Pile Burning begins west of South Entrance Road on Friday, January 20; smoke will be visible

Beginning Friday, January 20, National Park Service (NPS) fire managers will begin a large pile burn approximately one mile west of the Hwy. 64 corridor on the South Rim near mile marker 239 (Vann Avenue, also known as the W-1 service road).

Multiple large piles composed of woody debris have been collected over the last year from thinning projects and Firewise initiatives throughout the South Rim residential areas. Fire managers anticipate smoke may last at least a month or longer. Prior to implementing the burns, fire managers will evaluate current conditions and will only begin ignition if the prescribed fire conditions are within allowable environmental parameters.

Smoke will be visible within the area and traffic signs will be posted along the roadway advising visitors of the operations. Prescribed fires play an important role in decreasing risks to life, resources, and property. Fire managers carefully plan prescribed fires, initiating them only under environmental conditions that are favorable to assuring firefighter and visitor safety and to achieving the desired objectives. Prescribed fire objectives include reducing accumulations of hazard fuels, maintaining the natural role of fire in a fire-adapted ecosystem, and protection of sensitive cultural and natural resources.

South Rim Seminar slated for Monday, January 23 featuring Kelkiyana Yazzie

The Interpretation and Resource Education Division is excited to announce the next South Rim Seminar on Monday, Jan. 23, from 12-1 p.m., in-person at the Shrine of the Ages Auditorium. We’ll be learning about “Cultural Connections to the Canyon,” with Diné tribal member and Park Ranger, Kelkiyana Yazzie. This event was rescheduled from December due to weather.  

South Rim Seminar is a new brown bag gathering offered to all internal GRCA colleagues and friends. These will be monthly lunch-time events hosted by different divisions throughout the park to share what they are working on and connect with colleagues across work units. These presentations are open to the public.

If you have any questions, feedback, or would like to present a future session, please contact Kylie Caesar at: Kylie_Caesar@nps.gov.

South Rim District Reports available

See what South Rim Patrol was up to in December by reading the last TWO South Rim District reports here:

• South Rim District Report-ending 12-31-2022
• South Rim District Report-ending 01-14-2023

Leadership Spotlight!

Grace Lily 

Permits Specialist 

Commercial Services Division

While in college, I had the opportunity to be a STEP hire at Mount St Helens with the USFS and fell in love with volcanos and sharing nature’s wonders with visitors. I continued to work seasonally for Interp and Education at Zion, Yosemite, Joshua Tree, and Everglades. I had a blast giving tours underground, on trams and shuttle buses, wading through rivers of grass, guiding hikes, giving evening programs, exploring nature and singing with kids. I landed my first permanent position at Mojave National Preserve and I was lucky enough to adopt my fur baby Ollie. We moved out to the big canyon together and he has been my best bud ever since. I have been fortunate enough to have some really wonderful coworkers and friends in this GRCA community who have given me wonderful opportunities to learn and widen my career. I started as a Park Guide, detailed as the Cultural Demonstration program manager, and was a lead Park Ranger supervising seasonal staff before I started my position in the Village.

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

I have worked at GRCA for just over 5 years and just transferred from Desert View to work for Commercial Services in the Village. I now manage the Special Use Permits (SUP) Program for the park, but also work closely with the Permits team who process Commercial Use Authorizations (CUA) as well. Special Park Uses are something I have been very interested in learning more about and was lucky enough to have the opportunity to be in this position to learn new things and I am enjoying contributing to GRCA in a different way than I have in the past.

What have you enjoyed the most about working and/or living at GRCA so far?

What I love most about living and working here are the amazing opportunities that we have to learn more, train with, and gain new skills with other divisions and districts. I feel that we are our best when we can collaborate and learn from others. I greatly appreciate the flexibility I have been afforded more here than any other park I’ve worked at, to be able to share my interest, talents and learn from others. One of programs I am so grateful to be a part of and help contribute to is the FLO program under the Emergency Services branch. Family Liaison officers help assist families going through an unexpected crisis in typically an unfamiliar place, often without a nearby support system. FLOs step in to help with logistics for the family in an immediate crisis and provide them a direct communication link to the incident commander. It can be challenging, but it is also extremely rewarding knowing you can help assist families when they need it the most.

Where is your favorite vacation spot?

As I have lived and worked in the SW for almost a decade now, I’d have to say my favorite vacation spot is Utah. They have so much BLM land to explore with Ollie, beautiful wet canyon hikes filled with golden cottonwoods in the fall, and there are so many wonderful little gems scattered around UT. Recently, I’ve had family abroad and had the opportunity to visit the southern coast of Italy and Sicily and fell in love the beaches, volcanoes, and food there. It’s my favorite spot outside of the US!

Native Taco sale January 27 at Grand Canyon School

Support the Grand Canyon School 8th Grade Washington D.C. Field Trip by grabbing a native taco on Friday, January 27. Sales will begin at 11 a.m. at the school cafeteria until sold out with pre-order/delivery available.

For more information, see the attached flyer here.

Live entertainment with Nick Moody January 27-28

Xanterra announces country artist, Nick Moody, will be performing two nights on the South Rim next weekend.

On Friday, January 27, Nick Moody will perform at the Maswik Pizza Pub from 4-8 p.m. and on Saturday, January will perform at the Fred Harvey Tavern from 6-9 p.m.

Anyone under 21 can attend, however, no one under 21 can sit at the bar. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. For more information, see the full flyers for each event here.