A Grand Lesson on the Grand Canyon
Two Very Different Perspectives from Two Very Similar Mustaches
By Caroline Langley
There is no place I’ve ever been that is more spectacular than the Grand Canyon. Prior to this summer, the landmark that calls to millions was a virgin sight to my nineteen year old eyes. The gentle slopes integrate with daunting cliffs as the deep reds of oxidized iron glitter beneath my hand lens. To many, this sight is a magical oasis to experience the natural world. Though the canyon attracts those from near and far to soak in its sights, a smaller group dares to take the plunge beneath the rim. I dove below surface in more ways than one, having hiked down to the Indian Gardens four and a half miles within the canyon as well as became enlightened on the politics of the park from some of the most informed sources.
We welcomed the rising sun over the Ten-X campground with French-pressed coffee and bed-head. As light began to flood the Kaibab Forest, a rental car weaved down the gravel path and approached the campsite. Our visitor marks the beginning of my Grand Canyon history lesson.
Roger Clark, the program director of the Grand Canyon Trust, is a man with many missions. A self proclaimed “west-coast kid,” the mustached former professor at UC Berkeley has deep ties with the canyon. After moving back west to finish college in Flagstaff, Clark “made it a life mission to know the canyon better.” If you ask me, he has done just that. On top of mastering trails which has allowed him to “play tour guide” to relatives, he has taken on a huge responsibility leading the Trust’s Grand Canyon Program. The Trust was formed in 1985 as a Regional Conservation Group. Though most tribes have an antagonistic view of Park Services, Clark has worked closely with many of the Native American tribes to preserve the land and prevent it from being used for mines or dams. He dubs himself “humbled and honored to work with Navajo women who said ‘hell no, you can’t do this.’”
While riding shotgun in Clark’s rental car, he told me more about the region’s mineralogy. He explained the effects of uranium mining on the region, which is used as fuel for nuclear power plants. Though the Trust has not taken a stance against nuclear power, they are against anything “unsafe, uneconomic, and ineffective.” There are no known alternatives for uranium, and an efficient way to deal with waste is still unknown.
Midway through our ride, Roger received a phone call from a Navajo lobbyist in Window Point. His conversation was brief, with respect to my presence, but his involvement with the native tribes was very apparent. Even as we drove, we listened to 88.1 FM, the Hopi Radio station that broadcasted a wide range of music. He affectionately cranked up the volume as a classic 70s pop song followed a traditional Hopi chant. “When the Navajo and the Hopi get together, they kick ass,” he said.
When we arrived at Lipan point, Roger pointed out the layer of lazy haze that draped over the canyon and obstructed our view of the distant formations. The plausible reasons include fires from California, but also pollution from the nearby Navajo Generating Station, the largest coal plant in the West. Luckily for me, two short hours later I found myself in a hard hat and safety glasses of that very plant.
Standing before me for the second time that day was a middle aged mustached man with information to share. This time, however, I was sitting at a brightly lit conference table an hour northeast of the Grand Canyon. Photography was not allowed. Before delving into a Powerpoint presentation offering an overview of the plant, we were first introduced to two NGS employees. After explaining their roles as a fire protector and an engineer, the manager spoke the truth that seemed to be on all of our minds. “Sometimes people think the public is out here just shoveling coal, but these jobs are much more than that.”
The Navajo Nation recently published a press release that revealed that 52 percent of their population is unemployed. Coal, like that mined at the NGS, is an absolute “economic necessity for the tribe.” The NGS was established in the early 1970s and is managed by the Salt River Project. Its output is near 2,250 mega-watts, and provides power for nearly 3 million people. It was built as an power alternative to a dam in the Grand Canyon, and in the opinion of the manager, the NGS “saved the Grand Canyon.”
A job at the NGS is not easy to obtain, nor is it easy to maintain. All 520 employees are put through a competitive application process, and even more challenging training courses that further weed out. For example, last year there were over 1,000 applicants for 30 jobs. 90 percent of these employees are Navajo, and oftentimes generations of family members are all employed by the plant. One employee even shared a very personal anecdote. After becoming pregnant in high school, she worked extremely hard to succeed in the challenging trade courses required by the NGS. Now, she is well into her 11th year manning the control room. “I just wanted to make money for me and my baby,” she said.
“I enjoy my job here, this is a good company to work for,” another employee boasts. Though the environmental effects are highly controversial and debated, the NGS’s positive influence on the lives of its employees is pretty undeniable. The manager himself realizes this controversy, and ended our tour with some words of wisdom.
“We’re all gonna have to work together to change the mindset and think about the longterm rather than the short term,” he said.
The struggle between man and nature is as old as time itself, and evaluating the value of one compared to the other is challenging. “I do care about recreation, air pollution, and the Grand Canyon, but I’ve come to appreciate the value of a job. It’s about finding a win-win,” NGS manager said.
Like him, I agree that my generation can be ambassadors for change. For this to happen, education about alternative energy sources needs to be more available and digestible.
As this is occurring, there is also a level of respect that needs to be maintained between contradicting parties, which I truly saw exemplified by Roger and the NGS manager for one another. Both men realized that the other was just trying to do his job, and what he believed to be right. In some ways, they were two sides of the same coin. Right down to appearances, the similarities other than point of view in the situation were uncanny. Both were very educated and compassionate men with good intentions.
Margaret Mead once said, “never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” From her words, I hope my peers find inspiration. It is true that we are a group of capable individuals. In my life, my largest desire is to find something that makes me so happy or so mad that I have to let the world know about it. Passion is the catalyst for all change, and I encourage everyone to go search the world to find something that evokes passion in them. It is when this occurs that we truly find our purpose in life.
