s frontcountry still repre- emissions. sents thousands of people. Official wilder- • To ensure