Protect the Grand Canyon, Once and For All

The Grand Canyon is a national treasure, and not just for us paddlers. From rafting and kayaking to hiking and just plain enjoying, the Canyon is where it’s at.

But there’s a threat to the Canyon and the Colorado River that’s been polluting water in the area for decades: uranium mining.

Today, we finally have a chance to fully protect the canyon with a new bill authored by Rep Raul Grijalva of Arizona. The bill would stop, once and for all, more uranium mining, like the kind that has already contaminated many of the life-giving springs in the area.

If that’s seems like a no-brainer to you, as it does to us, join us in standing with the Native people of the Canyon for clean drinking water, and in protecting water quality for future generations.

As former Senator Mark Udall said yesterday in a great New York Times opinion piece: Grijalva’s bill will protect 1.7 million acres of historical tribal homeland, including water sources and sacred sites, preserve the Grand Canyon’s rich heritage of “biological, cultural, recreational, geological, educational and scientific values,” and would make permanent the 20-year ban on new mining claims.

We’ll keep you posted on the bill, and on other ways to finally and fully protect the Grand Canyon.