The recent death of President Gerald Ford brings to mind his role in restoring historic tribal land to the Havasupai Indians after a decades-old legal struggle with the federal government.
The Havasupai had inhabited the exquisite side canyons and forested highlands of Grand Canyon for centuries before the first wave of white pioneers and explorers arrived. Interactions between the tribe and these newcomers were largely peaceful.
A reservation was established in 1880 by President Rutherford Hayes, and adjusted two years later by President Chester Arthur. Their combined proclamations left the tribe with a scant 513 acres to call their own—a mere fraction of the Havasupai’s several million-acre traditional hunting and gathering grounds.
On January 3, 1975, President Ford signed a bill introduced by former Arizona congressmen John Rhodes and Sam Steiger that returned 185,000 acres to the tribe, largely at the expense of Grand Canyon National Park and the Kaibab National Forest.
Havasu Canyon, home to the village of Supai and the tribal headquarters, continues to draw thousands of visitors each year who come to enjoy the idyllic oasis and its famed towering waterfalls. Today, tourism generates over two million dollars annually to the tribal economy.
Thank you for tuning into "All Things Grand Canyon". GrandCanyonPrints.com offers the grandest in Grand Canyon photographs.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Too Much Mussel
Land managers at Grand Canyon National Park are nervously bracing for an uninvited guest. The non-native quagga mussel, commonly referred to as zebra mussel, was recently found in Lake Havasu and Lake Mead immediately downstream from Grand Canyon. This invasive aquatic species was previously absent west of the Rocky Mountains, and it is feared that it will migrate throughout the Southwest if intervention fails.
Quagga mussels are known to quickly multiply into the billions once the infestation of a water source has occurred. Their biggest curse lies in their diet. These mussels filter tiny pieces of organic matter and plankton out of the water, thus depriving native fish and other creatures of their primary the food source. Each mature mussel can filter a quart of water per day.
The quagga mussel typically migrates with the unintentional assistance of boaters. Both mature and juvenile mussels (the latter being microscopic) attach themselves to watercraft and are thereby transported to unfamiliar streams, lakes and rivers. The best way to halt the advance of the species is by encouraging boaters to thoroughly clean their hulls and bilges prior to leaving a potentially infected water source.
With the help of the general public there is a fighting chance that these unwelcome guests will be shown the door. Find out what you can do to help by visiting the website http://www.100thmeridian.org/.
Thank you for tuning into "All Things Grand Canyon". GrandCanyonPrints.com offers the grandest in Grand Canyon photographs.
Quagga mussels are known to quickly multiply into the billions once the infestation of a water source has occurred. Their biggest curse lies in their diet. These mussels filter tiny pieces of organic matter and plankton out of the water, thus depriving native fish and other creatures of their primary the food source. Each mature mussel can filter a quart of water per day.
The quagga mussel typically migrates with the unintentional assistance of boaters. Both mature and juvenile mussels (the latter being microscopic) attach themselves to watercraft and are thereby transported to unfamiliar streams, lakes and rivers. The best way to halt the advance of the species is by encouraging boaters to thoroughly clean their hulls and bilges prior to leaving a potentially infected water source.
With the help of the general public there is a fighting chance that these unwelcome guests will be shown the door. Find out what you can do to help by visiting the website http://www.100thmeridian.org/.
Thank you for tuning into "All Things Grand Canyon". GrandCanyonPrints.com offers the grandest in Grand Canyon photographs.
Grand Canyon Superintendent Departs
Joe Alston, Grand Canyon National Park’s Superintendent since 2000, is retiring after a 31-year career in the National Park Service (NPS). Born in New York City and raised in Tustin, CA, he attended the University of Kansas where he received his MBA.
After leaving the private sector for the NPS, Joe held a wide variety of positions including stints as the concessions specialist at Yellowstone National Park, Chief of Concessions Management Division in the Alaska Regional Office and as Assistant Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park. He served as Superintendent at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Curecanti National Recreation Area and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Rainbow Bridge National Monument.
During his tenure at Grand Canyon, Joe was deeply involved in a number of high-profile resource management challenges such as addressing the recommendations set forth in the General Management Plan and the release of the controversial Colorado River Management Plan. Joe will continue to live in Arizona with his wife of 32 years, Judy, a long-time educator.
Thank you for tuning into "All Things Grand Canyon". GrandCanyonPrints.com offers the grandest in Grand Canyon photographs.
After leaving the private sector for the NPS, Joe held a wide variety of positions including stints as the concessions specialist at Yellowstone National Park, Chief of Concessions Management Division in the Alaska Regional Office and as Assistant Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park. He served as Superintendent at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Curecanti National Recreation Area and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Rainbow Bridge National Monument.
During his tenure at Grand Canyon, Joe was deeply involved in a number of high-profile resource management challenges such as addressing the recommendations set forth in the General Management Plan and the release of the controversial Colorado River Management Plan. Joe will continue to live in Arizona with his wife of 32 years, Judy, a long-time educator.
Thank you for tuning into "All Things Grand Canyon". GrandCanyonPrints.com offers the grandest in Grand Canyon photographs.
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