12/30/2009 9:58:00 AM 2009 Grand Canyon Year in Review: Part II More news from the past year around the Canyon
Patrick Whitehurst/WGCN
Tusayan District Ranger Angela Parker began her duties in the summer of 2009, taking over for former District Ranger Rick Stahn.
Photo/WGCN
Buford Belgard (right) is pictured with Williams Mayor John Moore.
Staff Report Grand Canyon News
The loss of a Grand Canyon
legend
The Grand Canyon area lost a legend in 2009, with the passing of local American Legion icon Buford Belgard Sept. 26 at the age of 89. Belgard lived at the Grand Canyon from 1940 to 1975.
Besides volunteering for a number of local organizations, including the Grand Canyon Rotary on the Rim Club, Buford was also well known for his work with the Grand Canyon's John Ivens Post of the American Legion. A memorial service was held for Belgard at the Shrine of Ages on Oct. 24. Belgard was buried alongside his wife, Myra, who preceded him in death on Oct. 20, 2008.
His two children, Karen and Rebecca, were both born and raised in the Grand Canyon area. Both attended Grand Canyon School. The Belgards eventually moved to the Williams area in the mid-1970s, where they operated Gateway Cleaners until 1993. During that time, the family continued to stay involved in the Grand Canyon community.
More news from Grand Canyon
Among the news that came out of the Grand Canyon during 2009, the arrival of three fee-free weekends were counted as a highlight for those traveling through the country's national parks. The free weekends were held June 20-21, July 18-19 and Aug. 15-16 as part of an effort to get economy-minded travelers to visit their national treasure. Besides the Grand Canyon National Park, 146 other national parks also held fee-free weekends. A number of specials were also offered within the Grand Canyon National Park by concessioners.
The Grand Canyon National Park also became a recipient of $10.8 million in federal stimulus in April of 2009, part of a $750 million allotment designated to the country's national parks. The money was provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, with portions earmarked for rehabilitation of Supai Camp, efficiency upgrades throughout the park, and restoration of the Trans-Canyon Trail. National park officials used the money throughout the year, performing a number of tasks in the area, which included repair of the North Rim forest trails, replacement of shingles on quarters at the South Rim, hiring work crews, equipment and supplies related to a number of the projects.
Operational changes to the backcountry permitting system were announced in November of 2009. Part of the changes announced by administrators with the Grand Canyon National Park is a moratorium on the number of commercial use authorizations issued for guided backpacking services in the national park. A number of other procedural changes were also enacted in anticipation of an online permitting process that officials hope to see in place in the near future. More information on the backcountry permitting system can be found online at www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit,backcountry-permit.htm.
Grand Canyon health care officials were also forced to cancel a number of planned flu clinics in the area in October of 2009, due to a nationwide shortage of flu vaccines. According to national reports, the shortage of flu vaccines was attributed to the demand for H1N1 vaccines. Many companies, including a number of the top five producers of flu vaccines, stopped manufacturing flu vaccines early in order to step up production of the H1N1 vaccine. High demand for both vaccines nationwide left many without the ability to offer the vaccine locally, including officials at the Grand Canyon Clinic, who ordered 10,000 vaccines that never arrived. Health care officials at the Grand Canyon continued to work on finding alternative vaccine sources throughout the rest of the year.
New Tusayan Ranger
Officials with the Kaibab National Forest also welcomed Angela Parker to the Tusayan Ranger District in the summer of 2009. Parker took over her duties as district ranger from former District Ranger Rick Stahn. Parker transferred to Tusayan from Portola, Calif., where she worked for the Plumas National Forest. She has worked for the Forest Service, in various roles, for 29 years. Upon her arrival, Parker dealt with a number of issues, including fires in and around the Grand Canyon area, an environmental impact statement in regards to potential uranium mining in the area, and continues to work on the area's Travel Management Plan (TMP).
The TMP will begin a new comment period in January, according to officials with the Kaibab National Forest, following two appeals. The appeals were filed in response to the Tusayan Ranger District's April Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact for the environmental assessment portion of the TMP. The Tusayan TMP included an evaluation of motorized travel on roughly 331,427 acres on the Tusayan Ranger District. Under the most recent decision, the plan would have eliminated 143 miles of road from the existing forest road system. Roughly six miles of unauthorized routes would have been added to the system as well. For more information on the new environmental assessment, contact Paul Hancock, NEPA coordinator for the Kaibab National Forest's South Zone at, at 742 S. Clover Street, Williams, Ariz. 86046, or call (928) 635-5649.
