Throughout November, the NPS and Grand Canyon will be celebrating Native American Heritage Month. We gratefully acknowledge the Native peoples on whose ancestral homelands we gather, as well as the diverse and vibrant Native communities who make their home here today.
Recently, the affiliated tribes of Grand Canyon have been helping the park holistically address our history while we work collaboratively on the Desert View Inter-Tribal Cultural Heritage site.
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)
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.
Grand Canyon Recreation Center Ramada from 3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Flyers will be distributed on these events once guidance from the CDC on booster doses is finalized (hopefully by early next week).
Beginning Monday, October 18, National Park Service (NPS) fire managers will begin pile burning along the Hwy. 64 corridor on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.
Hand piles composed of woody debris are located along the Hwy. 64 corridor, north of the South Entrance Station and along Desert View Drive. Fire managers plan to continue igniting piles over the next several weeks when conditions are suitable to meet management objectives. 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.
Federal Workforce Vaccination for NPS Employees
As a reminder, November 22 is the deadline for federal employees to be fully vaccinated.
To meet the November 22 deadline, NPS employees must receive their first dose by October 11 if getting the Moderna vaccine or October 18 if getting the Pfizer vaccine
November 8 is the deadline for the second dose of both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, and for receiving the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine
By November 22, all federal employees must be fully vaccinated or actively working with their supervisor and HR on a reasonable accommodation request. More information can be found on the vaccine FAQ page on the Safer Federal Workforce website.
Indigenous People’s Day, October 11
This year we recognize Indigenous People’s Day on Monday, October 11. At Grand Canyon, park leadership continues to work on the Indian Affairs Strategy with positive feedback coming to us from our NPS colleagues in the Intermountain Region and Washington. The draft strategy is gaining traction to the point where the work we are doing may be shared at the Tribal Nations Summit being planned for the White House in November.
There will be virtual events held in recognition of Indigenous People’s day across the nation, and the city of Flagstaff is hosting an event on Monday, October 11 through a virtual platform. The event, titled Honoring the Four Sacred Elements of Life: Mother Earth, Father Sky, Grandparents Water and Fire, will be available on-line from 8:15 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Registration can be made in advance for this event is free and can be made by following this link. NPS Fire Archaeologist, Jason Nez, will be speaking at this event about Diné cultural relationships to Fire between 3:15-4:30 p.m.
A COVID and flu shot vaccination event will be held next Monday, October 4th from 3-5 p.m. at the Grand Canyon Rec Center Ramada. If there is inclement weather, the event will be held inside the Rec Center in the Piano Room. Please bring your vaccination card if you are seeking a second or third dose of the COVID vaccine. More information on this event can be found in the attached flyer.
A follow-up vaccination event will be held on Monday, November 1, for those individuals getting their first shot at the October vaccination event who need a second shot for full vaccination. The November 1 vaccination event will also take place from 3-5 p.m. at the Rec Center.
There are no updates on a North Rim vaccination event at this time.
This Saturday, September 25 will mark the 26th annual Condor Release at the Vermilion Cliffs as part of National Public Lands Day.
Due to high Covid-19 transmission levels in counties surrounding the condor release site, and to help prevent further spread of the virus, partners hosting the event are strongly encouraging the public to attend the live stream event online. In 2020, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the team took the celebration online with more than 10,000 viewers of the event. Because of that success, the event will be live streamed again this year.
The programming for the live virtual event will begin at 10:30 am (Arizona time). The release pen will be open at 11 a.m. (Arizona time).
The virtual event can be viewed here on the Peregrine Fund’s YouTube Channel.
On September 9, President Biden issued new Federal COVID vaccine guidance by Executive Order. While we don’t yet know the specifics of implementation, we do know that all federal employees, contractors and partners will be required to be vaccinated. According to the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force, “Federal Executive Branch employees must be fully vaccinated, except in limited circumstances where an employee is legally entitled to a reasonable accommodation. Agencies must work expeditiously so that their employees are fully vaccinated as quickly as possible and by no later than November 22, 2021.” The full document can be viewed here.
The purpose of this and related orders are to protect the American public, since COVID-19 continues to be spread in the US primarily by unvaccinated people, and because unfortunately, not enough people have been vaccinated to generate herd immunity to prevent the virus from mutating into new and more dangerous variants such as the Delta variant.
Specific guidance will be coming out soon on implementation of the vaccination requirement.
Park staff have been busy with Search and Rescues (SARs) recently. Unfortunately, many of these events have been recoveries for apparent suicides. Times continue to be full of turmoil and stress—please, take a moment to check in with loved ones and with yourself. Working in remote areas away from close family and friends can add additional challenges during an already stressful time.
We would like to thank all of the search and rescue personnel and additional searchers from many other work groups who helped with two major SARs in Surprise Valley and Hermit Trail. Luckily, in both instances, all visitors were transported safely to the South Rim. Additional thanks go to Arizona Department of Public Safety for their support during multiple SARs over the last few weeks.
Effective August 19, 2021, the National Park Service (NPS) is recommending consumers disinfect drinking water at the following locations: Manzanita Rest Area, Cottonwood Campground, Phantom Ranch, and the Bright Angel Campground.
Drinking water at these areas should be treated or boiled. These processes should be applied to water for any consumptive use including: drinking, making ice, preparing food, brushing teeth, and washing dishes.
