Grand Canyon Weekly Wrap-up: Jan. 31-Feb. 4, 2022

COVID News

Parkwide Pandemic Decisions and Plans

We have received several questions on how park managers make decisions and plans associated with the pandemic. We have been sharing information weekly since early in the pandemic and we have also decided to rebroadcast some of these plans on a regular basis to ensure employees and community members stay informed.

Superintendent Ed Keable established an Adaptive Management Park Operations (AMPO) Team in May 2020; this team replaced the Incident Management Team that acting Superintendent Mary Risser established at the beginning of the pandemic. Between them, these two teams have met weekly for the entire pandemic. This team now includes members of multiple divisions across the park to ensure that a wide range of disciplines are included in the discussions.

The guidance and metrics the park follows is directed by guidance from the Department of the Interior (DOI) and is supplemented by the NPS Washington Office (WASO). DOI first stated in late 2020 that NPS would follow the COVID-19 community transmission metric for the county where we reside. The only change to this direction has been when WASO directed all NPS units to recognize higher restrictions due to COVID spikes across the country (WASO’s reasoning was that NPS units have visitors from all over the country and therefore local community transmission is not a sufficient measure of our exposure).

The AMPO recommended to the superintendent in summer 2021, and Ed agreed, to adjust the regularity of these meetings based on the community transmission. Therefore, during times of Substantial or High community transmission, we will meet weekly. During times of Moderate transmission, we will meet once every two weeks, and if it is Low, we will meet as needed. Thus far the only time this has affected our meeting scheduled was in early July 2021, just before the Delta variant appeared in the United States. Since mid-July 2021, the community transmission has been High, and we have met weekly.

The AMPO receives questions and requests to adjust operations from park staff, concessioners, contractors, and other park community members. This team discusses these requests thoroughly, applies the various metrics provided by the CDC, the Department, and the NPS and makes recommendations to me. I then make operational decisions. So far, we have been able to reach consensus on every question that the AMPO has received.

Williams Vaccine and Booster Event-February 11

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, including a flyer will be available in next week’s newsletter on this event.

Clinic Update

This week, the Grand Canyon Clinic reported 15 new COVID-19 cases, none of which were severe cases. Testing without an office visit remains available on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Friday and patients should call ahead to schedule. There are currently no saliva or rapid tests available.

At last Saturday’s vaccine booster event, 38 doses were administered. The clinic does not anticipate hosting large-scale vaccine events in the near future. This may change based on local vaccine demands. For the time being, the clinic will continue to offer COVID-19 booster and full doses on the third Thursday of each month.

Arizona and Grand Canyon Community Statistics

Case numbers in Arizona decreased this week to 14,763 new cases per day compared to last week’s average of 20,634 per day. It is great to see a decline from the week before, however, this is the third highest weekly seven-day rolling average we have had since the pandemic started. So, while the decline is good news, we have to remember that the current surge is still very real.

Coconino County is reporting 400 cases in the 86023 zip code. We have had approximately 177 total cases in the park since March 2020.

Coconino County reports the Grand Canyon community is 72.3% fully vaccinated as of January 28.

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

‘Minute Out In It’ Concludes After One Year

Every Sunday at 5 p.m. for the past year, a short clip titled, “Minute Out In It” has been posted to the park’s Facebook and YouTube channels. These clips were the creation of Interpretation Ranger, Rader Lane, who filmed these segments at various locations throughout the park. Now, one year later, we recognize Rader’s accomplishments and would like to share the exciting news that these videos are now available on the NPS webpage as well as the park’s YouTube playlist.

“For me, half of my intention with this project was to have some sort of creative outlet during these strange times; something classic, evergreen, consistent. Something wholly unremarkable yet comforting in its simplicity. Something to combat the uncertainty.” said Rader. “The other half was to dip my toes in the digital world and explore to what extent we ought to be focusing on it, versus facilitating real experiences in the park…It’s also just been fascinating to look back on the year through the camera lens. There are amazing things that happen in this park everyday; it’s uplifting to think that this collection is only the tiniest snippet of our collective experience.”

Many thanks to Rader and the Interpretation Division in supporting and creating these wonderful and thought-provoking videos throughout the past year! We hope these videos lift you up and make you feel more connected to this special place.

Phantom Ranch Wastewater

Treatment Plant construction staging beginning next week

Beginning Feb. 8, the first phase of short-term repairs and upgrades to the Phantom Ranch Wastewater Treatment Plant will begin. 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. Residents may also see and hear an increase in helicopter flights over the South Rim in order to support this project. This will include occasional use of heavy-lift helicopters such as Chinooks and K-Max’s to haul supplies and equipment.

Xanterra Operations during construction periods

As a result of the various construction projects set to occur over the next few years in the inner canyon, including the Phantom wastewater treatment plant and trans-canyon waterline projects, this past week Xanterra announced it is pausing lottery entries and bookings for Phantom Ranch overnight mule rides beginning January 1, 2023 and hiker cabins for stays arriving May 1, 2023 onward. These projects are not anticipated to impact the 2022 season.

Xanterra plans on keeping the window service available at the Canteen during most of the construction period. As more information becomes available Xanterra may adjust its operations accordingly. Portions of the Bright Angel Trail are anticipated to be closed at different times throughout the project and we will be keeping everyone apprised of trail schedules and the project planning progresses.

Inter-Tribal Working Group meeting held this week

The park hosted the Inter-tribal Working Group (ItWG) for a virtual meeting on Tuesday, February 1. Twenty-five plus participants from Grand Canyon’s Associated Tribes spent most of the day working with our team on the current planning efforts for Desert View and beginning to vision for the next five years of the Inter-Tribal Working Group Strategic Plan.

Thank you to Vicky Stinson for briefing the group on the status of the Desert View construction project, to the Interpretation Division for presenting plans for interpretive programming into the future, and to the Office of Communications, Partnerships, and External Affairs for planning this meeting, especially Mike Lyndon. More updates on these programs will be provided in the near future.

In the meantime, to view construction progress of the Desert View InterTribal Cultural Heritage Site, check out the park’s new Flickr album here.

Chris Clark Saddle Dedication & Farewell

Chris Clark who worked as the lead NPS Animal Packer for the past 8 years recently left the park for another opportunity.

As an appreciation for all of his work with the Trails program and the inner canyon operations, Clark was presented with his saddle at an informal ceremony this week by Grand Canyon Conservancy CEO, Theresa McMullan and Superintendent, Ed Keable. Many thanks to Chris Clark for his many years of dedicated service to the NPS and Grand Canyon National Park!

Native Burger Fundraiser to support Grand Canyon 8th Graders this Saturday

This Saturday, February 5 there will be a Native Burger Sale Fundraiser that will benefit the 8th Grade Field Trip to Washington D.C. Show your support by calling ahead to order. 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.

Coyote in South Rim Area

South Rim Village residents may have noticed an odd-looking coyote roaming around neighborhoods, as well as the historic village and the rim. This coyote is missing a lot of fur due to a type of mange, likely sarcoptic mange caused by a mite infestation, which is a common problem for coyotes. She has been surviving this way for some time and is being monitored by park biologists. Sightings do not need to be reported unless the animal is acting aggressively toward people or has visible injuries. Reports can be sent to: brandon_holton@nps.gov.

Please, DO NOT feed her or any other wildlife. Make sure your trash is secure. Human food should never be a part of a coyote’s diet—it can change their gut flora which impacts their nutrition, immune function and even their behavior. Coyotes can be indiscriminate eaters and may swallow non-food items, causing even more issues.

Keep wildlife and humans safe by maintaining a safe distance and properly dispose all trash.

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.

Coconino County Renewable Energy Virtual Open House

For those of you who have residences or property outside of the park within Coconino County, there will be a virtual open house live on Feb 9 from 2-3 p.m. to provide information on a proposed renewable energy ordinance.

More information can be found at https://coconinocounty.konveio.con/reo-openhouse or in the attached flyer.

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)