The Associated Press

The Associated Press

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK – Assistant Interior Secretary Craig Manson said yesterday that developing a plan to reduce traffic congestion and noise at the Grand Canyon is one of his top priorities.

Manson, who oversees both the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for the Interior Department, visited Grand Canyon National Park after waiting in line with hundreds of other visitors in a traffic jam at the park’s entrance.

He told reporters later that a transportation plan for the park will be issued soon.

“It probably will not be as elaborate as some would have thought, but it will be a sensible, common-sense, relatively not-so-expensive plan to address those issues,” said Manson. “We’re probably never going to get people out of their cars at the Grand Canyon. But there are things we can do to alleviate the pressures. Certainly, buses and shuttles are part of those things.”

What won’t be part of the solution is a light-rail system, once touted by former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, who also once served as Arizona’s governor.

Joe Alston, the park superintendent, said light rail isn’t feasible for the canyon.

“It was pretty obvious the light-rail system was going to be expensive, and we’d have been in the position of having to try to figure out how to fund a very expensive and intense system in the face of visitation that was in fact declining or at best staying constant,” Alston said.

Manson said a plan to balance Grand Canyon air tourism with visitors’ right to quiet is another of his priorities, along with improving housing for park employees.

Citizen Staff

Registration for most Parks & Recreation classes starts Saturday

By GABRIELLE FIMBRES

gfimbres@tucsoncitizen.com

Tiny ballerinas in pink tutus spin and leap, tugging at their tights and stopping occasionally for a swig of juice from their sippy cups.

Across the hall, toddlers walk the balance beam and go for a ride on a rainbow-colored parachute.

Down the corridor, bigger kids learn self-protection and self-control through the martial art of tae kwon do.

It’s another Saturday morning at the Morris K. Udall Regional Center, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road.

Udall is one of a number of city centers that offer recreation classes to children and adults. The Tucson Parks & Recreation catalogue of fall classes is out, with registration for most classes starting Saturday for city residents.

Tucson mother Pamela Reitz-Bowman spends her Saturday mornings walking laps on Udall’s indoor track while her son, Ryan, 7, works on tae kwon do skills.

Daughter Michela, 12, is learning to hula.

The 41-year-old budget officer for the Pascua Yaqui

Tribe, Reitz-Bowman has had her family registered in city recreation classes for nearly a decade.

“We started with tumble tots when Michela was 3 years old,” she said.

Michela has been exposed to synchronized swimming, ballet, piano, musical choir and other classes. Ryan has taken tumbling and sports, and their mom has registered for yoga, fitness classes and golf.

Despite recent rate increases, Reitz-Bowman said classes remain a good value.

“Where else an you get 10 tae kwon do classes for $40?”

She wished the city offered more evening and weekend classes. “It can be really hard for working parents to find classes that fit into the schedule,” she said.

Reitz-Bowman and her children will be among about 7,500 participants in leisure classes offered by Parks & Recreation this fall.

“We have all sorts of visual arts classes – drawing, painting, kids’ mechanical art where you make machines, Magical, Musical and Gooey, where you make musical instruments and slime,” said Glenna Overstreet, parks and recreation superintendent.

“We have jewelry classes, pottery classes, dance of all sorts for all ages. We have piano, guitar, theater, sports, motor development classes.”

While city budget woes have resulted in fee increases, discounts of up to 90 percent are available to lower-income participants. City residents interested in applying can bring proof of residency to one of the Parks & Recreation offices or a recreation center to apply, Overstreet said.

Overstreet said her department strives to offer classes that appeal to all.

“There is something here for everyone in the family,” she said.

TO REGISTER

Automated telephone registration for Tucson Parks & Recreation fall leisure classes opens at 12:01 a.m. Saturday for city residents.

The 63-page class catalogue is available online at www.cityoftucson.org/parksandrec/Class_Catalog/class_catalog.html.

It also can be found at all city recreation and neighborhood centers, libraries, Fry’s Food Stores, Albertson’s stores, Blockbuster Video and 7-Eleven stores.

Classes range from $27 to more than $100, depending on materials needed, with discounts available to low-income participants. Most classes start Sept. 7.

Residents must have a client code, an account pin number and a credit card to register by the automated telephone system. Those numbers can be obtained by calling 791-4877 before calling EZEE Registration at 573-3933. Some classes fill quickly, and Saturday registration is suggested.

Mail-in registration for city residents starts Aug. 2, and walk-in registration stats Aug. 9.

For county residents, registration starts one week later, with an additional fee for classes.

On-line registration will be available starting with the winter catalogue, which is due out Nov. 1. For information on registration, call 791-4877.

CLASSES FOR DISABLED

A new Tucson Parks & Recreation aquatic center designed for children and adults with disabilities is slated to open in October.

The two-pool center, just north of the Reid Park Zoo entrance, will enhance recreation services available through the city’s therapeutic recreation department, said Beth Lucas, supervisor of the department and a recreational therapist.

Registration for the new therapeutic swim classes, for ages 6 months through adult, begins Saturday.

The Edith Ball Adaptive Recreation Center, which will be dedicated Oct. 9 and open for classes Oct. 18, includes an indoor therapy pool heated to 92 degrees and a shaded outdoor pool, open to anyone in with or without disabilities.

Other classes, including bowling leagues, social clubs, life and social skills and cooking, exercise and arts classes are available to children and adults with disabilities. About 900 participants are expected to register for classes this fall.

“We have all kinds of fun stuff that help participants achieve individual goals to the best of their ability,” Lucas said. The department also offers inclusion services, with people with disabilities enrolled in general classes.

For more information on therapeutic recreation classes, call 791-4504.

PHOTO CREDIT: Photo by FRANCISCO MEDINA/Tucson Citizen

HULA

CUTLINE: Selestina Martinez, 4, practices her dance moves during a hula class at Morris K. Udall Regional Center.

PHOTO CREDIT: XAVIER GALLEGOS/Tucson Citizen

CUTLINE: Mothers and babies warm up for the Little Movers and Shakers class at Randolph Regional Recreation Center.

CUTLINE: Gillain Rodgers, 15 months, crawls through a fabric tunnel during Little Movers and Shakers class at Randolph Regional Recreation Center.

Citizen Staff

Registration for most Parks & Recreation classes starts Saturday

By GABRIELLE FIMBRES

gfimbres@tucsoncitizen.com

Tiny ballerinas in pink tutus spin and leap, tugging at their tights and stopping occasionally for a swig of juice from their sippy cups.

Across the hall, toddlers walk the balance beam and go for a ride on a rainbow-colored parachute.

Down the corridor, bigger kids learn self-protection and self-control through the martial art of tae kwon do.

It’s another Saturday morning at the Morris K. Udall Regional Center, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road.

Udall is one of a number of city centers that offer recreation classes to children and adults. The Tucson Parks & Recreation catalogue of fall classes is out, with registration for most classes starting Saturday for city residents.

Tucson mother Pamela Reitz-Bowman spends her Saturday mornings walking laps on Udall’s indoor track while her son, Ryan, 7, works on tae kwon do skills.

Daughter Michela, 12, is learning to hula.

The 41-year-old budget officer for the Pascua Yaqui

Tribe, Reitz-Bowman has had her family registered in city recreation classes for nearly a decade.

“We started with tumble tots when Michela was 3 years old,” she said.

Michela has been exposed to synchronized swimming, ballet, piano, musical choir and other classes. Ryan has taken tumbling and sports, and their mom has registered for yoga, fitness classes and golf.

Despite recent rate increases, Reitz-Bowman said classes remain a good value.

“Where else an you get 10 tae kwon do classes for $40?”

She wished the city offered more evening and weekend classes. “It can be really hard for working parents to find classes that fit into the schedule,” she said.

Reitz-Bowman and her children will be among about 7,500 participants in leisure classes offered by Parks & Recreation this fall.

“We have all sorts of visual arts classes – drawing, painting, kids’ mechanical art where you make machines, Magical, Musical and Gooey, where you make musical instruments and slime,” said Glenna Overstreet, parks and recreation superintendent.

“We have jewelry classes, pottery classes, dance of all sorts for all ages. We have piano, guitar, theater, sports, motor development classes.”

While city budget woes have resulted in fee increases, discounts of up to 90 percent are available to lower-income participants. City residents interested in applying can bring proof of residency to one of the Parks & Recreation offices or a recreation center to apply, Overstreet said.

Overstreet said her department strives to offer classes that appeal to all.

“There is something here for everyone in the family,” she said.

TO REGISTER

Automated telephone registration for Tucson Parks & Recreation fall leisure classes opens at 12:01 a.m. Saturday for city residents.

The 63-page class catalogue is available online at www.cityoftucson.org/parksandrec/Class_Catalog/class_catalog.html.

It also can be found at all city recreation and neighborhood centers, libraries, Fry’s Food Stores, Albertson’s stores, Blockbuster Video and 7-Eleven stores.

Classes range from $27 to more than $100, depending on materials needed, with discounts available to low-income participants. Most classes start Sept. 7.

Residents must have a client code, an account pin number and a credit card to register by the automated telephone system. Those numbers can be obtained by calling 791-4877 before calling EZEE Registration at 573-3933. Some classes fill quickly, and Saturday registration is suggested.

Mail-in registration for city residents starts Aug. 2, and walk-in registration stats Aug. 9.

For county residents, registration starts one week later, with an additional fee for classes.

On-line registration will be available starting with the winter catalogue, which is due out Nov. 1. For information on registration, call 791-4877.

CLASSES FOR DISABLED

A new Tucson Parks & Recreation aquatic center designed for children and adults with disabilities is slated to open in October.

The two-pool center, just north of the Reid Park Zoo entrance, will enhance recreation services available through the city’s therapeutic recreation department, said Beth Lucas, supervisor of the department and a recreational therapist.

Registration for the new therapeutic swim classes, for ages 6 months through adult, begins Saturday.

The Edith Ball Adaptive Recreation Center, which will be dedicated Oct. 9 and open for classes Oct. 18, includes an indoor therapy pool heated to 92 degrees and a shaded outdoor pool, open to anyone in with or without disabilities.

Other classes, including bowling leagues, social clubs, life and social skills and cooking, exercise and arts classes are available to children and adults with disabilities. About 900 participants are expected to register for classes this fall.

“We have all kinds of fun stuff that help participants achieve individual goals to the best of their ability,” Lucas said. The department also offers inclusion services, with people with disabilities enrolled in general classes.

For more information on therapeutic recreation classes, call 791-4504.

PHOTO CREDIT: Photo by FRANCISCO MEDINA/Tucson Citizen

HULA

CUTLINE: Selestina Martinez, 4, practices her dance moves during a hula class at Morris K. Udall Regional Center.

PHOTO CREDIT: XAVIER GALLEGOS/Tucson Citizen

CUTLINE: Mothers and babies warm up for the Little Movers and Shakers class at Randolph Regional Recreation Center.

CUTLINE: Gillain Rodgers, 15 months, crawls through a fabric tunnel during Little Movers and Shakers class at Randolph Regional Recreation Center.

Citizen Staff

Stoudamire trial on pot charge delayed

By A.J. FLICK

ajflick@tucsoncitizen.com

A judge has postponed NBA player Damon Stoudamire’s marijuana-possession trial while the Arizona Court of Appeals considers a request from the prosecution.

Pima County Consolidated Justice Court Judge Paul Simon yesterday granted the prosecution’s request to delay the July 19-20 trial, Deputy County Attorney Bruce Chalk said.

Chalk has asked the appeals court to consider the prosecution’s opposition to a jury trial.

Prosecutors want a bench trial, meaning that Simon would decide guilt or innocence, but defense attorneys say Stoudamire is entitled to a jury trial.

Attorneys and Simon will meet Aug. 20 to discuss the progress of the appeal.

Stoudamire, 30, a Portland Trail Blazers guard and former University of Arizona standout, was arrested July 3, 2003, at Tucson International Airport.

A foil-wrapped half-ounce of marijuana allegedly fell from Stoudamire’s pants at a security checkpoint.

If Stoudamire is convicted here, he could face 48 hours to 180 days in a Lewis County, Wash., jail for breaking a plea agreement, a prosecutor there has said. Stoudamire was arrested in November 2002 in Lewis County on marijuana and drug paraphernalia possession charges. He promised to stay out of trouble for a year if charges were dropped.

Parks board seeks volunteers

By LARRY COPENHAVER

lcopenha@tucsoncitizen.com

State parks enthusiasts willing to volunteer to serve on several committees of the Arizona State Parks Board may apply through Sept. 30 on the state parks Web site.

The 15 positions require scientific experts in the areas of natural preservation, conservation, recreation, historic preservation and environmentalism.

The positions are on the Arizona State Committee on Trails, Historic Preservation Advisory Committee, Natural Areas Program Advisory Committee and the Off-Highway Vehicle Advisory Group.

To apply, click on the “Partnerships” link at www.azstateparks.com.

Citizen Staff

Stoudamire trial on pot charge delayed

By A.J. FLICK

ajflick@tucsoncitizen.com

A judge has postponed NBA player Damon Stoudamire’s marijuana-possession trial while the Arizona Court of Appeals considers a request from the prosecution.

Pima County Consolidated Justice Court Judge Paul Simon yesterday granted the prosecution’s request to delay the July 19-20 trial, Deputy County Attorney Bruce Chalk said.

Chalk has asked the appeals court to consider the prosecution’s opposition to a jury trial.

Prosecutors want a bench trial, meaning that Simon would decide guilt or innocence, but defense attorneys say Stoudamire is entitled to a jury trial.

Attorneys and Simon will meet Aug. 20 to discuss the progress of the appeal.

Stoudamire, 30, a Portland Trail Blazers guard and former University of Arizona standout, was arrested July 3, 2003, at Tucson International Airport.

A foil-wrapped half-ounce of marijuana allegedly fell from Stoudamire’s pants at a security checkpoint.

If Stoudamire is convicted here, he could face 48 hours to 180 days in a Lewis County, Wash., jail for breaking a plea agreement, a prosecutor there has said. Stoudamire was arrested in November 2002 in Lewis County on marijuana and drug paraphernalia possession charges. He promised to stay out of trouble for a year if charges were dropped.

Parks board seeks volunteers

By LARRY COPENHAVER

lcopenha@tucsoncitizen.com

State parks enthusiasts willing to volunteer to serve on several committees of the Arizona State Parks Board may apply through Sept. 30 on the state parks Web site.

The 15 positions require scientific experts in the areas of natural preservation, conservation, recreation, historic preservation and environmentalism.

The positions are on the Arizona State Committee on Trails, Historic Preservation Advisory Committee, Natural Areas Program Advisory Committee and the Off-Highway Vehicle Advisory Group.

To apply, click on the “Partnerships” link at www.azstateparks.com.

Citizen Staff

By GARRY DUFFY

gduffy@tucsoncitizen.com

The National Park Service is seeking public comment on the environmental assessment of impacts from a road improvement project near Saguaro National Park – Tucson Mountains District.

The project involves reconstructing a 500-foot portion of Sandario Road in the park, just south of the intersection with Kinney Road. The work also includes replacing a low-water crossing with a box culvert to raise the roadway out of a wash.

Work runs September to December. A monthlong closure of Sandario in the park is expected in October, when traffic will be diverted onto Kinney Road. Commercial traffic will be routed around construction to either Interstate 10 or State Route 86.

Federal law requires the Park Service to conduct an environmental assessment of the project and its potential impacts on flora and fauna . The public is invited to comment on the study and project through July 30.

Copies of the study can be viewed at the park, 2700 N. Kinney Road, and at park headquarters at Saguaro National Park – Rincon Mountains District, 3693 S. Old Spanish Trail. The document, Sandario-Kinney Road Project, also can be viewed online at www.nps.gov/sagu/pphtml/documents.html.

Citizen Staff

By GARRY DUFFY

gduffy@tucsoncitizen.com

The National Park Service is seeking public comment on the environmental assessment of impacts from a road improvement project near Saguaro National Park – Tucson Mountains District.

The project involves reconstructing a 500-foot portion of Sandario Road in the park, just south of the intersection with Kinney Road. The work also includes replacing a low-water crossing with a box culvert to raise the roadway out of a wash.

Work runs September to December. A monthlong closure of Sandario in the park is expected in October, when traffic will be diverted onto Kinney Road. Commercial traffic will be routed around construction to either Interstate 10 or State Route 86.

Federal law requires the Park Service to conduct an environmental assessment of the project and its potential impacts on flora and fauna . The public is invited to comment on the study and project through July 30.

Copies of the study can be viewed at the park, 2700 N. Kinney Road, and at park headquarters at Saguaro National Park – Rincon Mountains District, 3693 S. Old Spanish Trail. The document, Sandario-Kinney Road Project, also can be viewed online at www.nps.gov/sagu/pphtml/documents.html.

The Associated Press

Grand Canyon tourism on near-record pace

The Associated Press

FLAGSTAFF – Visitation to Grand Canyon National Park is on pace for a near record-setting year.

Through May, the number of visitors was up 10.7 percent over the same period a year ago. Part of the increase was attributed to a 37 percent increase in the number of bus visitors through the south entrance in May.

“Most of our bus tour people are foreign nationals, and a great number are coming from the Pacific Rim,” said Jim O’Sickey, fee manager for visitation at the park. “We also have a number of Europeans, namely Germans, who tend to rent RVs when they tour.”

He said park lodges and nearby hotels were reporting bookings on par with 1999 levels, the high-water mark for visitation to the park.

The number of visitors plunged following the Sept. 11 attacks.

By May, the park had 1.59 million visitors in 2004. By May 1999, the park had 1.61 million visitors.

PHOTO CAPTION: File photo

Mather Point at the Grand Canyon

Citizen Staff

Families may enjoy a free dip today in the city’s new Jacobs Pool, 1010 W. Lind St., in honor of the pool’s dedication.

The 4,500-square-foot pool, which opened May 29, has a maximum depth of 4 feet and includes six covered shade structures, an interactive children’s spray pad, a bathhouse and two deck-mounted water cannons.

Free swim runs from noon to 6 p.m. The dedication is at 11 a.m. For more information, call 791-4873.

Citizen Staff

Citizenship offices closed today

Citizen Staff Report

news@tucsoncitizen.com

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services headquarters and field offices will be closed today for the national day of mourning for former President Reagan.

Previously scheduled naturalization ceremonies will take place as planned, though previously scheduled appointments are expected to be rescheduled, according to an agency news release.

The agency’s toll-free number, (800) 375-5283, is staffed today. More information is available at www.uscis.gov.

New voters registered tomorrow

By C.T. REVERE

ctrevere@tucsoncitizen.com

The Arizona Leadership Institute will register voters in Tucson tomorrow in an effort to enlist 20,000 new voters for the coming election season.

The ALI, in conjunction with the national group America Votes, already has registered about 7,500 voters for all parties in the past three months, Jim Driscoll, institute spokesman, said.

From 9 to 10 a.m. tomorrow, volunteers will register voters at the institute offices at 931 N. Fifth Ave.

The volunteers will then hit the streets to register voters from 10:30 a.m until 12:30 p.m., Driscoll said.

The effort is intended to register 50,000 new voters in Arizona.

For more information, call 884-7797.

Hohokam site dedication public

By LARRY COPENHAVER

lcopenha@tucsoncitizen.com

The public is invited to the dedication and blessing ceremony tomorrow at a Hohokam village and burial site in Vista del Rio Archaeological Park.

The city is preserving the site, at East Desert Arbors Street and North Essel Drive, by creating the park with relatively little disturbance to the natural setting.

It was developed with a $50,000 grant from Save America’s Treasures and a $25,000 grant from Tucson.

Pepper Viner Co., a homebuilder, donated $7,500 and Tucson Unified School District donated the land.

The 9 a.m. program will feature a dedication by Joseph Joaquin, a Tohono O’odham Nation cultural affairs officer, and a blessing by O’odham medicine man Joseph Antone.

Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz., Councilwoman Carol West and residents of the Vista del Rio neighborhood will give remarks.

The neighborhood is near North Sabino Canyon and East Tanque Verde roads.

MAP: Archaeological park

Source: Tucson Citizen

Citizen Staff

Primer prepares for ‘Othello’ at Reid Park

By CHUCK GRAHAM

cgraham@tucsoncitizen.com

The city’s 17th annual production of Shakespeare in the Park brings “Othello” to the DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center in Reid Park for seven performances. Admission is free to this event produced by the Tucson Community Theatre and sponsored by the Tucson Parks & Recreation Department. Families are encouraged to attend the play with picnic baskets and blankets in hand.

Shakespeare just sounds better accompanied by your favorite outdoor food. And don’t worry about the children making too much noise: The fighter jets zooming overhead from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base will take care of that. Let the kids talk and move around. Theatre should be fun for everybody. Just leave the dogs at home.

Assisted listening devices will be available to those who request them. For details on this service, contact Michael Givens at 791-4663 Ext. 111.

As for brushing up on your Shakespeare, “Othello” is popularly interpreted these days as a play about racial prejudice in Venice. But for much of its 500-year history, “Othello” was performed as a warning about the dangers of hubris.

Just because a guy is a great general doesn’t mean he can marry the prettiest girl in Venice. Especially if he’s an outsider. Most especially if he is not from one of the best families in Venice.

And just because he knows how to lead a victorious army doesn’t mean he’s any good at personal relationships. Othello, as we learn, is tragically insecure going one-on-one with a female. Leading an army into battle is a piece of cake compared to understanding women.

Since some of these shaded interpretations may get lost in the casual conviviality of the grassy grounds at DeMeester, here’s a brief description of the main characters involved in Othello’s tragic fall from grace.

• Othello – A very successful soldier of fortune, he is a Christian Moor who has become commanding general of the armies of Venice. When the subject is war, he receives great respect in the Venetian court. But Othello is painfully aware that when the subject is anything else, he is out of his depth. He is also much older than his wife, Desdemona.

• Desdemona – Daughter of the Venetian senator Brabanzio, she is nonetheless a modern woman of independent nature in today’s terms. Before the play begins, she has married Othello in secret against her father’s wishes. Yet she is capable of defending herself against Iago’s wiles and responding with dignity to Othello’s jealous accusations.

• Iago – An evil person who cannot stand to see anyone else being happy, made all the more dangerous because he is exceptionally clever as well as sneaky. As the machinations of Iago’s plotting twist Othello into a tighter and tighter knot, it seems as if Iago is ruining Othello just because he can.

if you go

What: Tucson Community Theatre presents “Othello” by William Shakespeare.

When: 8 p.m. June 10-12 and 17-20.

Where: DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center in Reid Park.

Tickets: Admission is free. For details, contact Michael Givens, 791-4663 Ext. 111.

PHOTO

Lezlee Benninger and Victor Bowleg play Desdemona and Othello in the Shakespeare in the Park play.

The Associated Press

Loss of shorelines, invasion by non-native species and erosion of archaeological sites are among the problems.

By SETH HETTENA

Associated Press Writer

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK – It’s hard to get the sense anything is wrong in the Grand Canyon while floating through it.

On a recent spring morning, the Colorado River was cool and calm. Trout leapt, splashing back into the river with a plop. Stands of salt cedar lined the banks, offering shade from desert heat.

But all is not well in this crown jewel of America’s national park system.

The salt cedar and trout are invaders, part of a wave of alien fish and plants that have moved in and devoured or crowded out native species.

The sandy shorelines are washing away.

And once-buried Indian archaeological sites are slipping into the river.

The canyon is in deep trouble, and a government-appointed panel assigned to come up with solutions is torn by competing interests and cannot muster the political will to act decisively.

“The best that we can do is keep slapping on as many Band-Aids as we can and hope the patient survives,” said Pam Hyde, one of two environmentalists on the panel.

The Colorado is a different river from the one explored by one-armed Civil War veteran John Wesley Powell, who in 1869 led the first expedition through the Grand Canyon.

The landscape and biology were transformed by Glen Canyon Dam, built upstream in 1963 to generate hydroelectric power and store water.

Before the dam, the river would fill with snowmelt and flood violently in early summer, then dwindle to a trickle in winter.

The dam smoothed out the flow.

In Powell’s day, the Colorado was warm and muddy.

Now it runs cold and clear, because sediment gets caught behind the dam in Lake Powell and because water released through the dam comes from the reservoir’s lower, cooler depths.

Over the years, nearly $200 million has been spent assessing what the dam has done to the canyon and exploring what can be done to fix it.

In an ambitious experiment to see whether the dam can help solve the problems it created, the U.S. Geological Survey has unleashed floods, released pulses of water and even simulated a summer drought to see if this would build up sandbars and restore the river in other respects.

Also, lasers and sonar map the canyon’s loss of sand.

Implanted microchips allow scientists to monitor endangered fish and follow movements of boulders downstream.

But an overall plan for saving the canyon has yet to emerge, and much research merely confirms what scientists already know.

The sophisticated tests “measure the ever-fainter pulse of the patient,” said John C. Schmidt, a veteran canyon researcher from Utah State University.

For example, four of the canyon’s eight native fish species have disappeared, and the prospects for a fifth, the endangered humpback chub, are grim.

The chub is being hurt by a number of factors, primarily cold water, which hampers reproduction, and the Asian tapeworm, a non-native parasite that is killing the fish.

The job of directing the science and developing a plan for the canyon rests with a panel of river users and interest groups assembled by the Interior Department in 1996 in what was itself an experiment.

The 25-member group involves everyone with a stake in Grand Canyon: a river guide, a trout fisherman, tribes, environmentalists, water managers and power company officials.

The group reports to Interior Secretary Gale Norton.

The panel finds itself pulled in different directions as each member looks after his or her own interests.

Environmentalists see life or death for the canyon.

The states want to ensure access to water for irrigation and 25 million households in California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado.

Power officials worry about lost revenue from adjustments to river flow.

In one particular clash, fishermen want to catch trout, while environmentalists want to preserve chub.

One problem: Trout eat young chub.

“That’s where the program has the hardest time: What are you willing to give up in return for improving something else?” asked Leslie James of the Colorado River Energy Distributors Association. At some point, scientists said, the group will have to make a choice: trout or chub, beach-building floods or healthy plants on the riverbanks.

A retreat is scheduled for this month to get the program back on course.

The alternative is lawsuits and the possibility that a judge could dictate the balance of interests in the Grand Canyon.

That’s exactly what the Interior Department hoped to avoid by giving everyone a place at the table.

“The program is not willing to stand up and announce that the program’s a failure,” Schmidt said.

ILLUSTRATION: Grand Canyon in deep trouble

The landscae and biology of the Grand Canyon have been transformed by the Glen Canyon Dam, built upstream in 1963. Now, a government-appointed panel has been assigned to come up with solutions to the problems generated by the dam.

Sediment gets caught behind the dam and no longer builds the river’s shoreline. (with map)

Water released from the dam is cold and clear affecting native fish. (with graphic)

SOURCES: U.S. Geological Survey; Grand Canyon Monitoring and Resea4rch Center

PHOTO CAPTION: The Associated Press

Rafters float through Marble Canyon on the Colorado River. A drought has entered its fifth year and if it persists, the West may be 36 months away from confronting a worst-case scenario, according to the Interior Department.

Citizen Staff

The annual event at Tohono Chul Park celebrates desert summer nights and includes Tohono O’odham dancers and children’s activities.

By SANDRA VALDEZ GERDES

sgerdes@tucsoncitizen.com

We see a saguaro and may appreciate its beauty or as a symbol of the Southwest, but to the Tohono O’odham, the saguaro (Ha:sañ) is a living friend and like them was created by their god I’itoi.

Legend has it that I’itoi created the desert or saguaro people from the sweat of his brow. Another legend tells of a neglected boy who sank into the ground and emerged as the first saguaro.

During the seventh annual Park After Dark event tonight at Tohono Chul Park, 7366 N. Paseo del Norte, patrons at this annual summer open house can escape the day’s heat and take a relaxing tour of the new Saguaro Discovery Trail.

There they will learn the interesting journey, cultural importance and environmental significance of the saguaro at trail stops. Each stop features the colorful works of Tohono O’odham artist Michael Chiago and local photographers. Included text covers cultural legends as well as everything you could ever want to know about saguaros – how long they live, how much water they can hold and how tall they grow.

“One of Tohono Chul Park’s major objectives is to illustrate for visitors the interconnectedness between the plants and the people of the Sonoran Desert,” said Director of Public Programs Jo Falls, who spearheaded the project. “In no other instance is this connection more evident than between the saguaro cactus and the Tohono O’odham people.”

Park After Dark will celebrate desert summer nights with the opening of the new art exhibit Monsoon!, traditional Waila music and O’odham dancers, live desert creatures and children’s activities, including a puppet show, “These Are Our Saguaros.”

“We always do Park After Dark the Friday after Memorial Day weekend,” Assistant Exhibit Curator Peggy Hazard said. “We see it as a summer event kickoff and a celebration of the desert at night time, which is when you want to be out during the summer, at night time.”

The art exhibit continues throughout the summer.

Tonight, Ann Simmons-Myers plans to attend her third Park After Dark. “It’s a lot of fun for the kids to see the animals up close. The owls and bats are always very popular.”

Her son Max Myers, 13, is eager to interact with the desert creatures.

“My favorite thing both times was how they would have like 17 different types of snakes, nonpoisonous ones, that you could just kind of hold and mess around with,” he said. “I liked the pygmy owls because they are small and cool. And I learned that most bats just eat fruit.”

This year’s animals include a bobcat, bats, bugs, lizards, snakes and owls.

“Monsoon!” will pay homage to the Sonoran Desert’s dramatic summer rainstorms by showcasing contemporary and American Indian art expressions dealing with rain, water, lightning and critters who are active during the rainy season.

Donna Gaylord, an artist and docent, created a wildlife image of a spadefoot toad for Monsoon!

“It’s whimsical, the idea that the spadefoot, which lives underground 10 months of the year, comes out when the monsoons begin and breeds in the ponds created by the monsoon rains,” she said.

Cloud, rain and lightning symbols decorate the work of Hopi artists, while Zuni artists often decorate pottery with frogs and tadpoles.

“I think it’s important to celebrate the desert rains and recognize their importance,” said Mark Bahti of Bahti Indian Art. The gallery’s pottery, carvings and folk art are in the Monsoon! exhibit.

“Right now, we can turn on the faucet and water comes, but that’s a fairly recent phenomenon, in the last century.” Bahti said. “In the desert we need to recognize the importance of the summer rains to our environment and our life.”

It was extremely important to native cultures such as the O’odham. The O’odham survived a time of hunger (sometimes from February to May), until saguaro fruit was ready for harvest in June.

After gathering the fruit, they prepared wine and held a ceremony. They gathered for song, dance and ritual drinking as an observance or seasonal cleansing that restored the people and the land and summoned summer rains.

“It signaled the beginning of the New Year … when the fruits would fall … you were supposed to hold it over your heart and breathe … a silent thanks for having made it to another year,” Bahti said.

In another evening highlight, patrons could see the night-blooming cereus.

The night-blooming cactus looks like a dead stick most of the year, but between May and August it puts out beautiful, waxy, white blossoms that bloom only one night. Tohono Chul Park has one of the largest collections in the world of the plants, so lucky visitors may get to see them bloom.

“It’s such a special event,” Gaylord said. “It’s a good way to experience another part of the desert.”

IF YOU GO

If you just can’t get enough of the desert, then you’ll want to carve out time tonight for a special free event at Tohono Chul Park, 7366 N. Paseo del Norte (near Ina and Oracle roads).

The annual free family-fun night and open house celebrates what happens in the desert after the sun goes down. It features:

• Opening of the park’s new Saguaro Discovery Trail! from 4 to 7 p.m. All other events will be from 6-9 p.m.

• Reception for Monsoon! and Mike Chiago’s saguaro exhibits. About 30 regional artists express their love of the summer monsoon season in works that celebrate rain, lightning, and water creatures. (Exhibit runs today to Aug. 29).

• Musical entertainment: The Pablo Family Waila Band (aka “chicken scratch,” a Tohono O’odham style of music) and Tohono O’odham children’s traditional dancers.

• Puppet show: A new Desert Home Theater puppet production, “These Are Our Saguaros!” Children’s saguaro and monsoon activities where youth can learn more about rain’s role in desert ecology. This show also will be presented during the summer at these libraries: Marana (10 a.m. Monday); River Road (10:30 a.m. June 12); Ajo (1 p.m. June 16); Oracle (9:30 a.m. June 18); Nanini (7 p.m. June 23); Arivaca (1 p.m. July 7); Wilmot (2 p.m. July 8); and El Rio (10:30 a.m. Aug. 3)

• Desert critters: bobcat, owl, snakes, lizards, bugs and bats.

For more information, call 742-6455.

PHOTO CREDIT: Photos courtesy of Tohono Chul Park

LEFT: Artworks by Tohono O’odham artist Michael Chiago (such as desert scene at left) will be part of the Monsoon! exhibit at Tohono Chul Park’s Park After Dark event.

BELOW: Also part of the fun are family- and kid-friendly happenings and displays of desert critters. Animals scheduled to be on hand are a bobcat, owls, bats, snakes, lizards and more.

Puppets are part of the kid-friendly entertainment at Park After Dark.

Citizen Staff

Looking for something to do tomorrow night? Tohono Chul Park will celebrate the kickoff of summer at the seventh annual Park After Dark event from 6 to 9. Families will enjoy music, dance and artworks by Tohono O’odham artist Michael Chiago. There will also be live animals (bobcat, lizards, owl, bats and more) and the opening of the new Saguaro Discovery Trail. The event is free. Read more about the event in tomorrow’s Living section.

Citizen Staff

EVENTS

Tohono Chul’s Saguaro Trail to open Friday

Tohono Chul Park’s long envisioned Saguaro Discovery Trail will be opened to the public for the first time Friday night in a special “Park After Dark” program.

The quarter-mile trail utilizes a previously undeveloped saguaro nursery on the west part of the park. It is a wide, smooth-dirt path with concrete and wooden bridges that loops south, west and north.

“It’s best point is the prettiest spot in the park,” said grounds curator Russ Buhrow. “You turn to the north and see the Catalina Mountains, the saguaros, and you have suddenly no idea you’re in the city.”

The trail has been a featured part of the TCP Master Plan. It is dedicated in memory of Bud and Bev Pochter (both of the docent class of 1990) by Carol Pochter, Sally Pochter Stilwill, their families and friends.

The trail scene will include 11 interpretive signs, including information about the natural history of the saguaro and how the saguaro relates to the Tohono O’odham culture. There will also be benches along the path.

“It’s already popular,” said TCP director of general operations Lee Mason, whose crew began construction a month ago

“Docents would go out to walk in the area even when it was fenced off. It needs a few more trees on the upper edge (close to Ina Road) to screen the road, but it’s going to be a pleasurable walk.”

Docents will conduct Saguaro Discovery Trail walks from 4 to 7 p.m.

“Park After Dark,” with free admission, will be from 4 to 9 p.m. also including a monsoon exhibit, “Seasons of the Saguaro” art exhibits by Michael Chiago, an “Our Saguaros” puppet show for children and demonstrations of live animals.

Tohono Chul Park is located at 7366 N. Paseo del Norte Avenue on the Northwest Side, a block west of the corner of Oracle and Ina roads. For information call 742-6455.

PHOTO CREDIT: BRYAN LEE/Tucson Citizen

CUTLINE: Daniel Kingery helps make the Saguaro Discovery Trail a reality.