Grand Canyon Conservancy

Science programming at Grand Canyon national park - dark skies: in 2019, Grand Canyon received certification as an international dark sky park, a project which is currently at 78% compliance, with the anticipation of being at 85% by end of 2023. The park's primary focus has been to retrofit the north rim and phantom ranch areas. To date, approximately 380 retrofits have been completed at the north rim and a contract was awarded to complete the remaining 150 retrofits; this work was completed in december 2022. Nearly 60 light fixtures at phantom ranch have been retrofitted. Gcc funding also supported 134 dark sky events at the park in 2022, connecting 15,000 visitors to Grand Canyon's night skies. The 32nd annual Grand Canyon star party took place in june. One of the largest night sky festivals in the national park service, star party welcomed 9,264 visitors over 8 nights. The event included 51,816 contacts between astronomer telescopes and visitors. 122 volunteer astronomers donated 2,652 hours. 24 backcountry interpretation programs took place at havasupai gardens and phantom ranch, reaching 530 attendees. The park offered 36 evening programs on the south rim in 2022 focused on constellations, cultural astronomy, nocturnal wildlife, and light pollution, reaching about 2,700 people.kaibab plateau herd bison transfer: due to overpopulation, the national park service is working to reduce the size of the kaibab plateau herd from over 800 to under 200 by 2025. These efforts will protect park resources such as vegetation, water, and archaeological sites. In september 2022, Grand Canyon wildlife managers and staff successfully relocated 58 bison from the north rim. All bison were transferred to the intertribal buffalo council, who transported the animals to the Iowa tribe of Oklahoma and the cheyenne river sioux tribe of south dakota. Nps interdisciplinary river trip: in november 2022, staff from multiple nps divisions embarked on a trip to monitor and manage the impacts of climate change and visitor usage along the Colorado river. River corridor archaeological sites were monitored to ensure that natural and visitor-caused impacts were identified and mitigated. Seven archaeological sites underwent treatment. The Colorado river management plan campsite monitoring program assessed 137 documented river camps. Rehabilitation work occurred at six camps. Extensive garbage was removed from the river's edge. Colorado river and fisheries: the Grand Canyon national park native fish ecology and conservation program is responding to the growing threat of smallmouth bass and other warm-water non-native fish in the Colorado river. The unprecedented low level of lake powell is allowing these fish to "pass through" the turbines at glen Canyon dam and breed in the glen Canyon reach. The presence of these non-native fish in the Grand Canyon is a major concern and could result in negative impacts to native species such as the humpback chub, which is currently listed under the endangered species act as threatened. Through generous donations, Grand Canyon Conservancy has been able to provide funding for crucial river projects including increased surveillance of non-native species during the height of the breeding season and a razorback sucker augmentation program.pollinator garden: monarch butterfly conservation: the Grand Canyon vegetation program hosted a latino heritage intern program intern in 2022, who was focused on monarch butterfly conservation efforts in the park. Youth programs planted native plants at the pima point pollinator garden on the south rim. Polk fellowship interns: the polk fellowship program gave three college students the opportunity to participate in a 10-week paid internship with the science and resource management department, providing valuable growth and development experiences for each fellow and beneficial research, documentation, and conservation support to Grand Canyon national park.

Indigenous affairs - desert view inter-tribal cultural heritage site: in may 2022, a ribbon cutting to celebrate the completion of the amphitheater and a ground breaking for the tribal welcome center took place at the site of the future inter-tribal cultural heritage site at desert view. The amphitheater features a wheelchair-accessible ramp, hand-crafted stone masonry, and juniper and stone benches. The tribal working group is continuing to develop the exhibit plan for the tribal welcome center and has begun work on the next strategic plan.cultural demonstration series: in 2022, the popular cultural demonstrator series was expanded, providing more offerings, and allowing for greater interactions between artists and the public. The park hosted a total of 55 artists in 2022 and increased the travel stipend each artist receives, allowing for demonstrators to travel from greater distances. Native american heritage days: the 27th annual north rim native american heritage days took place on the grounds of Grand Canyon lodge in august. Special programs were presented by tribal members on a variety of subjects, including, astronomy, cultural connections, and native american music and dance performances.

Education and interpretation - field trips and schools: 20 field trips brought 1,123 students to the Canyon ranging from kindergarten to high school. Two water resources programs brought the Canyon to the classroom where high school students got the chance to design their own wastewater treatment facilities. Five workshops and presentations reached 873 students both online and in person. Grand Canyon Conservancy field institute:the Grand Canyon Conservancy field institute provides immersive and educational adventures at Grand Canyon - all officially designed and developed in partnership with Grand Canyon national park. From half-day rim tours to 18-day river trips, gccfi provided 114 unique offerings and helped 880 people gain a deeper connection to Grand Canyon, providing a total of 38,131 hours of educational programming. Residency programs: the artist in residence program hosted three artists in 2022: danielle genadry, painter (us/lebanon), elijah jamal asani, audio-visual artist (illinois/nevada), leah aegerter, sculptor (Colorado). The astronomer in residence program hosted three astronomers in 2022: imma barrera, astrophotography (new jersey), lauren camp, poet (new mexico), dr. daniel fleisch, physics professor (Ohio).