Date: April 14, 2016
Contact: Emily Davis, 928-638-7609
Grand Canyon, Ariz. –Grand Canyon National Park invites the public to celebrate the 46th anniversary of Earth Day during National Park Week on Friday, April 22, 2016.
Grand Canyon's Earth Day celebration will feature games, information about local and national environmental initiatives, a recycled art sculpture, and exotic plant removal. All Earth Day activities are open and free of charge to the public and will take place at Grand Canyon Visitor Center plaza near Mather Point between 10 am and 2 pm.
Volunteers and Grand Canyon's Vegetation Program team members will remove exotic plant species and plant native species in the Grand Canyon Visitor Center Plaza area. Visitors interested in participating should set aside at least an hour for this activity and will need to sign volunteer agreement and health forms. Volunteers can sign up that day in the visitor center plaza.
Grand Canyon School, in collaboration with Grand Canyon National Park's Green Team, will display a sculpture made out of recycled materials to promote recycling and waste reduction. Students created the design and assembled the sculpture from recycled items collected around Grand Canyon Village.
Grand Canyon National Park's 2016 Earth Day Celebration is a collaborative effort between the National Park Service, Coconino National Forest, Xanterra South Rim, Grand Canyon Railway, Delaware North Companies, Sierra Club, Grand Canyon Trust, Clean Cities Coalition, Canyon Coolers, and the park's cooperating association and fundraising partner, Grand Canyon Association.
Also during National Park Week, a new junior ranger book commemorating the 50th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) will be available. Junior rangers who want to earn a badge and become the next generation of historic preservation stewards can pick up an activity book at any of the park visitor centers. Visitors are also encouraged to attend a ranger-led history program to learn more about the NHPA. History programs occur at Verkamp's Visitor Center every day at 10 am.
Visitors who arrive at Grand Canyon during National Park Week will be allowed to enter the park free of charge;the fee-free designation does not affect fees for camping, reservations, tours or use of concessions. Park entrance stations will have Interagency Senior and Annual Passes available for those who wish to purchase them. Those who plan to spend time in the park beyond April 24 will need to pay the regular entrance fee for the remainder of their stay.
For more information about Grand Canyon's Earth Day events, please contact Pamela Edwards at 928-638-7713.
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