Grand Canyon National Park
Key Messages – Week of October 25, 2021
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Booster Doses for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are now authorized for Certain Populations
This new CDC guidance allows individuals to choose which type of vaccine booster they receive, allowing for mixing and matching of vaccines, subject to that vaccine’s timing and eligibility recommendations for booster doses.
Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson booster doses are now available for eligible individuals through Coconino County Health and Human Services. Check the County Health Department webpage or your health care provider to see if you are eligible for the booster.
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Arizona and Grand Canyon Community Statistics
Case numbers in Arizona increased this week to 2,572 new cases per day compared to last week’s average of 2,222. As of Tuesday, there have been a total of 255 cases in the 86023 zip code since the beginning of the pandemic. Of those, approximately 67 cases are in the park. Coconino County reports the Grand Canyon community is 72.1% vaccinated as of October 22.
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Clinic Update
Beginning Monday, November 1, there will be an interior improvement project at the Grand Canyon Clinic. The project is expected to last two months and involves repainting, refinishing of floors and other interior improvements throughout the facility.
While the clinic will remain open throughout the project, patients will see certain areas closed off, and there will be obvious signs of interior renovation work.
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Vaccine Events in Tusayan and Grand Canyon
On Monday, November 1, Coconino County Health and Human services will be holding two COVID-19 and flu vaccine events in the community. Similar to previous events, no registration is required ahead of time.
- Tusayan (behind the IMAX Theater) from 12:00 p.m.-2 p.m. (flyer here)
- Grand Canyon Recreation Center Ramada from 3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. (full flyer here)
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Reporting COVID symptoms is critical to limiting exposure and keeping our staff and community safe.
If you think you may have been exposed to COVID, regardless of your vaccination status, immediately isolate and report your situation to your supervisor and Public Health Consultant, Ronan King, and await their instructions.
Following this protocol and Ronan’s instructions is extremely important so that any community spread can be contained as quickly as possible.
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Public Health Contacts
Ronan King, Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Public Health Service
For all email correspondence, please also cc: Chris Glime, Captain, U.S. Public Health Service
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Messages and Grand Canyon News
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Prescribed Burns Planned for South Rim as Early as November 8
Fire managers at Grand Canyon are currently in planning discussions for initiating prescribed burns on the South Rim beginning as early as Monday, November 8. More information will be sent out through a press release and social media posts within the coming days from the park’s Public Affairs Office.
Three units near the southern boundary of the park are planned to be burned, totaling an area of 2,182 acres. These units, referred to as ‘Lonetree Rx,’ ‘Grapevine,’ and Rx300, were last treated with prescribed fire between 2006-2007. All three units are expected to have smoke impacts to the Town of Tusayan and along the Hwy. 64 corridor and Desert View Drive. For a map of these three burn units, please reference the shaded areas on this linked vicinity map . Smoke will be visible within the area and traffic signs will be posted along the roadway advising the public of the operations. If traveling along Hwy. 64, motorists are asked to be prepared for slower traffic and minor delays near treatment areas.
Prescribed fire plays 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.
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October 24-October 31 is BAT WEEK!
Bat week is an annual celebration designed to raise awareness about the need for bat conservation. Bats are amazing creatures that are vital to the health of our natural world and economy.
Grand Canyon National Park is an important refuge for the 22 bat species that live here. Different bat species prefer different roost locations, but common roosts in the Grand Canyon include ponderosa pines, caves, human structures, and cracks in cliff sides. Additionally, before the Grand Canyon was a National Park, it was home to many copper, gold, and uranium mines. Now these abandoned mines make excellent habitat for many bat species.
Although we may not always see them, bats are hard at work each night – eating tons of insects, pollinating flowers, and spreading seeds that grow new plants and trees. More information on bats at Grand Canyon will be provided in the weekly wrap up and updated through our social media channels this week.
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NPS Interpretation Updates
Visitor Center Information Desk Changes to Fall Schedule
The outdoor information table, staffed by park rangers outside Grand Canyon Visitor Center, has changed operating hours; now open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday through Monday (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays). The Visitor Center building remains closed at this time. During holiday weeks, Thanksgiving (Nov 18 to 29), and Christmas/New Year’s (Dec 16 to Jan 3) the table will be staffed seven days per week.
South Rim Village Ranger Program Schedule for fall.
Starting this week, there will be an 11 a.m. ranger program offered Thursday through Monday at the Yavapai Point Amphitheater (300 ft/ 90 m east of Yavapai Geology Museum). The topics of the programs are chosen by the rangers and there is a different presentation each day.
Visitors can check on the day’s topic at the Visitor Center outdoor information desk. At this time no programs are offered on Tuesdays or Wednesdays due to staffing levels. There may be additional ranger programs presented during the holidays.
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Mental Health First Aid Class to be Offered in Tusayan on November 18
MHFA is an 8-hour course that teaches individuals how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. The training provides the skills needed to provide initial help and support to someone until appropriate professional help or other assistance can be engaged.
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Grand Canyon Community Corner
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Safety Reminder!
This upcoming weekend there are many community events taking place in and around Grand Canyon.
For all these community events, remember to drive slow in residential neighborhoods and be mindful of the fact there will be increased pedestrian traffic, especially at nighttime.
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North Country Healthcare Health and Wellness Fall Festival-October 29 from 3-6 p.m.
- Held at the Grand Canyon Rec Center, this event will allow you to explore all of the healthcare services and programs available to you and your family.
- Costumes are encouraged.
- Offerings include: affordable health insurance assistance, behavioral health, free dental screenings, fun activity stations, balloon artists, face painting, and much more!
- See this full flyer for additional information.
Community Bike Ride-October 30 at 10 a.m.
- Join your local community for a short bike ride (1.8 miles) through the residential neighborhoods in Grand Canyon Village. Costumes are encouraged!
- See this flyer for additional information.
Halloween Carnival-October 30 from 2-5 p.m.
- Grand Canyon School will once again host the annual Halloween Carnival at the Grand Canyon School. The event will be held from 2-5 p.m. and the cost is .25 cents. Costumes are encouraged.
- See this flyer for additional information.
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Tusayan ‘Trunk or Treat’-October 30 from 5-7 p.m.
- The Town of Tusayan and the South Rim Chamber of Commerce will once again be hosting a ‘Trunk or Treat’ event on Saturday, October 30 from 5-7 p.m. in the parking lot in front of Tusayan Fire Department.
- All sizes of vehicles are welcome and to reserve a trunk space, participants can contact the Town of Tusayan at: 928-638-9909.
- See this full flyer for additional information.
Special Evening Program/Film Premiere-October 30 at 6 p.m.
- Erin Reynolds, Artist in Residence, will be presenting a special evening program at the McKee Amphitheater at 6 pm. She will be premiering a film that she created during her residency here.
- The film includes a dance work inspired by the Grand Canyon landscape, and integrates human movement into the environment “in a sustainable and conscientious way emphasizing place.”
- See this flyer for additional information.
Trick-or-Treating-October 31 from 4-6 p.m.
- For trick-or-treating this year, as in previous years, NPS Rangers will be staffed in and around Park Circle on Halloween (October 31).
- Park Circle will be closed to all non-residential traffic and suggested hours are from 4-6 p.m. for all trick-or-treating activities.
- These hours are suggested in order to ensure resident’s and children’s safety in periods of low light or darkness.
- See this flyer for additional information.
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Current Operational Hours
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South Rim
Xanterra
- Maswik Lodge Cafeteria, 6:30 a.m.-8 p.m.
- Bright Angel Fountain and Coffee House, 7 a.m.-6 p.m.
- Fred Harvey Burger, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
- Xanterra Food Truck, 11:30 am-3:30 pm.
Delaware North
- Yavapai Lodge Tavern and Patio, 12-9 p.m.
- Yavapai Lodge Coffee Shop, 6 a.m.-1 p.m.
- Canyon Village Market, 7 a.m.-8 p.m., Deli-7 a.m.-2 p.m.
Other
- Bright Angel Bikes, Rentals: 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Cafe: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Grand Canyon Visitor Center information table: 9 a.m.-4 p.m, Thursday-Monday.
- Grand Canyon Conservancy stores (Kolb Studio, Verkamps Visitor Center, Visitor Center Plaza, and Yavapai Geology Museum), 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily.
Desert View
- Desert View Trading Post Coffee and Ice Cream and Market, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily
- Desert View Watchtower, staffed by GCC Saturday-Wednesday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The Watchtower will be closed to the public on Thursdays and Fridays.
- Desert View Information Table (staffed by NPS)- Most days will still be staffed from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., however, due to staffing levels, some days will only be staffed from 12:30-5 p.m.
North Rim
- General Store, Tuesday-Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (while supplies last)
- Self-serve gas station (credit/debit card only)
- North Rim Backcountry Information Center, daily 8 a.m.-12 p.m., 1-5 p.m., will close for the season November 1
The following park closures remain in place:
- South Rim Visitor Center (indoors)
- Headquarters Information Desk
- Yavapai Lodge Restaurant
- Maswik Pizza Pub and the Arizona Steakhouse
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Photo Credits (in order of appearance)
- Two desert bighorn sheep on the South Rim on 10/23 (NPS Photo/J. Baird)
- Aspens during a snowstorm on the North Rim (NPS Photo/M. Jenkins)
- 2019 Long Jim prescribed fire on the South Rim, as seen from the air (NPS Photo)
- Big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) photo (NPS Photo/E. Hope)
- Interpretive ranger, Rader Lane, gives a geology program at the Yavapai Ampihtheater (NPS Photo/M. Quinn)
- 2019 Tusayan ‘Trunk or Treat’ event with the NPS ambulance, a responder, and minions (NPS Photo)
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