Plastic Water Bottle Ban at Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon, AZ.   Every one of us can make a difference by making small changes to better the environment.  This past week,  Grand Canyon National Park passed a plan to ban the sales of individual plastic water bottles at the park.  The park's plan calls for the elimination of the sale of water packaged in individual disposable containers of less than one gallon, including plastic bottles and various types of boxes.  The waste associated with disposable bottles comprises an estimated 20 percent of the park's overall waste stream and 30 percent of the park's recyclables.

 The park has seen an increased amount of trash along the rim trails and strewn about the inner canyon.  Seeing trash can diminish the experience of enjoying the view from the rim and the overall experience of visitors to the park.  With close to 5 million annual visitors to the canyon, it is so important to practice Leave No Trace and dispose of waste properly!  To read more about the plan, click here.

Next time you visit the Grand Canyon, be sure to bring your reusable water bottle.  Better yet, every time you are outdoors, make a difference by using a reusable water bottle!    

Respect the Resource...Kate and Tracy

Celebrate Wildlife...Grand Canyon Style!

We spent Saturday at the second annual Celebrate Wildlife festivities at Grand Canyon National Park.  The event also honored the work of biologist Eric York, who dedicated his life to the study of wildlife in Grand Canyon and National Park and around the world.  We encouraged park visitors to let us know how they Respect Wildlife.  There were some very thoughtful responses that ranged from "carry out your trash please" to "don't chase them" to "take pictures from far away".  We also saw some creative answers like "veggies are better" and "keep your coins, don't throw them in the canyon".   But one of the most insightful ideas came from a teenager who very seriously wrote "wildlife is our past and our future, we've got to preserve it!"   There are many ways to Respect Wildlife, so we pose the question to you :

                                               HOW DO YOU RESPECT WILDLIFE? 

Safe Travels...Kate and Tracy