Grand Canyon Weekly Wrap-up: February 7-11, 2022

COVID News

Clinic testing via appointment or walk in only

Effective immediately, North Country Healthcare will no longer offer COVID testing to patients unless they are seen by providers first. Patients may schedule an appointment or come in for a walk in. The Clinic will no longer do routine COVID testing on Mon, Wed and Fridays at scheduled times. This change is being made due to shortages in staffing and testing supplies, and to ensure that resources available are used as efficiently as possible.

People wanting COVID testing can schedule a telehealth appointment to be evaluated and then come to the clinic for the swab once they have been evaluated and the test ordered. Consult via telehealth are for those who are symptomatic or have been exposed.

Williams & Tusayan Vaccine Events

The Coconino County Health and Human Service’s mobile vaccine team will be providing COVID-19 vaccinations and booster doses on Friday, February 11 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Williams Senior Center. More information on this event can be found in this flyer.

The mobile vaccine team will also be traveling to Tusayan on Tuesday, February 22 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Tusayan Fire District Station. More information on this event can be found in this flyer.

Arizona and Grand Canyon Community Statistics

Case numbers in Arizona decreased this week to an average of 7,400 new cases per day compared to last week’s average of 14,763 per day. It is great to see a decline from the week before, however, this is the eighth highest weekly seven-day rolling average we have had since the pandemic started.

Coconino County is reporting 406 cases in the 86023 zip code. We have had approximately 202 total cases in the park since March 2020.

Coconino County reports the Grand Canyon community is 72.5% fully vaccinated as of February 4.

Public Health Contacts

Ronan King, Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Public Health Service

Mobile: (202) 891-8599, Email:ronan_king@nps.gov

For all email correspondence, please also cc: Chris Glime, Captain, U.S. Public Health Service

Mobile: (202) 641-3518, Email: christen_glime@nps.gov

Phantom Ranch Wastewater Treatment Plant construction staging beginning this week

As a reminder, on Tuesday, February 8, the first phase of short-term repairs and upgrades to the Phantom Ranch Wastewater Treatment Plant began. Work is anticipated to be completed by December 2022 and will include two phases of hauling equipment via helicopters. The first phase is anticipated to go through March, and the second phase is expected to resume in September. During these periods, trail users in the vicinity of Phantom Ranch may experience temporary delays of up to 15 minutes, as well as experience noise and dust from equipment and helicopters.

Last week, our aviation branch hosted the A-219 course at the South Rim Helibase (see photo above). This course provides technical training and procedures for personnel performing helicopter external load operations (aka “sling loads”). Personnel from VRP, FMD, and the PEP Divisions received classroom and field training and were asked to demonstrate proper procedures to safely conduct helicopter external load, hover hookup, and longline operations.

This training will be especially important to staff in the coming years as equipment is staged for the Phantom Ranch Wastewater Treatment Plant project as well as the Transcanyon Waterline project.

Grand Canyon launches new Associated Tribes website

Grand Canyon National Park is pleased to announce the launch of a new Associated Tribes webpage, as part of the park’s continuing effort to recognize tribal members’ deep cultural and spiritual ties to the landscape. The site features efforts on how park staff are working with Indigenous communities, links to the 11 traditionally associated tribes’ respective websites, and further resources on tribal engagement and programming.

“We hope this webpage will recognize and honor the eleven traditionally associated tribes whose ancestors were here long before the United States took form,” said Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent, Ed Keable. “Their relationships with this special place must guide our future, and we commit to a new chapter of collaboration, coordination, and reconciliation with the tribal governments and people of the 11 associated tribes.”

This new webpage will be updated regularly and we encourage the public to check it often for the most current information on projects such as the Desert View Intertribal Cultural Heritage Site and the annual Cultural Demonstrator Series.

HBO Series ‘Hacks’ Films at Grand Canyon

Actresses Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder came to Grand Canyon in late January to film a scene from Season 2 for the HBO series, “Hacks”. The production team applied for and received a permit to film near the Desert View Watchtower.

The National Park Service (NPS) and Grand Canyon National Park allows filming and photography, and depending on the project, the park may require a permit to address potential impacts on park resources and visitor activities. For more information on filming and photography at Grand Canyon, please visit our park website.

The Office of Communications, Partnerships, and External Affairs processes film permits in the park and monitors the productions to ensure legal compliance. Superintendent Ed Keable dropped by the set to observe the park’s film monitoring team (see photo above).

Grand Canyon Conservancy Field Institute offers 2022 classes

Grand Canyon Conservancy’s Field Institute has announced an exciting schedule of classes and guided hikes for 2022.

The institute provides amazing immersive and educational adventures at Grand Canyon—all officially designed and developed in partnership with Grand Canyon National Park. Whether you’re looking for a day hike for your family, a once-in-a-lifetime backpacking trip, or an educational class on outdoor photography, the Field Institute has a variety of programs designed to inspire everyone above and below the rim of Grand Canyon.

Fish of the Week podcast: Humpback Chub!

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently featured the Humpack Chub as the Fish of the Week on its weekly podcast.

While the Colorado River has been cutting dramatic canyons in the Southwest for millions of years, so too has a very special fish been carving its existence in those waters. It may be a bit odd-looking, but those looks have utility. Mike Pillow from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Arizona Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office joins Katrina and Guy to chat about the humpback chub.

To listen to the full episode on Apple podcasts, visit this site.

South Rim District Report available; Regional SET Team in the park next week

The week of February 14th, Grand Canyon law enforcement rangers and the regional Special Event Tactical (SET) Team will be conducting training at various locations throughout the Village. While the majority of training will occur away from public areas, they will be utilizing FMD and Headquarters in the evenings as well as the Grand Canyon School. You may occasionally see them in olive drab camouflage uniforms in other locations throughout the park.

The NPS regularly utilizes Special Event Tactical Teams (SETT). These are law enforcement teams that are structured, trained, equipped and deployed as a unit in a manner that creates a consistent regional and servicewide resource with the skills, abilities and expertise to provide a highly professional level of expertise during an incident.

The South Rim District Report is now available for the period ending on January 29.

Enchilada sale to support Grand Canyon 8th Graders this Saturday

This Saturday, February 12 there will be a Enchilada Sale Fundraiser that will benefit the 8th Grade Field Trip to Washington D.C. Show your support by calling ahead to order for pickup or delivery. There will also be a Mule Drop Bingo from 12-1 p.m.; prices are $10 per square with a $100 grand prize.

More information can be found in this flyer.

The vision of the Washington, D.C. field trip is to engage students as citizens in American Democracy. The mission is to provide every 8th grade student at Grand Canyon School an opportunity to capstone their 8th grade civics curriculum by engaging with locations that exhibit how people of the past and present change the world through the processes in American Democracy.

Valentine’s Day Grams at the Rec Center

This Valentine’s Day, the Grand Canyon Rec Center is sponsoring a Valentine’s Day Grams delivery on Monday, February 14. Send a personalized note and treat to your coworker, friend, or loved one and the Rec Center staff will hand deliver your message anywhere in the South Rim Village.

Stop by the Rec Center for more information or see the attached flyer here. For more events at the Grand Canyon Rec Center this month, check out their full schedule here.

Please note, new operational changes are highlighted in red.

South Rim

Lodging occupancy in the park is expected to be at or near capacity. Our concessioners are expecting a busy season ahead!

Xanterra

Delaware North

Other

Desert View

The following park closures remain in place:

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

Photo Credits (in order of appearance)