Installation of ‘brutally hard,’ 2-ton tortoise statue culminates 4-year project in Snow Canyon

ST. GEORGE — At the end of the newly opened Tortoise Walk Trail, a 2-ton granite tortoise statue rests against a backdrop of Navajo sandstone and black lava, marking the culmination of a four-year project.

A giant tortoise statue made from granite sits at the end of the Tortoise Walk Trail, Snow Canyon State Park, Utah, Sept. 23, 2022 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, St. George News

Park staff opened the Tortoise Walk Trail last Friday at the Upper Galoot Picnic Area in Snow Canyon State Park. Food and drinks were served.

Ann McLuckie, a wildlife biologist with the Division of Wildlife Resources, hosted a small exhibit featuring a live tortoise and several preserved specimens to teach attendees about the native reptile.

Additionally, educational signs were installed along the trail where walkers could stop and read about the tortoise as they made their way to the seating area and the larger-than-life tortoise sculpture that waits at the end.

Tortoise Walk was the first new trail built in the park in over a decade, St. George News previously reported. The park repurposed an old roadbed and is approximately .3 miles long roundtrip.

The grand opening of the Tortoise Walk Trail, Snow Canyon State Park, Utah, Sept. 23, 2022 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, St. George News

Before opening the trail, park manager Kristen Comella thanked those who contributed to the four-year project. Funded with a grant from the John C. Kish Foundation and donations, in total, the project cost approximately $62,000.

Ivins City Mayor Chris Hart provided the “seeds” for the idea, saying that the park was poised to highlight tortoises and conservation, Comella said.

At Tuesday’s Habitat Conservation Advisory Committee meeting, Hart said Snow Canyon has over 350,000 visitors annually and because of this, he expects the trail to experience more foot traffic than some other educational facilities.

“What a fantastic place for people to just to get a casual introduction to the desert tortoise,” he said.

Comella said the park’s partnerships brought strength to the project, allowing them to create something for the public to enjoy.

“And kind of enhance their visit to the park and hopefully learn something a little bit deeper about the canyon and surrounding area,” she said.

A giant tortoise statue made from granite sits at the end of the Tortoise Walk Trail, Snow Canyon State Park, Utah, Sept. 23, 2022 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, St. George News

Partners like the Friends of Snow Canyon State Park made the project possible, Comella added. The organization has supported the park through donations and volunteer work since its inception.

“You guys are just really amazing partners,” she said.

Comella also recognized the late Erika Lockhart, who was a camp post at the park and came to the area from California.

“Sadly, Erica passed away,” she said. “But she left part of her trust to the park … a very significant donation to Snow Canyon. And again, we were able to use some of that funding to complete this project as well.”

It’s these thoughtful and “really incredible gestures” that they are able to match and leverage to fund these types of projects, she added.

Not everyone who visits the park will have a “magical moment” and see a tortoise but they can interact and take pictures with the stone statue, Comella said, adding that it and the educational signs were installed to promote Snow Canyon as an outdoor classroom.

A giant tortoise statue made from granite sits at the end of the Tortoise Walk Trail, Snow Canyon State Park, Utah, Sept. 23, 2022 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, St. George News

“I would just really hope that people gain an appreciation for not only the beauty of Southern Utah but just a deeper appreciation for the remarkable things that live in the desert around us,” she said.

Matthew Gray Palmer, who sculpted the tortoise, flew with his party from out of state for the ceremony. He told St. George News the statue took him 500 hours to carve using various tools, including diamond saws.

The tortoise, which an attending child dubbed “Debby,” was made from a 5,500-pound block of Dakota mahogany granite, which Palmer described as a “brutally hard” stone intended to withstand the elements.

The completed sculpture weighed approximately 4,200 pounds and was set in place with a forklift, Palmer said, adding that the most nerve-wracking aspect of the project was moving it, as it was at risk of breaking until it was mortared into place.

To watch a YouTube video of Palmer creating the tortoise statue, click here.

The Red Cliffs Desert Reserve will host a “Hike with a Tortoise” event at the trailhead on Oct. 7, beginning at 9 a.m. as part of their upcoming Tortoise Week events schedule, the group’s outreach coordinator Ammon Teare told St. George News. Details are expected to be announced this week and made available on their Facebook page. and events calendar.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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