Prescribed Fire this week on Lonetree and Grapevine units

This week, prescribed fire treatments began on the Grapevine segment, approximately 0.5 miles south of the Duck on a Rock Overlook along Highway 64 (Desert View Drive). The Grapevine project area totals 865 acres and is bound by the Kaibab National Forest’s boundary to the south and the E4/Long Jim Canyon Road to the north. Following completion of the Grapevine project, crews will initiate ignitions on the Lonetree project area, totaling approximately 926 acres. Ignitions may be complete as early as Friday, May 12, but may be extended through the weekend based on favorable weather conditions. A map of the project areas can be found here.

Smoke from both project areas will be most visible during ignition operations and will likely diminish after ignitions are completed. Smoke impacts are most anticipated along Highway 64 (Desert View Drive). Smoke may also impact the Grand Canyon Village and the inner canyon, particularly near the ignition area. Fire managers are working with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality-Smoke Management Division to reduce and mitigate potential smoke impacts. More information on this project can be found in the news release here. Photos over the last several days of treatment can be found in the Flickr album here.

Paving slated today and tomorrow near Center Road

This Friday and Saturday, May 12-13, the Clinic Road extension roadway leading to the new APS substation will be paved. Work will cause Center Road to be reduced to one lane intermittingly and traffic control will be onsite with flaggers. Please slow down if traveling through this area over the next several days.

Inner Canyon Water Status

For the most recent water availability status in the inner canyon, please visit the park’s Critical Backcountry Updates page here.

Astronomer in Residence, Kevin Schindler, presents two evening programs this weekend 

Friday, May 12 – Grand Canyon Visitor Center Theater-8:30 p.m.— ‘From the Canyon to the Moon:
Astronaut Training at the Grand
Canyon’. In preparation for their voyages to the Moon in the 1960s-70s, Apollo astronauts hiked into the Grand Canyon to hone their geology skills. Relive these expeditions and hear about why this training was so important. Who is the only one of the 24 astronauts to visit the Moon not to train at Grand Canyon? Join the program to find out!

Saturday, May 13 (outdoor program) – meet at Grand Canyon Visitor Center Theater – 8:30 p.m. — ‘What’s Up in the Night Sky?’. Join Kevin to learn the science, mythology , and history of the stars under one of the darkest night skies in the world. 

Kevin Schindler is the historian and Public Information Officer at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, where he has worked for 28 years. For more information on programs for this week, see the attached flyer here. 

South Rim Visitor Use Study continues this spring

Social scientists from Penn State University and the University of Montana will return to the South Rim for the third phase of a South Rim Visitor Use Study. The social science team, which also includes five students, are gathering data to better understand:

• general visitor flow patterns in key visitor use areas on the South Rim
• visitor behaviors and attitudes toward varying transportation/visitor delivery systems
• trail and traffic counter data to model visitor use patterns
• visitor motivations and actual outcomes from their visit
• current visitor use and experiences as well as desired experiences

Data collection will occur between May 22 and June 25. The team will focus their efforts on visitors entering through the East Entrance Station and at key locations along Desert View Drive, including Desert View Watchtower, Lipan Point, Grandview Point, and Shoshone Point, as well as Mather Campground. They will utilize voluntary visitor surveys, observational studies, and ask survey participants to carry a GPS unit for their South Rim journey.

Some additional items to note:

• the team will deploy a trail counter on the Shoshone Point Road
• drop boxes will be placed in similar locations to last year along South Entrance Road and Desert View Drive for visitors to drop off the GPS units as they are leaving the park
• the team will be experimenting with messaging at Grandview Point to encourage visitors to stay away from the edge of the canyon

Last year, the team focused on gathering data from visitors entering through the South Entrance Station and those traveling along the South Rim between Yaki Point and Hermits Rest.

Cultural Demonstrators next week at the Desert View Watchtower

Next week from May 16-18, join Janet Yazzie-Navajo Painter and Lynn Quam-Zuni stone carver at the Desert View Watchtower from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Janet Yazzie is a painter and specializes in scenes from her childhood, growing up on Navajo land, and helping her grandmother with sheep and livestock. Lynn Quam has been carving traditional fetishes for over 30 years and has won multiple awards for his craft.

For a flyer on the Cultural Demonstrators at Desert View from May 9-18, see the attached flyer here.

Employees Spotlighted!

Ceili Brennan and Kate Hensel

Canyon District Interpretation, Division of Interpretation and Resource Education

Seasonal staff in the Canyon District are back for the season! Ceili and Kate will be staffing the ranger stations at Havasupai Gardens, Phantom Ranch, and Manzanita through mid-October. In addition to ranger-led programs, they’ll be developing interpretive signage for bulletin cases and assisting with emergency services.

Ceili Brennan
Hi! I’m Ceili Brennan. This will be my 6th summer living on the North Rim and my 4th summer working with Interpretation in the Canyon District. I love running, walking, skiing, surfing, chatting with people and eating ice pops on porches. I can’t wait to work with everyone!

Kate Hensel 

I grew up outside of Rochester, NY and I’ve been working as a seasonal Park Ranger since 2019 at Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Death Valley. This will be my fourth summer at Grand Canyon (one on the North Rim and two below the rim). I’ve been doing a lot of canyoneering recently and I’m excited to get into some Arizona and Utah canyons! I am excited to be back in the canyon and working will you all again.