#MyGrandCanyonStory | Dennis Chavez
HECHO spoke with Dennis Chavez of Flagstaff, Arizona to learn about his personal connection to the Grand Canyon, his favorite memories there, and why he believes the Grand Canyon should be protected from uranium mining.
HECHO: What is your personal connection to the Grand Canyon?
Dennis Chavez (DC): My personal connection to the Grand Canyon is I was born and raised here in Flagstaff. I was born 65 years ago and I've lived here ever since, never left. My connection to the Grand Canyon started back in the1960s. My uncle worked on the Glen Canyon Dam. That was our first exposure to the Grand Canyon was when the dam was just being built. So, we saw a glimpse of the Grand Canyon before it was dammed up. It started there.
HECHO: Why do you believe that the Grand Canyon should be protected?
DC: I think the Grand Canyon should be protected because it's one of our natural wonders of the world. Many people come here just to get a glimpse of sunsets, sunrises, rainstorms, and snowstorms. It's a valuable part of, not only Arizona, but the world.
HECHO: Why do you advocate for the Grand Canyon?
DC: I advocate for the Grand Canyon because I love it so much. It's such a beautiful sight and it needs to be preserved. The uranium mining that's proposed in that area is going to be devastating to not only the Grand Canyon, but the water sources around it, even the Colorado River, which so many people depend on. It's one of our main sources of water here.
HECHO: What are your plans for your next visit?
DC: We go every year with my grandkids for the Killip school project. In 2019, we took a trip there with my grandson and the Rangers were so awesome up there. I mean, they really gave us a tour of the whole place, a history of the geology, and it really kept the kids interested. We're going to keep going back with the schools or with our family just to view it.
HECHO: What tips would you share for people visiting?
DC: The tips I have for visiting the Grand Canyon, or if you're going to hike the canyon, is to be careful. It gets extremely hot down there at the bottom of the canyon. It's a long way down and the longer way back up. Viewing from the Canyon, it's beautiful. You can go to different locations just to get a different view of the different parts of the canyon and different parts of the day. Snow or rain, it's beautiful up there. So, just take plenty of water and take time, especially in these Covid times right now. Social distancing is a big part of it. Masks are required in Arizona, so just be careful out there, but enjoy yourselves.
HECHO: What are your thoughts about the administration’s policy aiming to open up the Grand Canyon watershed for uranium mining?
DC: About opening up the watershed to mining, I would say it's definitely a no on my part. We advocate strongly for that and there are so many reasons to knock it down. I mean, it's uranium mining. We went through this in the fifties and sixties and we're still cleaning it up and they never cleaned it up. You know, we got spills happening all the time that are really affecting our environment.
HECHO: Could you complete the following sentence: Protecting the Grand Canyon watershed from uranium mining is personal to me because...
DC: Protecting the Grand Canyon from uranium mining is personal to me because, I grew up in Flagstaff. I grew up in Arizona. We treasure the Grand Canyon for a lot of reasons. It's spiritual, it's personal, it's political, it's something that we need to maintain for our future generations.
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