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nPosted on January 11, 2013
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nHavenyou ever seen the Grand Canyon in Arizona? It’s a sight thatnPresident Theodore Roosevelt wanted every American to see at leastnonce in his or her lifetime. (Of course, it’s great if people fromnall over the world see it, too…)
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nRooseveltndidn’t want the land around the Grand Canyon to be ruined byndevelopment. Apartment houses and factories along the South Rim wouldnnot, in his mind, be an improvement. The canyon would be protectednfrom such development if it were a national park, but only Congressncould set aside land as a national park. So Teddy Roosevelt did thennext best thing: he declared the Grand Canyon to be a NationalnMonument. n
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Onnthis date in 1908, he said, “Let thisngreat wonder of nature remain as it now is. You cannot improve on it.nBut what you can do is keep it for your children, your children’snchildren, and all who come after you, as the one great sight whichnevery American should see.”
Onnthis date in 1908, he said, “Let thisngreat wonder of nature remain as it now is. You cannot improve on it.nBut what you can do is keep it for your children, your children’snchildren, and all who come after you, as the one great sight whichnevery American should see.”n
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nI’venseen the Grand Canyon several times, and it is breathtakinglynbeautiful (although I don’t know that I would position it as the #1nsight to see!). My husband doesn’t fully appreciate it—he wouldnrather interact with beautiful scenery, hiking up beautiful trails tonlovely lakes, fishing in streams, and so forth. His only interactionnwith the Grand Canyon has been driving to a lookout, looking down onnall that colorful beauty, and then driving to some other lookout. n
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Butnof course many of the five million people who visit the canyon eachnyear DO interact with the scenery. The three most popular activitiesnare whitewater rafting through the canyon, hiking down to the canyonnfloor (and of course back up again—that’s the tough part!), andngoing down and back up by mule. (My brother did an unusualnhalf-hike/half-ride on his honeymoon. He hiked down to the canyonnfloor with his bride, but then he got injured—a broken or badly twisted ankle ornsomething. So his wife had to hike out alone and get a mule, go backndown to my brother and help him ride up to medical care.) n
Butnof course many of the five million people who visit the canyon eachnyear DO interact with the scenery. The three most popular activitiesnare whitewater rafting through the canyon, hiking down to the canyonnfloor (and of course back up again—that’s the tough part!), andngoing down and back up by mule. (My brother did an unusualnhalf-hike/half-ride on his honeymoon. He hiked down to the canyonnfloor with his bride, but then he got injured—a broken or badly twisted ankle ornsomething. So his wife had to hike out alone and get a mule, go backndown to my brother and help him ride up to medical care.) nn
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Somenpeople love to photograph the canyon at different times of the day,nbecause different shadows and lighting give the canyon differentnversions of beauty. Some people paint the canyon. One of the priciernactivities is taking a helicopter ride over or through the canyon.nAnd there is a new activity available: the Skywalk. Visitors mustnwear booties over their shoes and then walk almost 70 feet out, overnthe canyon, on a “bridge” with a clear, 4-inch-thick glass floor.nSkywalkers get to see all the way down to the bottom of the canyon,n4,000 feet below, over the railing or down below their feet. n
Somenpeople love to photograph the canyon at different times of the day,nbecause different shadows and lighting give the canyon differentnversions of beauty. Some people paint the canyon. One of the priciernactivities is taking a helicopter ride over or through the canyon.nAnd there is a new activity available: the Skywalk. Visitors mustnwear booties over their shoes and then walk almost 70 feet out, overnthe canyon, on a “bridge” with a clear, 4-inch-thick glass floor.nSkywalkers get to see all the way down to the bottom of the canyon,n4,000 feet below, over the railing or down below their feet. nn
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nMaynI just say “yikes”?
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I’dnalso like to say “Hooray for Teddy Roosevelt!” Congress didneventually make the Grand Canyon a national park (in 1919), but whonknows what might have happened if Roosevelt hadn’t seen thenimportance of safeguarding national scenic treasures, hadn’t set upn18 of these treasuresnas national monuments, hadn’t started the conversation aboutnconservation?
I’dnalso like to say “Hooray for Teddy Roosevelt!” Congress didneventually make the Grand Canyon a national park (in 1919), but whonknows what might have happened if Roosevelt hadn’t seen thenimportance of safeguarding national scenic treasures, hadn’t set upn18 of these treasuresnas national monuments, hadn’t started the conversation aboutnconservation? n
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nAlsonon this date:
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nHostos Day
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Anniversarynof the discovery of francium
Anniversarynof the discovery of franciumn
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nBirthdaynof the “Father of Wildlife Management”
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