Grand Canyon Weekly Wrap-up — Feb. 19-23, 2024

Train Depot Bridge to reopen on Friday, February 23

The Train Depot Bridge project is nearing completion and will officially reopen to the public on Friday, February 23. This project was a collaborative effort between the Grand Canyon National Park Special Projects Crew and the Trail Crew. Both crews worked together as a team, successfully rehabilitating this old bridge in the historic district of the South Rim Village. This bridge will serve visitors in accessing greenways, bus stops, and the train depot for many years to come.

Project members who helped complete this work include (and are pictured above in bottom right photo):  Matt Young-Special Projects Lead, Kristina White-Trails Maintenance Worker, Bill Shay-Special Projects Maintenance Mechanic, Shayne Rasmussen-Trails Field Supervisor, and Sam Boland-Special Projects Maintenance Mechanic.

Astronomer in Residence, Adeene Denton, performance this weekend at Shrine of the Ages

Join Astronomer in Residence Dr. Adeene Denton for a solo dance performance on Saturday and Sunday, February 23 and 24 at 7 p.m. at the Shrine of the Ages Auditorium.

Dr. Denton will premiere a new solo dance piece, in collaboration with composer Dr. Divya Persaud, titled “Chasing Canyons,” which explores the connections between the geology of the Grand Canyon, canyons found on Mars, and how humans are driven to explore both. The dance will follow the formation and evolution of canyons through time as they intersect with how we, as humans, perceive them. She will follow the piece with a short presentation and Q&A discussing the similarities between the Grand Canyon and canyons on Mars, as well as the ways in which our ideas of how to thoughtfully explore wild spaces have evolved over time.

More information can be found on Grand Canyon Conservancy’s website and in the attached flyer here.

Next week, the Cultural Demonstration Program presents Bennard and Frances Dallasvuyaoma, Hopi Jewelers, Tuesday and Wednesday, February 27 and February 28, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center.

Hopi silversmiths, Bennard and Frances, have been demonstrating at the park since 2016. Their style of lapidary and inlay work for their handmade silver bolo ties, watch bands, rings, and bracelets is truly unique. “We design each piece of jewelry to signify balance and harmony” says Bennard.

Their innovative jewelry is a dramatic blend of both ancient and contemporary tradi­tions, techniques and materials. Cut and polished by hand, natural gems and stones are set in a modern version of the ancient mosaic style.

More information on the Cultural Demonstration Program can be found on the park website here.

Guides Training Seminar to be held ThursdayFebruary 29

The annual Guides Training Seminar for Commercial Use Authorization holders will be held on Thursday, February 29 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. in the Shrine of the Ages auditorium.

The public is welcome to attend and presentation topics will range from park updates on fisheries, the Transcanyon Waterline project, bison, backcountry permits and much more!

A full agenda for the event can be found here.

South Rim District Report Available

See what South Rim Patrol has been up to lately by reading the latest South Rim District Report below.

• South Rim District reporting ending 2-10-2022

Employee Spotlight!

Lisa Hanforth

Ecologist, Fire and Aviation Management

I grew up just outside of Washington, DC in northern Virgina. The first time I ever went hiking or camping was at the Grand Canyon when I was about twelve years old, it’s one of the fondest childhood memories I have. I have wonderful memories of bringing my Dad who loved to be outside and suffered from Alzheimer’s for a long time to the Grand Canyon as well – it made him so happy to see the Grand Canyon and walk around in the park!

My undergraduate degree from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand is in Psychology and Education. I began my career in the environmental field teaching plant identification and field monitoring techniques to volunteers and working to restore former Superfund sites to flourishing habitat along the Duwamish River in Seattle, WA. I loved this work so much and missed the sun so much that I moved to San Diego to work on my master’s degree at San Diego State University, focusing on interactions between plant life history traits and the timing and other characteristics of fires.

I worked for the Navy as a natural resources specialist for a decade in San Diego, conducting surveys for endangered species like California least terns and snowy plovers, coastal California gnatcatchers, tiny endangered plants and fairy shrimp, and establishing and managing habitat restoration, plant conservation and translocation, and wildfire risk reduction projects. After working on plant conservation, drought, invasive species, and fire related projects for a long time, I began to get curious about how what goes on underground might allow us to address many ecosystem needs simultaneously.

So I left my career at the Navy and moved to Flagstaff to study with Dr. Kitty Gehring at NAU. I’ve been here ever since, studying how managing and restoring our belowground communities, especially mycorrhizal fungi (which form symbioses with plant roots), can assist in habitat recovery and help plants and ecosystems with drought and fire resilience – the the subtle nuances of getting that right, including projects along the Little Colorado River here in Arizona and in protected forests and aquifer areas in Texas.

I’ve also collaborated with a non-profit (BlueDot Education) and local communities here to bring high school students to our region for hands-on experience restoring habitat, camping for the first time, and learning about our Indigenous sovereign human and more than human kin, experiences which always inspire and refresh me. I am super excited to be working with Grand Canyon National Park and be back working to help steward and manage our country’s beautiful lands and critters in a very applied way, and bring the latest science and innovation to the task. I couldn’t be more proud and grateful to be working here.

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

One month! Based out of Flagstaff, with frequent trips to the South Rim and in the summer, the North Rim.

What does a typical day look like for you in your role?

I’m still trying to figure that out! But so far: comparing remote sensing data to field collected data to evaluate burn severity ratings and how well we are doing with re-introducing fire into its natural roles in our ecosystems; working with our fire effects crew leads to hire and train our seasonal team and help collect pre- and post- burn data on plants, soil, and ecological characteristics; working with our science and natural resources team to develop projects that protect our sensitive species and better understand on their use of habitats before and after fire; evaluating how our long-term dataset (on ecology at GRCA since the 1990s!) can help answer additional questions about climate change and ways to support ecosystem resilience to extreme events like drought and fire. And, hopefully, continuing to study how we can manage interactions belowground and aboveground to help with goals like drought and fire resilience

Are there any specific projects or tasks that you find particularly interesting or challenging?

I love critically evaluating management challenges, harnessing facts and data to this end, and working with others as a team to solve them. It is so rewarding, and my fellow hardworking team members are so inspiring and fun!

Can you share a talent or skill that surprises people when they find out?

I love to dance (swing, ballroom, flamenco, but especially salsa). I love the sun, plants, fire, and the desert. My husband teaches welding at Coconino High School, and we have a fluffy and furry family of rescue critters who needed a good home because they had been abused and/or had behavior or other special needs: 4 dogs, 16 chickens, and a horse orphaned as a baby in a roundup in the Grand Canyon outside the park.

Here’s a link to my Google Scholar profile: ‪Lisa Markovchick – ‪Google Scholar

And to a little web page I put together on my work: Lisa Markovchick (google.com)

Save the Date! Community Blood Drive March 15

The Rec Center will be hosting a community blood drive through Vitalant on Friday, March 15, from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Appointments are suggested, and to schedule, individuals can visit www.donors.vitalant.org..

Vitalant is the sole supplier to 96% of AZ Hospitals including the Flagstaff Medical Center. More information can be found in the attached flyer here.

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-closed through March 3, 2024
• 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., The Yavapai Dining Hall, breakfast, 7-10 a.m., dinner, 5-8 p.m.
• Canyon Village Market, 7 a.m.-8 p.m., Deli 7 a.m.-5:30 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: 10 a.m.-4 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.
• Grand Canyon Conservancy stores: Visitor Center Plaza 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily, Kolb Studio, Verkamps and Yavapai Geology Museum 8 a.m.-6 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

Desert View

• Desert View Trading Post Coffee and Ice Cream and Market, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Desert View Watchtower, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. daily, stair and tower access 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
• 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.

• Trail Crew assembles various parts of the train depot bridge (NPS Photos)
• Astronomer in Residence, Dr. Adeene Denton (Photo courtesy of GCC)
• Bernard and Frances Dallasvuyaom along with their jewelry (NPS Photos)
• Lisa Hanforth, Fire Ecologist (Photo courtesy of L. Hanforth)
• Aerial view over Grand Canyon en route to Page, AZ (NPS Photo/J. Balsom)