GRAND CANYON, Arizona — Grand Canyon National Park invites the public to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act on Sept. 25 and National Public Lands Day on Sept. 27 with fee-free entrance into the park.
Wilderness Act 50th Anniversary
The park will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act by hosting a series of special events on Sept. 25 starting at the visitors center at 11:30 a.m. with a performance of The Grand Canyon Suite by the Grand Canyon School Band. There will be a special wilderness presentation by former U.S. Rep. Paul “Pete” McCloskey and Flagstaff-based author Scott Thybony at 7:30 p.m. at the Shrine of the Ages auditorium.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1967 to 1983, Rep. McCloskey co-authored the Endangered Species Act and was involved in drafting the National Environmental Policy Act. He was co-chair of the nation’s first Earth Day and remains an avid defender of wilderness. Mr. Thybony is known for his intimate knowledge of Grand Canyon’s wild landscape. He is an anthropologist by education and a writer by profession. Thybony brings to his writing an enthusiasm for the natural world and those living close to it.
The Wilderness Act provides the highest level of public land protection in the United States. Ninety-four percent of Grand Canyon National Park qualifies for wilderness designation and is protected as such. Support for the Sept. 25 events is provided by the NPS Wild50 Small Grants Program.
National Public Lands Day
Celebrate National Public Lands Day on Sept. 27 with fee-free entrance at Grand Canyon National Park and all 401 national park units across the country. Park visitors are reminded that fee-free designation applies to entrance fees only and does not affect fees for camping, reservations, tours, or use of concessions. Visitors who plan to spend time in the park beyond Sept. 27 will need to pay the regular entrance fee for the remainder of their stay.
Grand Canyon’s Green Team, the Grand Canyon Association and Xanterra South Rim, are hosting filmmaker and photographer Peter McBride for a special evening program on Sept. 27 at 7:30 p.m. in the Shrine of the Ages auditorium. Join McBride for an intimate, multimedia journey along the Colorado River – from source to sea – and learn more about this river’s role in the arid West.
McBride has spent almost two decades studying the world with his camera. He has traveled on assignment to more than 70 countries for the publications of the National Geographic Society, Smithsonian, Outside, Esquire and many others. In recent years, he has turned his camera toward a subject closer to his heart and home – the Colorado River – a tapped waterway that no longer reaches the sea.
Resources
- For additional information, contact: Elysha Iversen at 928-638-7418 | Pamela Edwards at 928-638-7713 | Marty Martell at 928-638-7834
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