For Navajo and Hopi Tribes, Daylight Savings Is Confusing

Above, the Navajo Nation's Hubbell Trading Post in Ganado, Arizona. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Whenever I go into Arizona during the summer months, I have to be mindful that the state is not observing Daylight Savings Time. 

Arizona is under Mountain Time, the same as New Mexico, but with the exception of the Navajo Nation within the state, Daylight Saving Time is not observed. The Navajo Nation in Arizona observes Daylight Savings Time.

However, the Hopi tribe does not observe Daylight Savings Time. 

As one can imagine, this causes a lot of confusion.

The Arizona Daily Sun has posted an article on how bad the confusion gets.

They begin with:

Those who live on the Arizona portion of the Navajo Nation — the largest Native American reservation in the U.S. — endure mind-bending calculations every March through November.

The Navajo Nation, which also stretches into Utah and New Mexico, reset its clocks for one hour later despite being situated between two territories that remain on standard time: the rest of Arizona and the neighboring Hopi reservation.

It's made for an especially unique situation with the Hopi reservation, which is landlocked within the Navajo Nation and goes by standard time year-round. A stretch of U.S. 160 in Tuba City is the de facto border between the two reservations and two time zones.

To read the full article, go here. 

2021: Expect Gun Sales To Soar

Above, guns for sale at the Albuquerque Cabela's. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Gun and ammunition sales went through the roof in 2020. We can expect more of the same, possibly even more so, this year.

The Arizona Daily Sun has an article on this. They think gun sales will soar this year if Biden ends up at the White House.

They wrote:

There are a lot of adjectives you can use to describe 2020. Just like all those who survived the 1929 stock market crash and subsequent economic depression, 2020 will be burned into the collective memories of 350 million Americans as their 1929 moment.

Rioting, looting, the Cancel and Woke movements, COVID-19, the move to decriminalize criminal behavior combined with the defunding police movement, leading to a marked increase in, you guessed it, gun sales.

Are shooting sports, like all outdoor activity, seeing a marked increase in popularity, or are more people worried about their family's safety? A bit of both?

Regardless, the federal background check system reports an incredible 19.1 million gun sales through the end of November. The National Shooting Sports Foundation reports that over 7.5 million of those purchasers are new gun owners.

Beyond this showing strong support for the 2nd Amendment, the on-the-street impact has been a marked lack of inventory of firearms and ammunition across the nation's retail stores. When supplies do arrive at any store, the stock is often depleted the day it is placed on the shelves.

To read more, go here. 

Tusayan Campground Expansion Project

Above, the Grand Canyon. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Kaibab National Forest is planning to expand the Ten X Campground a few miles south of the town of Tusayan, Arizona near Grand Canyon National Park.

It and several other campgrounds (some commercial) fill the needs of tourists in RVs and tents who cannot get a campsite inside Grand Canyon National Park. If the expansion is approved, it will add more sites and modernize the existing facility.

According to the Arizona Daily Sun:

The Kaibab National Forest will be accepting comment on a proposed project to remodel and expand the current Tex X Campground, which is located south of Tusayan near the entrance to the Grand Canyon National Park. 

The expansion would increase capacity from the current 70 campsites to a total of 300. The total expansion and remodel would encompass about 345 acres. The comment period continues through May 30. 

The project is designed to increase overnight camping for visitors to the area and improve overall experience by upgrading aging facilities and adding amenities. 

The remodel and expansion would allow the park to accommodate large RVs. The 230 sites to be added would be a mix of RV, individual tent, and small group sites.

 To read more, go here.

Free Entry At Grand Canyon On Earth Day

Above, a view of the Grand Canyon from Hermit's Rest. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Each time I hear "Earth Day" uttered, I can't help thinking about California Senator Dianne Feinstein's pronunciation of earth as "urff" and laugh.

One nice thing about Earth Day, people do get some benefits out of the observance. Such is the case with Grand Canyon National Park.

The Arizona Daily Sun reported:

Grand Canyon National Park invites the public to celebrate the 48th anniversary of Earth Day during National Park Week fee-free day on Saturday, April 21. Visitors can participate in Grand Canyon's Earth Day celebration at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center Plaza near Mather Point from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. All Earth Day activities are free and open to the public. 

This year's Earth Day celebration will feature displays with information about current park conservation efforts and initiatives including water conservation, waste, recycling, composting, dark skies, smart transportation and biofuels.

To read more, go here. 

Grand Canyon To Remain Open If Another Government Shutdown

Above, Grand Canyon National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Here we go again!

We're on the cusp of another possible federal government shutdown like the #SchumerShutdown of last month.

Arizona is appropriating the funds needed to keep Grand Canyon National Park open if there is a shutdown.

According to the Arizona Daily Sun:

On the eve of a possible second government shutdown of the year, federal agencies in Coconino County are again looking at having to furlough employees, halt public services and put their work on pause. If congressional leaders fail to pass a new stopgap spending deal, here’s what to expect from several local federal agencies, parks and monuments. 

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK 

As with last month’s shutdown, Grand Canyon National Park will remain open. A spokesman for Gov. Doug Ducey said the state of Arizona will again put up its own money to make sure the park remains open. The state already wired about $188,000 to the Department of Interior to keep Grand Canyon open during last month’s three-day shutdown. It expects to be reimbursed, but could also direct that money to be used if another shutdown begins Friday, spokesman Patrick Ptak said. 

The National Park Service follows a standard procedure during a lapse in appropriations, including the closure of NPS-provided visitor services like restrooms, trash collection, facilities and roads maintenance and public information. At Grand Canyon, that closure has extended to permit offices and entry gates, meaning no entry fees were collected. And during last month’s shutdown, campgrounds were open but weren’t staffed by employees checking reservations.

To read more, go here. 

National Park Maintenance Squabbles

Above, the backlog at Grand Canyon National Park is estimated to be $321 million. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

President Trump inherited a nearly $12 billion backlog of deferred maintenance of our national parks, but there are those who dispute that amount.

The Arizona Daily Sun reported:

As the National Park Service celebrated its centennial year in 2016, visitation to parks, monuments and other NPS-managed sites nationwide climbed 7 percent over the year before, to 330 million people. But along with that story of positive growth, the agency faces the daunting challenge of addressing $11.9 billion in deferred maintenance. That includes $129 million at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and $371 million at Grand Canyon National Park.  

Now, conservation groups are worried that maintenance backlog is being used as an argument to increase privatization of national parks and as a reason to defund other Interior Department programs to free up money for deferred maintenance. 

President Donald Trump’s latest budget blueprint hints at that thought process. Included in its 12 percent cut to the Department of the Interior, the plan eliminates $120 million used to fund new federal lands acquisition, saying that money will instead be focused on “investing in, and maintaining, existing national parks, refuges and public lands.”

To read more, go here.