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| As of February 9, Coconino County has remained at LOW CDC Community Level. Masks remain optional in all public buildings.
Total new COVID cases in Arizona for the week of Jan 19-26, AZ was 3,087, which is a slight decrease from the week before at 3,554 cases.
As a reminder, be sure to promptly report any illness, to include possible COVID-19 symptoms, COVID exposure, or a positive COVID test to your supervisor and our Public Health Consultant, Ronan King. Ronan can be reached at: 202-891-8599 or Ronan_King@nps.gov. |
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Launch of Everbridge Notification System for NPS employees, park partners, and residents
Emergency contact information may be crucial in case of a natural disaster and/or weather closure notification/event, or other crisis situations. The Grand Canyon Public Affairs Office in conjunction with Grand Canyon Dispatch are beginning to implement a solution towards the goal of enhancing information-sharing and keeping our NPS staff, partners, and residents connected and informed.
The Everbridge platform will help us achieve this goal by sending real-time texts, emails, and/or calls. The Department of Interior approved this platform in 2019 and many NPS units already use it for notifications.
Notifications will be made in a timely manner for incidents impacting public safety, employees’ means of travel, work conditions, utility interruptions, and significant park-wide incidents. If you are an NPS employee and haven’t done so already, please fill out the notification preferences form sent by email last week. If you are not an NPS employee, please know we are working to expand the system to include everyone in the community. More information will be coming to you in the next few months about the community wide system. In the meantime, management from the park partners and businesses have been included in this initial launch.
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“What are those folks doing in the creek?” Grand Canyon National Park fisheries biologists have been conducting a multi-year project to reduce the number of non-native fish in Bright Angel Creek in order to benefit native fish populations.
Grand Canyon’s native fish are uniquely adapted to the characteristics of the Colorado River and its tributaries and have suffered serious declines due to human-caused changes to their habitat. All the removed non-native fish are put to beneficial use, per agreements reached with the affiliated tribes through in-depth consultation. Larger fish are prepared for human consumption and smaller ones are provided to tribal aviaries and zoos to feed ceremonial eagles and other animals.
Spend a “Minute Out In It” with our Fisheries Crew as they use electrofishing to restore native fish. This film is part of an ongoing collaboration between the Divisions of Interpretation & Resource Education and Science and Resource Management, with the goal of increasing science literacy through in-person programming and digital media.
To view the video, visit the park’s website here.
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Phantom Ranch WWTP project update
The current Phantom Ranch Waste Water Treatment (WWTP) project is coming to a close next week. A chinook helicopter will be in the Park from February 13-17 in order to remove tools and equipment from the work site. The current plan is for the helicopter to arrive at the park on Sunday, February 12 and work to commence Monday, February 13.
Hikers in the canyon around the Phantom Delta area and the black and silver bridges can expect delays, up to 30 minutes, while the helicopter is in the area. Staff will be stationed along the trail during helicopter operations to help keep hikers safe.
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Special Evening Program, Saturday, February 11, Visitor Center Theater, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Mark Chen, Grand Canyon National Park’s current Artist in Residence, will present a program inside the Grand Canyon Visitor Center theater about his photography project that has enabled him to explore and unite celestial and terrestrial wonders across iconic national parks. The talk is followed by an indoor image projection demonstration with the audience.
This program is sponsored by generous support from the Grand Canyon Conservancy’s Artist in Residence Program.
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Cultural Demonstrator this weekend at Grand Canyon Visitor Center
On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, February 10, 11 and 12, 2023, from 10 am to 4 pm, April Unkestine, Zuni Silversmith will demonstrate how she creates channel inlay jewelry with turquoise, mother of pearl, jet and spiny oyster and will share her knowledge of Zuni culture and art.
April is from the Pueblo of Zuni and was raised by her grandparents. She has been making jewelry since she was fifteen. April is known for her hand-made silver inlay jewelry, with the Sunface being one of her signature pieces. Stop by the Visitor Center to experience her work!
To make inlay jewelry, the base design is made, then a rim of silver is soldered around the edges. Silver partitions are added to form channels, or “containers” for the precision cut stones, and may include turquoise, mother of pearl, jet and spiny oyster. This series is made possible with grants from Grand Canyon Conservancy.
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Risk Management Office at Grand Canyon—what is it?
Grand Canyon has recently combined a few program areas into a consolidated office. Safety, Environmental Protection, and Public Health all have aspects that overlap in how we manage the Safety, Health, and Wellness of our employees – and these sections are now all combined into the Risk Management Office.
- Christina Ryan-Miller is our Park Safety Manager
- Kim Park is our Park Environmental Protection Specialist
- Ronan King is our Park Public Health Officer
You can still contact either of us individually with specific questions, or you can send inquiries to GRCA_Risk_Management@nps.gov if you are not sure who is best to reach out to. Please use this link or the QR code above to report any safety alert information you would like to share – a hazard, near miss, observation, etc.
The Risk Management Office reminds all employees to slow down during periods of severe weather activity. Slow down while walking. Slow down in your vehicles. Just slow down and take a few extra minutes for all of the activities you are engaging in.
We are noticing an increase in employee injuries and vehicle mishaps due to the inclement weather. Please ensure you don’t fall into a pattern of placing too much trust in protective measures you may have put in place. While wearing traction devices is highly recommended when walking outdoors, don’t let that convince you that you can walk at your normal pace or pay less attention to your surroundings. While having 4-wheel drive can be very beneficial in slippery conditions – that does not mean that you can drive at posted speeds on black ice. |
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Grand Canyon Food Pantry new hours
The Grand Canyon Food Pantry, located at 87 Sunset Dr. has modified its hours for spring 2023. New hours are as follows:
Monday: 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Wednesday: 6-8 p.m.
Saturday: 2-4 p.m.
A full flyer with the new pantry hours can be found here. |
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Youth Soccer coming to Grand Canyon—summer 2023
Grand Canyon School is looking to have an American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) Summer Soccer League in 2023. The organization is looking for volunteers for coaching and also a local coordinator for Grand Canyon. For more information on these opportunities, see the attached flyer here.
In addition, there will be a Challenger Soccer Camp hosted at the school from June 5-9, 2023 for children ages 2-14. For more information on this program, see the attached flyer here. |
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Othello at Shrine of the Ages Feb. 14
The Utah Shakespeare Festival has announced its 2023 production of Shakespeare in the Schools, an annual touring production. A team of 10 members will travel to Grand Canyon for a performance at Shrine of the Ages on Tuesday, February 14 at 7 p.m.
Admission is free and an updated poster for the Grand Canyon event can be found here. |
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Grand Canyon School PTA and North Country Healthcare to host scholastic book and health fair
On Wednesday, February 15 from 4-6 p.m., the Grand Canyon School PTA and North Country Healthcare will host a book and health fair in the Grand Canyon School multi-purpose room.
Free dinner will be served by the school’s Culinary Program until 7 p.m. More information, including a full flyer is available here. |
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*Please note: new changes to operations are indicated in bold/italic
South Rim
Xanterra
- Maswik Lodge Cafeteria, 6:30 a.m.-8 p.m.
- Canyon Coffee House at the Bright Angel Fountain, 7 a.m.-11 a.m.
- Bright Angel Fountain grab and go, 11 a.m.- 3 p.m.
- Fred Harvey Burger, breakfast 8-10:30 a.m., lunch 11 a.m.- 3 p.m., dinner 4-9 p.m.
- Arizona Steakhouse within Bright Angel Lodge is now offering dinner service from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. daily. Lunch service is from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.
- Fred Harvey Tavern, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
- The Grand Canyon Rec Center, 6:30 a.m.-10 p.m. daily.
- El Tovar Dining Room and Lounge-Breakfast, 6:30-10 a.m., Lunch, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Dinner, 4:30-9:30 p.m., Lounge, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Patio (limited menu), 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
- Maswik Pizza Pub is open daily from 4-8 p.m.
- The Grand Canyon Kennel is open seven days a week with hours from 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily
Delaware North
- Yavapai Lodge Tavern and Patio, 12-9 p.m., Yavapai Lodge Coffee Shop, 7 a.m.-12 p.m., The Yavapai Dining Hall, breakfast, 7 a.m.-10:45 a.m., dinner, 5-8 p.m.
- Canyon Village Market, 7 a.m.-8 p.m., Deli 7 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Camper Services laundry and shower, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. daily
Other
- Grand Canyon Clinic: Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (clinic is closed on holidays)
- Bright Angel Bikes, Rental: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (weather permitting), Café 7 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Grand Canyon Visitor Center (GCVC): 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily. Operations indoors for the winter season.
- Grand Canyon Conservancy stores regular hours: Visitor Center Plaza, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily, Yavapai Geology Museum, Verkamps, and Kolb Studio 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily.
- Grand Canyon Community Library: Monday-Saturday from 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Canyon Closet (located behind Community Library): Mondays 4:15-6 p.m., Wednesdays 12:15-2 p.m., Saturdays 3-5 p.m.
- Grand Canyon Food Pantry: Mondays 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Wednesdays 6-8 p.m., Saturdays 2-4 p.m.
Desert View
- Desert View Trading Post Coffee and Ice Cream and Market, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily
- Desert View Watchtower, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily
- The Desert View Deli, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Please visit the Grand Canyon National Park website for a complete list of closures and available amenities.
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Photo Credits (in order of appearance)
- Descent down the North Kaibab Trail (NPS Photo/J. Barden)
- Moonrise captured on February 5 (NPS Photo/M. Quinn)
- “Minute Out In It” image from video (NPS Photo/R. Lane)
- A Chinook helicopter delivering materials to Phantom Ranch (NPS Photo/D. Brenchley)
- Photography taken at Havasupai Gardens by Mark Chen (Photo courtesy of M. Chen/GCC)
- Jewelry works by April Unkestine, Zuni Silversmith (Photo courtesy of A. Unkestine)
- The North Rim residential area continues to be layered in deep snow (NPS Photo/J. Barden)
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| Grand Canyon National Park, in northern Arizona, encompasses 278 miles (447 km) of the Colorado River and adjacent uplands. Located on the ancestral homeland of 11 Associated Tribes, Grand Canyon is one of the most spectacular examples of erosion anywhere in the world—unmatched in the incomparable vistas it offers visitors on the rim. Grand Canyon National Park is a World Heritage Site. The National Park Service cares for the special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage. |
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Grand Canyon National Park
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior |
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