Grand Canyon Weekly Wrap-up — April 1-5, 2024

Monitoring Success!

During excavation work at the Mile-and-a-Half Resthouse, as part of the Transcanyon Waterline project, a member of the NPS monitoring team unearthed a rare and entirely new fossil for Grand Canyon and the Hermit Formation. One of the park’s research partners at UC-Berkeley has identified it as an Equisetalean strobilus.

This fossil is approximately 290 million years old and represents the spore-producing reproductive organ of an extinct species of horsetail known as Sphenophyllum. While Sphenophyllum fossils are not uncommon in the Hermit Formation, discovering the fruiting bodies is unprecedented.

The public affairs office is in the process of coordinating public communication efforts including a news release to announce this and other recent paleontological discoveries. Stay tuned for more updates!

Grand Canyon National Park Responds Swiftly to Lipan Point Fire Incident

On the evening of April 3, while returning to their residence in Desert View, an off-duty park ranger noticed a fire near Lipan Point. Immediately recognizing the potential danger, the ranger contacted the Grand Canyon Dispatch Center, prompting an immediate response.

Upon arrival, park rangers discovered an approximately 6-foot by 6-foot fire actively burning adjacent to the Lipan Point Parking Lot. Despite gusty and erratic winds along the Rim, the fire had not yet spread beyond an area less than 1/8th of an acre. Fire crews wasted no time in action, swiftly establishing a wet line around the perimeter of the fire. With coordinated efforts, they extinguished all sources of interior heat, effectively containing the fire and preventing further spread.

Investigations revealed that the fire originated from an illegally constructed fire ring.

Illegally constructed fire rings pose significant risks, particularly in areas prone to gusty winds like the rim. Thanks to the swift response of park rangers and fire crews, the Lipan Point fire was swiftly contained.

Grand Canyon Visitor Center Hours reduced beginning April 7

The visitor center will be moving to limited operations due to the transition between winter and seasonal Interpretation staffing.

Sunday, April 7 through Saturday, April 20: The visitor center will be open 5 days per week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays). Also, because of the reduction in staff, ranger programs will not be presented during this time.

Sunday, April 21 through Saturday, May 4: Summer Seasonal Training will be taking place. The visitor center will be completely closed and all programs will be suspended. Similar to last year, this allows all permanent Interpretation staff to participate, present, and engage with the new staff during training — to build a strong team and establish a consistent workplace culture for the summer.

Beginning on Sunday, May 5: The visitor center will be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily for the summer season. Ranger programs will resume on Thursday May 11. Schedule to be announced.

Eclipse Safety Tips from the NPS GRCA Risk Management Office

Despite the fact that we are not in the path of totality for this years’ eclipse (residing instead at 65%), you should still take all precautions to avoid potential eye damage.

According to NASA, totality will start on Monday, April 8 around 11:07 a.m. in Mexico and leave Maine at around 1:30 p.m. Arizona Time.

This is just a gentle reminder that you should NEVER look at the sun without the proper protection!

Proper protection includes:

• Your solar filter (eyewear or handheld solar viewer)
• Inspecting your filters before use – if scratched, punctured, or otherwise damaged – DO NOT USE
• DO NOT look at the eclipse through an unfiltered camera, telescope, or other optical device – even while wearing appropriate filter – doing so can damage the filter you are wearing and your eyes.

If you do not have a safe solar filter or viewer, you can use a pinhole projection – with your back to the sun, cross your outstretched fingers over one another in a waffle pattern – in your hands’ shadow on the ground, the spaces between your fingers will show the Sun as it crescents.

The Grand Canyon Rec Center will have glasses available during the eclipse event.

Next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, April 9-11, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Desert View Watchtower, the Cultural Demonstration Program will present Bobby Silas, Hopi potter.

Bobby is from the village of Bacavi. He has been creating pottery since he was 14 years old. Inspiration for his pottery designs comes from prehistoric Hopi wares dating back to around 500 years ago – known as Sikyátki polychrome. Each piece is hand-coiled, painted with native clay slips and a bee-weed plant variant. Then they are fired with lignite coal, the traditional method. Bobby has won awards for his distinctive and creative renderings of ancestral pottery.

Cultural Demonstrations will take place at Desert View Watchtower through November 2024. A schedule can be found on the park website.

Employee Spotlight!

Zoey Sawicki

Supervisory Administrative Support Specialist

I’m originally from St Louis, MO, but have been bouncing around the U.S. for over the last decade and a half. After getting a degree from the University of Missouri in Natural Resources Management, my first government appointment was at Mount Hood NF in Oregon with the USFS when I was 21. After that, I started with the NPS as an interpretive park guide at Jewel Cave NM in the Black Hills for a couple seasons. Following Jewel Cave, I came to Grand Canyon the first time in 2012 working for the Resource Education Branch of Interpretation. I helped run the immersion camps program for five years, which took middle and high school-aged youth into the canyon’s backcountry and along the rim for 6-16 day camp programs, including backpacking and river trips with the high school programs, and required us as rangers to be with the youth participants 24/7.

After that I got my first permanent appointment at Grand Teton NP as an Administrative Assistant for their Science and Resource Management division after a brief stint one winter driving snow coaches in Yellowstone. Following that position, I came back to Grand Canyon to work as the Interpretive Support Assistant for the Interpretation and Resource Education division of the park managing their administrative needs and doing some interpretive tasks. After a brief detail in the parks Superintendent Office in 2019, I took a position with the Interior Regions 8, 9, 10, and 12 regional office (Formerly PWR) in San Francisco as a Management Support Assistant for the Regional Directors Office. Now I’m returning to GRCA as the Supervisory Administrative Support Specialist for our Facilities Management Division.

Outside of my professional background I am an avid backpacker, hiker, and generally adore any amount of time I can spend outside in nature. At the same time, I do also enjoy the urban world and miss wandering around San Francisco, one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever known. I’m an extrovert at heart and love to meet folks and dance but in my quieter moments I enjoy reading, writing, comics (DC), Baseball (Giants), and cinema.

How long have you worked at GRCA? Where are you based out of?

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Short answer: I’ve been here off and on over 7 years, this is my third time coming back. It’s a special place to me. I’m based on the South Rim out of the main FMD building. In this job I enjoy all the little details and working with people directly. I find administrative functions fascinating in a similar way I find Interpretation; trying to understand why things are the way they are and the processes behind them. I’m excited to learn more about facilities management as well.

Can you share a memorable or rewarding experience you’ve had while working here?

Probably the time I spent working on the Bison Management Project on the North Rim for two years before I departed. I served as the Logistics Section Manager for that project, which was incredibly challenging and a lot of work figuring out how to do something like that (I learned a lot about types of hay mix and corrals). The most rewarding aspect was the team of people I got to work with. I loved working on an interdivisional project where I got to interact with people across every division and district of the park. So often we live in the bubble of our work group that it was incredible to get to meet with and learn about all these other folks working at the park, and to work alongside some incredibly driven and passionate folks managing that project finally seeing it come to fruition.

What’s the most unusual or interesting job you’ve ever had (besides your current one)?

The camps program at Grand Canyon definitely wins. Over five years I got the privilege to do 12 river trips, a couple dozen backpacking trips, and tons of rim-based camping programs, with middle and high school-aged youth from across the local area, country, and sometimes world. Logistically and programmatically it was an incredible challenge and the most amount of work I’ve ever done in my life. Most of that was not when we were on a trip with the youth but everything around making those trips happen. The sheer level of details we had to manage was mindboggling; I used to create lists of tasks that numbered well over 150 individual tasks. We had camps on both rims, along the corridor trails, and through the river corridor and gear and plans for all those environments.

It was truly amazing work, when you spend that much time engaging with people in that age range taking them around and through Grand Canyon you can get 100% of them to become park advocates for life. Plus, as crazy it was that the NPS was running that kind of program considering the risk, labor considerations, and the division eating most of the cost, it helped us keep it incredibly affordable for families and disenfranchised communities who otherwise couldn’t afford something like that (We’re talking around ~$120 for a 14-day river trip program split between trips either upper or lower, and we’d even subsidize that if families couldn’t afford it). It was always an adventure, in the best, worst, and silliest ways.

Native Artisans Vendor Market begins at Tusayan Museum and Grand Canyon Visitor Center this week

The Native Artisans Vendor Marketwill be held again at the Tusayan Museum site and for the first time ever, at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center. Working with the Native Americans for Community Action (NACA) Economic Development program for the third year in a row, GRCA is replicating a successful program which occurs in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and takes place at the Oak Creek Overlook, near Sedona.

NACA’s Economic Development program operates vendor programs at other locations in Northern Arizona, where Indigenous artisans showcase and sell their authentic and beautiful arts and crafts. These carefully crafted items include jewelry, ornaments, pottery, sculptures, and much more.

The Vendor Market at both the Tusayan Museum site and the Grand Canyon Visitor will be held every Thursday through Monday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

South Rim

Xanterra

• Maswik Lodge Cafeteria, 7 a.m.-8 p.m., Maswik Pizza Pub, 4-9 p.m.
• Canyon Coffee House at the Bright Angel Fountain, 7-11 a.m.
• Bright Angel Fountain grab and go, 7 a.m.- 4 p.m.
• Fred Harvey Burger, Breakfast 7-10 a.m., Lunch 11 a.m.- 3 p.m., Dinner 4-8:30 p.m.
• Fred Harvey Tavern, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
• Arizona Steakhouse (at Bright Angel Lodge), Lunch 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m., Dinner 4:30-9 p.m.
• El Tovar Dining Room and Lounge – Breakfast, 7-10 a.m., Lunch, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Dinner, 4:30-9 p.m., Lounge, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. (Food until 9 p.m.), Patio closed until spring 2024.
• The Grand Canyon Kennel, 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily
• Grand Canyon Rec Center, 6:30 a.m.-10 p.m. daily.

Delaware North

• Yavapai Lodge Tavern and Patio, 12-9 p.m., Yavapai Lodge Coffee Shop, 7 a.m. -2 p.m., beginning March 11, Coffee Shop/Cafe will be open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m., Yavapai Dining Hall: TEMPORARILY CLOSED
• Canyon Village Market, 7 a.m.-8 p.m., Deli 7 a.m.-8 p.m.
• Camper Services laundry and shower: 7 a.m.-6 p.m.

Other

• Grand Canyon Clinic: Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Bright Angel Bikes, Rental: 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Café 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Grand Canyon Visitor Center (GCVC): 7 days a week from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., April 7 through Saturday, April 20: Open 5 days per week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays).
• Grand Canyon Conservancy stores: Visitor Center Plaza, Kolb Studio, Verkamps and Yavapai Geology Museum 8 a.m.-7 p.m. daily
• The Grand Canyon Community Library: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturdays from 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m.
• Grand Canyon Food Pantry: Monday 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Wednesday 5:30-7:30 p.m., Saturday 2-4 p.m.
• Canyon Closet: Every Wednesday from 12-2 p.m., first and third Saturday of each month from 12-3 p.m.
• Canyon Community Yoga & Wellness (at the Rec Center)- Yoga: Mondays & Wednesdays 6:30 p.m., Fitness Classes: Strength Training Sundays 9 a.m., Core Strength Thursdays 6:30 p.m. View full schedule here: https://www.canyoncommunityyoga.com/schedule

Rim Trail detour reopening delayed 

• Beginning April 15, contractors will be removing the barriers surrounding the construction project near the Bright Angel Lodge.

Desert View

• Desert View Trading Post Coffee and Ice Cream and Market, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Desert View Watchtower, 8 a.m.- 6 p.m. daily
• The Desert View Deli, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Please visit the Grand Canyon National Park website for a complete list of closures and available amenities.

• Moran Point on March 31, 2024 (Photo courtesy of Trey Soule)
• Fire crew investigates the Lipan Point Fire (NPS Photo/J. Nez)
• Grand Canyon Visitor Center (NPS Photo/M. Quinn)
• Visitors viewing the eclipse with proper proper solar viewers (NPS Photo)
• Pottery by Bobby Silas (Photos courtesy of B. Silas)
• Zoey Sawicki, Supervisory Administrative Support Specialist (Photo courtesy of Z. Sawicki)
• NACA vendors at the Tusayan Museum site (NPS Photo/J. Baird)