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The following article is from the July 1998 issue of the Colorado Plateau Advocate Express,
a publication of the GRAND CANYON TRUST.
Creating a Sustainable Future for Grand CanyonGrand Canyon Trust and eight national environmental organizations have joined forces in an unprecedented coalition to help create a state-of-the-art gateway community for Grand Canyon National Park. The coalition is supporting Alternative H, one of eight growth management alternatives presented in the Environmental Impact Statement for Tusayan Growth (EIS), just released by the U.S. Forest Service. The coalition is backing Alternative H as the only environmentally-sustainable and state of the art approach for dealing with growth pressures, demands for water, and land use alternatives in Tusayan and the national park. Organizations in the coalition include: Grand Canyon Trust, Natural Resources Defense Council (NDRC), National Parks and Conservation Association (NPCA), The Wilderness Society, Environmental Defense Fund, American Rivers, Scenic America, Global Environmental Options, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The coalition is calling on the U.S. Forest Service to select the "environmental alternative" -- Alternative H -- as the growth management solution for the Grand Canyon, the only alternative that fully addresses conservation concerns related to growth near Grand Canyon. Our most critical concerns about the unchecked continuation of current growth patterns in the region are:
A long with the five million visitors who come to marvel and recreate at this World Heritage Site every year come a host of typically urban problems: long lines of cars snaking their way through the park and competing for limited parking; increased demand for community and visitor facilities in and outside the park; and a sterile strip- mall of hotels, convenience stores and trinket shops along the highway leading into the park. Like many of the country's national parks, Grand Canyon is suffering the effects of very rapid, poorly planned and poorly managed growth. With visitation expected to grow to at least seven million people annually by 2010, pressures on the park will only increase. The U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service and Coconino County have been studying the idea of a land exchange -- trading federal land near the park's entrance for private land inholdings scattered throughout the adjacent Kaibab National Forest -- to address these growth pains in a way that meets the public's interests. An exchange would provide land for development of a masterplanned gateway community with new light rail transportation facilities. visitor and employee accommodations, world- class interpretive services, and a host of sorely needed community facilities. The first set of land exchange alternatives presented by the Forest Service last summer did not adequately address the full array of environmental concerns. So, the Trust, NDRC and NPCA stepped out of our more traditional roles as commentators on such proposals and became active players, working with the proponents of Canyon Forest Village (CFV) to craft a proposal -- Alternative H -- that has the exact features we wanted in an alternative.
7 Reasons to Support Alternative H
The Time to Act is NowAt question now is whether the Forest Service will select Alternative H in the final decision of the EIS process. The final of the the has just been released for six weeks of public review and comment, and Alternative H was NOT selected as the Preferred Alternative. After this comment period, the agency will analyze public input and make its decision about which alternative will be implemented. The next 45 days are critical in determining how development will occur near Grand Canyon into the 21st century. Will the depressing spiral of haphazard, sprawling development, indiscriminate resource use, and lack of concern for area employees continue? Or is it possible instead to protect the natural resources of Grand Canyon at the same time we meet the needs of those who visit and live here? We urge all Grand Canyon Trust members to let the Forest Service know that Alternative H is the best solution for the protection of Grand Canyon into the 21st century This is the last opportunity the American public has to influence how development occurs near one of our most treasured places It is imperative that the national interest be accounted for in this landmark decision. The Forest Service most hear loud and clear by SEPTEMBER 2, 1998 that they most choose a plan that protects the canyon's seeps and springs, and creates an environmentally sustainable gateway community. To provide your comments, mail in the attached coupon, see Make Your Voice Heard, or check out our free auto-fax feature on our website at www.grandcanyontrust.org.
Alternative H in ConceptAlternative H would exchange 282 acres of National Forest land for about 2200 acres of private land scattered throughout the Kaibab National Forest. In comparison to Alternative G. which the Forest Service has preliminarilv identified as its Preferred Alternative, Alternative H calls for an additional 2 acres of land, 320 hotel rooms and 50.000 sq it of commercial retail. The larger commercial component of Alternative H is required to offset the higher costs of the hauled water system and state-of-the-art conservation features. These few differences in size and scale are a minor trade off for the tremendous benefits found in Alternative H. | MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD |
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To have your comments formally considered in the decision making process send them to: Conny Frisch Forest Supervisor; Kaibab National Forest; 800 S. 6th Street; Williams, Ariz.; 86046. Comments must be postmarked by September 2, 1998.
Call or write the following people,
Senator John McCain,
Senator Jon Kyl,
Undersecretary of Agriculture Jim Lyons,
U. S. Forest Service Chief Mike Dombeck,
Regional Forester Eleanor Towns,
Superintendent Rob Arnberger,
Chairman Tom Chabin,
Ordering the EIS |
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