Question

National Treasure
by Brian S. McGrath

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For Kari Cobb, hiking in the Grand Canyon is a journey through history. At the bottom of the canyon, the Colorado River flows as it has for some 6 million years. Gazing up at the cliff face, Cobb can almost feel the presence of the Indigenous people who lived in and around the canyon long before the arrival of European explorers.

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The Grand Canyon stretches across 277 miles of northern Arizona, and in some places, it is more than a mile deep. "It is so massive, you cannot see all of it," says Cobb, a park ranger. "That's what makes this place so intriguing."

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On February 26, 2019, Grand Canyon National Park celebrated its 100th anniversary. Vanessa Ceja-Cervantes, the park's centennial outreach coordinator, said, "We hope visitors will connect with the park and learn to be stewards of the land." But the Grand Canyon's popularity also makes it hard to protect. In 2023, the park had more than 4 million visitors. That kind of traffic makes striking a balance between tourism and conservation an ongoing challenge.

Money Matters

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Tourism brings much-needed money to Indigenous peoples in the Grand Canyon area. The Hualapai tribe, for example, runs helicopter tours in the park. Its tour boats chug up and down the Colorado River. The tribe's biggest attraction is the Grand Canyon Skywalk. The glass-floored walkway, jutting out 70 feet over a cliff's edge, draws more than 1 million tourists each year.

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Critics complain that the Skywalk spoils the canyon's natural beauty and that helicopter noise shatters its delicate silence. In 2017, Hualapai tribal chairman Damon Clarke defended the attractions on the Arizona Republic website, pointing out that they provide economic benefits to the tribe and help "fund services for our elders, children, and others in need of support." Clarke added, "Any development that we have built has been constructed with respect for the canyon in mind."

Tough Choices

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To the east of the national park lies the Navajo Nation. The Navajo and other Indigenous peoples view the confluence of two rivers there as a sacred place. Developers asked the Navajo for permission to build hotels and restaurants on the spot, with a tramway connecting the attractions to the canyon's rim. The issue divided the Navajo community. Some people wanted the economic benefits, but others saw the plan as damaging to their culture and were concerned about its environmental impact. In February 2018, the Navajo voted to reject the plan. Sarana Riggs of the Navajo Nation is a member of the Grand Canyon Trust, a group that works to preserve the region. "There is always a need for economic development," she says, "but the question is: How can the Navajo tap into tourism in a sustainable way?"

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The millions of tourists who come to Grand Canyon National Park each year are bound to have an impact, says Cobb, the park ranger. But those visitors may also appreciate the park and be inspired to protect it and the lands around it.


Brian S. McGrath, TFK, © by Cricket Media, Inc. Reproduced with permission.

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What is the author's purpose for writing this text?
A.
to inform readers about the balance between tourism and preservation in the Grand Canyon
B.
to argue that the economic benefits of tourism outweigh the environmental concerns in the Grand Canyon
C.
to describe the historical and geologic features of Grand Canyon National Park
D.
to persuade readers to visit the Grand Canyon before it becomes overbuilt
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Answer 1

A. to inform readers about the balance between tourism and preservation in the Grand Canyon

The passage presents examples (visitor numbers, tribal tourism projects, debates over development) and quotes showing the tension between economic benefits and conserving the canyon, without advocating for one side.