#MyGrandCanyonStory | Victor Silva

HECHO spoke with Victor Silva of Tempe, 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?

Victor Silva (VS): ​My personal connection to the Grand Canyon is... it's served as sort of a window to the idea of national parks in general, and what they entail, what they represent, what their potential is -- in terms of enrichment.

I don't think I really fully understood that growing up. I understood it more as some land set aside to be admired and appreciated, but from the outside looking in, those kinds of activities, at least growing up for me, seemed like they were available to maybe an exclusive set of people -- that maybe had the financial means, experience, or knowledge to participate in them.

It wasn't something that seemed accessible to me. Of course that's not the case. It's a huge misconception, but the lack of diversity in the outdoors probably lends to that idea. Without having that visual representation, there's not always a direct connection to being able to participate in national parks. Especially for people of color, or people from underrepresented areas. So the Grand Canyon did not seem accessible to me growing up and neither did the outdoors in general.

So my journey to the Grand Canyon was through camping. I'd never done much camping growing up. My father actually did a lot of work where he would have to be out in the “campos” and camp, and I do remember his Coleman canteens and lanterns, and things like that. I did pretend to camp as a kid, but coming from immigrant parents, they were focused on trying to make a better life for us. Camping, amusement parks, or things of that nature, weren't things that we really did. So when I had my own kids, it's something that I wanted to bring into their life. So I started camping, and I made all of the novice camping mistakes and learned along the way. Finally I got to a point where I felt like the Grand Canyon was something that I wanted to experience and something I wanted to share with my kids. And so our first experience with the Grand Canyon was camping. We booked a campsite and just ventured out there, not exactly knowing what to expect. I did think it was going to be more expensive. I thought maybe we weren't going to be able to participate in a lot of the things, but I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't at all like that.

I think at the time it was $35 for a car load, which can still be a lot for people, but it was something that we could do at the time. The campsite was very affordable and it was a great experience for us. We camped there for about four days. It was a lot windier than where we're used to and I think the other surprising thing about the Canyon was the size of the Ravens. We were warned by the park Rangers, how smart these birds were there. So my kids were entertained the entire time by their antics and just their sheer size. It was a wonderful, wonderful experience for us.

Like I said, it was a window into what national parks are. On that trip, we barely touched the surface of what we could do at the Grand Canyon. We didn't know exactly what to expect but once we were there, we learned quite a bit about the Grand Canyon and that kind of opened that experience up for us.

So to answer the question, it represents a window of wonder for my family, and in the beginning of our journey, we realized that the Grand Canyon, although the view is beautiful and amazing, the Grand Canyon offers a lot more than just the view. Since the trip, we learned about other national parks and learned how accessible they were and that sort of started us on that journey of setting our eyes on a lot more experiences like this at the Grand Canyon, as well as other national parks.

HECHO: Why do you believe that the Grand Canyon should be protected?

I believe that the Grand Canyon should be protected because of the vastness of what it offers. We're at the beginning of our Grand Canyon journey, so we're learning what it means to have one of the seven natural wonders of the world in our backyard, having access to it, and what that means to us.

I'm very interested in the Grand Canyon remaining and being protected so that it remains in its current condition, not only for my family, but for generations to come. I want all people, especially people who haven't had access in the past to these types of activities, to understand just how accessible it actually is and how enriching it can be.

It can be difficult to explain to people without them going. Obviously it's challenging to translate that experience and how moving it is into words. That's why every opportunity I have to share this with people is always accompanied by a suggestion to just get there. Just go, even if you only have time for a day trip. Make sure you do a little bit of research beforehand so you know what you can participate in – but if you can go, just go. I think once you've visited the Canyon and taken time to appreciate it, most people wouldn't hesitate to make a case for the protection of it.

Not, not only talking about the view and how overwhelming it is, but when you realize it's sort of like looking out into the ocean and realizing how small you are in comparison. It also acts like a living laboratory, right? The landscape, it's colors, the geology, lets you peer into the past and the history of North America, taking time to learn about the cultural history and significance types in the Canyon.

That history is so rich and it's hard to share that with people in a small amount of time. But once you're there it's hard not to not to appreciate it. The stories that the geography can tell, the rich cultural ties, and the importance of that ecosystem as a whole, including the Colorado River that passes through it. There's so many reasons to continue to protect the Grand Canyon. Keeping it as pristine as possible so that it can continue to serve humanity in the many ways it does.

​HECHO: Why do you advocate for the Grand Canyon?

I advocate for the Grand Canyon because it is such a rich natural resource and it is accessible and available to enrich our lives and in many different ways. As I mentioned before, it's one of the seven wonders of the world and I think all it offers is misunderstood in terms of all that it offers because you have to experience it. It's like if you take a photo of the Canyon from one spot, you just can't take in all its beauty from that one spot. Through my own research, after our first visit, I kept reading the phrase “ it's not just a view”. I don't want to take anything away from the view because it's amazing and breathtaking, and you should definitely take it in from many different places in and around the Canyon. But the phrase is correct. There is so much more that the Canyon offers and the only thing you have to do really is spend time there exploring, and learning and just take it in.

Hopefully, with people advocating for the protection of the Grand Canyon, it can continue to serve as that type of resource for future generations.

Recently, we've witnessed efforts to encroach on public lands such as the Grand Canyon. It's a resource that's just too precious to not maintain for future generations. So my family and I plan to take advantage of everything the Canyon offers, and we hope that it continues to be protected for other families to do the same.

​HECHO: What are your plans for your next visit?

My plans for our next visit, depending when it is possible in the current situation, are a few trips.

I'd like to visit the Canyon during the off season just to get a different perspective with maybe some snowfall, and I hear that there's less of a crowd during that time as well. Not that crowds were really an issue when we went, but it'd be nice to see it through a different perspective.

I'm also working my way up to being able to participate in more activities in the inner Canyon, such as hiking into the Canyon and hiking back out. I want to make sure that my family and I are prepared. So we've been working our way up to that. I mean, after our first trip, we made a list of all of the things that we wanted to do.

And some of those include, you know, exploring the Canyon trails via bike. We would like to do some mountain biking as well, maybe ride Hermit Road, maybe try Desert View Drive, one of the scenic drives there, and of course, do more camping.

We definitely want to visit the North Rim. We haven't been to the North Rim yet. We’d also like to take advantage of some of the ranger programs and eventually, even do some of the river activities like rafting. There are just so many things to do there that we weren't aware of before.

Once we got there and we learned of all the activities, we made a checklist of activities. We'll definitely be checking some of those off.

Yeah, there's a ton to do there. I didn't realize that as when I first visited the Grand Canyon. It's overwhelming, but super fun stuff.

What tips would you share for people who are visiting?

My suggestion for people visiting, or at least people thinking of visiting, again, to just find a way to get there. You know, if you're thinking of going, just book your trip. Just commit to it.

If you can only do a day trip, it does not have to be expensive. If you plan to spend more time there, do a little bit of research beforehand. They have a great website, do a little bit of research on things you can do, trails you can hike. I mean, for the most part, all that stuff is free. I would suggest visiting for several days, if possible, to get a better experience.

If you need a way to experience the Canyon on a budget, I would suggest, just renting a campsite and like I said, do a bit of research, to plan accordingly..

The website has a lot of different videos about best times to visit and best places to go and the costs associated with them. I also suggest taking in some of those some of the ranger programs. For the most part, those activities are free. It's a quick way to help you learn about the Grand Canyon, about its history, and its cultural significance. You can also learn about It's geology with geography.

I guess my biggest tip is to just get there and experience it. Once you're there, you'll want to come back and you'll want to plan for some of the other activities. Don't feel like you have to take it all in on one trip. There are so many things to do so just get there and make it as affordable and easy as possible. You won't regret it.

HECHO: What are your thoughts about the administration’s policy aiming to open up the Grand Canyon watershed for uranium mining?

My thoughts about the administration's policy aiming to open up the Grand Canyon watershed for uranium mining are that they're very short sighted. It's a short-term gain for a specific few at the expense of many, including future generations. I just think the risk far outweighs the benefit, especially when the benefit is only for a few stakeholders.

The potential to contaminate a water supply that affects up to 18 million people, the effect it could make visually to such a pristine environment, the potential to affect water quality, displace wildlife, the effect it could have on tribal lands and the people that depend on the streams, are all reasons to avoid this.

It's just not worth it. Like I said, it's very short-sighted. Also, I think it could possibly establish a disturbing precedence of the eroding of protections for all national parks. I think these efforts lately have started to weaken the Antiquities Act, and is now a potential danger to all our national parks.

HECHO: Could you complete the following sentence: Protecting the Grand Canyon watershed from uranium mining is personal to me because...

Protecting the Grand Canyon watershed from uranium mining is personal to me because the Canyon is part of my story and part of the story of my family. The protection of the Canyon was intended to help maintain these lands so that it can be enjoyed by the public, as a way to enrich people's lives. Opening up the watershed to uranium mining represents a direct attack on this idea.

And like I said before, it can establish a precedence for eroding the protections of other national parks. Anything we can do to help prevent that is vital. I won't stand for the eroding of these protections by short term, short-sided profit for a few, at the expense of many.

Share your own Grand Canyon photo to our story bank project by tagging @hechoonline on Facebook and Instagram using the #MyGrandCanyonStory hashtag to be featured.