You reach the wide, flat area and decide to take a break after hiking six miles into The Grand Canyon. After shrugging off your backpack, you take a deep breath and look around, noticing lizards darting in and out of small foliage, a lazy snake sunning on a rock, and you hear the roar of The Colorado River, still further down. If you want this beautiful scene preserved, take action to stop commercial development in and around The Grand Canyon.
“Over 90 species of mammals call Grand Canyon National Park home” (National Park Service par. 1), as well as a variety of plants and non-mammals. The Grand Canyon contains almost every biome on the west side of The Mississippi River, and as such, contains great biodiveristy, from native Bighorn Sheep to the Collard Lizard, and even a species of Tortoise! Many species in the Canyon, however, are endangered, and some only found in the Grand Canyon Park. New construction may endanger these fragile ecosystems, and as a result, could cause the extinction of several species. Animals are not the only thing that are put in danger by construction and new buildings. There are plentiful ruins from Native Americans in and around the canyon, and until there was a national park, natives lived inside The Grand Canyon. “Archeologist gain information and data that will allow a better understanding of the peoples who called the canyon home” (National Park Service par. 15), and if these historic sites are destroyed, then we may never know that certain regions of the canyon were even inhabitable without modern technology. Many current Native Americans consider these ruins to be heritage sites, too. Native Americans still live in the lands surrounding The Grand Canyon, and consider parts of the canyon to be sacred. There are many monuments and places that are considered sacred, and commercialism may damage or destroy these sacred places, by building tourist attractions. One of these sites where a tram running to the canyon floor is proposed, is also “a sacred site, where the rivers meet just inside the national park boundary and where Navajo tradition holds that the tribe emerged into the world” (Loomis par. 8). The same article later goes on to describe these plans as turning parts of the canyon, some sacred, into an amusement park. This introduction of commercialism and tourism into parts of The Grand Canyon and the surrounding lands endangers animals, plants, historic sites or grounds that are sacred to Native Americans. Commercialism in The Grand Canyon will have very few positive effects, which is significantly outweighed by all the negative effects. Works Cited United States. National Park Service. “Mammals.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, www.nps.gov/grca/learn/nature/mammals.htm. United States. National Park Service. “Reptiles.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, www.nps.gov/grca/learn/nature/reptiles.htm United States. National Park Service. “Grand Canyon River Archaeology, Introduction.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, www.nps.gov/features/grca/001/archeology/index.html. Loomis, Brandon. “Long-Debated Grand Canyon Escalade Project, with Tram, Hotels, Will Get Hearing.” Azcentral, AZCentral, 31 Aug. 2016, www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-investigations/2016/08/30/navajos- considering-legislation-approve-grand-canyon-escalade-project/89600236/.
1 Comment
hope lowden
2/16/2017 09:45:39 am
The Grand Canyon is a major tourist attraction in the United States. It created7 361 jobs in 2011 alone, all thanks to commercialism. More commercialism, buildings, and such things will create more tourism, more money, and even more jobs, and it will benefit Arizona and the rest of the country in many different ways.
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