Sierra Club, Arizona’s Grand Canyon Chapter
 The Grand Canyon (Arizona) Chapter was formed in 1966 as a way to help focus attention on stopping dams in Grand Canyon. The work to protect the Colorado River and Grand Canyon National Park continue today. The Grand Canyon Chapter helped win designation of four million acres of wilderness in Arizona, stopped numerous old growth logging proposals, helped restore and protect Fossil Creek, and continues to work to protect the Verde and San Pedro Rivers. We have won passage of key environmental legislation including the Environmental Quality Act, which protects our air and water, and the Heritage Fund, which provides funding for parks and wildlife, and have helped defeat legislation that would undercut environmental protections. Our chapter has helped promote clean renewable energy and energy efficiency programs as well as measures to improve air quality by supporting mass transit and a Clean Car standards.
Current News
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For Immediate Release, November 16, 2009, Lawsuit Challenges Uranium Mine That Threatens Water and Wildlife of the Grand Canyon FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.— Today the Center for Biological Diversity, Grand Canyon Trust, and Sierra Club filed suit in an Arizona federal court challenging the Bureau of Land Management’s approval of the restart of a defunct uranium mine just north of Grand Canyon National Park. More...
2010 Chapter Election
Members, make your voice heard! Vote in Chapter and Group elections!
Go to the the 2010 Elections page for more information about how to vote. You can download a ballot and candidate statements.
Ballots must be postmarked by December 1st to be counted!
- The Canyon Echo Goes Wiki. Visit the online newsletter of the Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club. This version includes all the articles and information found in the newsprint Canyon Echo that's mailed quarterly, but with a lot more. Go to the Wiki now...
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 Congressman Raul Grijalva of Tucson, Ariz., received the Sierra Club's Edgar Wayburn Award, which honors outstanding service to the environmental cause by a person in government. As a county supervisor, Grijalva was instrumental in promoting the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan to protect the habitat of endangered species and other plants and wildlife. As a member of the U.S. Congress, he has expanded his work for environmental protection. Grijalva serves on the House Committee on Natural Resources and chairs the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands. "Congressman Grijalva's record as a stalwart steward of the environment exemplifies the leadership we need in America," said Sierra Club President Allison Chin. "He has promoted strong stakeholder outreach and always makes time to meet with advocates, attend small and large gatherings, and work for protection of the land in his district, his state, and throughout the country"
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September 14, 2009, Court Halts Copper-mine Land Exchange That Would Hurt Desert Species San Francisco— In a major ruling (download here) on environmental and public-land law, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco issued its ruling today striking down the federal government’s approval of a land exchange with mining giant Asarco, Inc. The court ruled that the federal Bureau of Land Management had violated various federal laws in agreeing to trade public land with Asarco, which Asarco wanted as part of its expansion of its massive Ray Copper Mine in Arizona. The court held that the agency’s actions were “arbitrary and capricious” and that the agency had not taken the required “hard look” at the exchange’s environmental impacts, including comparing impacts to the land and resources with, vs. without, the exchange. More...
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September 8, 2009, Uranium Mine Threatens Grand Canyon’s Endangered Species, Meets With Legal Challenge GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz.—The Center for Biological Diversity, Grand Canyon Trust, and Sierra Club today filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the Bureau of Land Management over Endangered Species Act violations connected to Grand Canyon uranium mining. The Bureau has failed to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the potential impacts of the Arizona 1 uranium mine, located just north of Grand Canyon National Park, to threatened and endangered species. More...
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Join us for an evening of film and discussion about wolves and other top predators in the West. Documentary Premiere, November 12, 2009, Sedona Public Library – 3250 White Bear Rd, Sedona, AZ 86336, 6:00 p.m. — Film and Discussion, FREE ! Sponsored by the Sierra Club
October 12 at Cline Library on NAU Campus in Flagstaff - 7:30pm
Meeting and contact info...
- August 26, 2009, Interior Begins Analysis of New Grand Canyon Uranium ProtectionsGRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz.— The Department of the Interior today published a
Federal Register notice announcing its preparation of an environmental impact statement evaluating a
proposed 20-year “mineral withdrawal” that would prohibit new mining claims and the exploration or
mining of existing claims without valid existing rights across nearly 1 million acres of public lands
surrounding Grand Canyon National Park. The purpose of the mineral withdrawal would be to protect
Grand Canyon’s watersheds from the adverse effects of new uranium exploration and mining. If
approved, the withdrawal would extend and strengthen protections set forth in the two-year land
segregation announced by the Interior Department on July 20, 2009. More...
- Arizona Energy Efficiency Project The Arizona Energy Efficiency Project is a collaborative
venture among five Arizona groups to significantly
increase energy efficiency in Arizona. Project funding is
generously provided by the Edwards Mother Earth
Foundation. For more information on the groups, this
project, and what you can do to help improve energy
efficiency in our state, please download the Arizona Energy Efficiency Project brochure (1.3 MB pdf).
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July 21, 2009, 2009 Arizona Legislative Session It could have been worse . . . and nearly was. Phoenix, Arizona – The 2009 Legislative Session was very long – ending the morning of July 1st and well past the June 30th midnight deadline for passing a budget. While a lot of bad environmental legislation was introduced, few of those bills made it to the Governor’s desk and even fewer became law. Nonetheless, it was a disturbing session in many ways including its highly partisan nature, the failure to follow processes that allow for better public involvement, and, overall, the failure of legislators and the Governor to work together to develop a budget that is balanced and that safeguards important programs and resources. Read full press release, Environmental Report Card.
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July 20, 2009, Salazar Protects Grand Canyon Watersheds From New Uranium Claims and Exploration Order Temporarily Bans New Uranium Claims and Exploration Across 1 Million Acres of Public Land Surrounding Grand Canyon National Park More...
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July 6, 2009 - Suit Challenges Logging That Threatens Burned Forest Recovery Near Grand Canyon Tractor Logging Will Damage Wildlife Habitat, Sensitive Soils, and Natural Forest Regeneration and Increase Fire Hazard. More...
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June 25, 2009, One Year Later: Grand Canyon’s Uranium Threat Unchanged Following Congressional Emergency Action Grand Canyon, ARIZ – One year ago today, Representative Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands, announced that the House Committee on Natural Resources had introduced and passed an emergency resolution pursuant to the Federal Land Policy and Management Act prohibiting new uranium mining claims, exploration and resulting mining across 1 million acres of public lands surrounding Grand Canyon National Park. More...
- June 17, 2009, Written Statement of Sandy Bahr, Sierra Club, Grand Canyon (Arizona) Chapter
Before the U.S. Senate,
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests concerning S. 409: Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act of 2009. Loss of Oak Flat Campground, Threats to Devil’s Canyon and Harm to Apache Leap. Download Full Testimony (64 KB pdf).
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May 14, 2009, Appeal Filed to Stop Irreversible Logging Damage to
Fragile Burned Forest North of Grand Canyon FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club, and WildEarth Guardians today filed an administrative appeal challenging the U.S. Forest Service for its failure to protect burned soils and wildlife habitat in a logging project slated for forests burned by the Warm Fire north of the Grand Canyon in 2006. More...
- New website All about Mexican gray wolves!
There are only 52 Mexican gray wolves in the wilds of Arizona and New Mexico. The
Sierra Club group joins local, regional, and national conservation, scientific, and sportsmen’s organizations, and concerned citizens in launching a new website, mexicanwolves.org, to help save this highly endangered animal. The new website has everything related to the Southwest’s lobos, including beautiful photos, news updates, ways to get involved and take action, information about the reintroduction program, a Kids Zone with fun educational activities, and more.
Visit it at www.mexicanwolves.org .
And thank you to all of you have helped to bring back the lobo and for your efforts to ensure that they are here to stay.
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Grand Canyon Echo
Download the Oct/Nov/Dec 2009 Issue (1.5 MB pdf)
Recent Issues and latest Beyond
the Slab cartoon!
Sign up for an e-Alert rather than receiving a paper copy.
Canyon Echo Goes Wiki
This online version includes all the articles and information found in the newsprint Canyon Echo that's mailed quarterly, but with a lot more.
Legislative Updates
Sierra Club 2009 Legislative Updates
Find out current information, status, action needed (and more) for Arizona
legislation. The tracker is updated daily... so visit it often! Grand Canyon Chapter Arizona Bill Tracker
2009 Environmental
Report Card
2009 Environmental Report Card (full report, 670 KB pdf)
Appendix A, Governor Report Card (13 KB pdf)
Appendix B, Senate Report Card (16 KB pdf)
Appendix C, House Report Card (21 KB pdf)
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