Lake Havasu and Brain-Eating Amoebas

Above, Lake Havasu, Arizona. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

While I was at Lake Havasu, Arizona last week, friend Mitch Geriminsky told me that he hasn't been in the waters of Lake Havasu for three years due to amoebas in the water.

I've heard of brain-eating amoebas before. They dwell in freshwater lakes and rivers in temperatures up to around 115°.

I did a Google check on this and found a recent news story by KTAR News.

It begins with:

PHOENIX — Health officials said a suspected case of a rare brain-eating amoeba in Arizona turned out to be negative for the infection.

Specimens of the suspected case of Naegleria Fowleri were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for testing and determined to not be positive, Eugene Livar, assistant director of public health preparedness for the Arizona Department of Health Services, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Wednesday.

The suspected case occurred in Mohave County.

Naegleria Fowleri infections typically occur when people go swimming, diving or put their heads under fresh water, such as lakes or rivers.

The infection cannot be spread between people.

The only positive case of brain-eating amoeba from Lake Havasu occurred in 2007.

To read more, go here.

Grand Canyon Generated $710 Million For Local Economy

Above, the Grand Canyon. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

National parks are great assets to the country. Besides preserving scenic and historic places, national parks generate revenue and jobs for local economies.

A report was released yesterday that showed what Grand Canyon National Park generated for the local economy in 2021.

KTAR News reported:

PHOENIX — Tourism in Grand Canyon National Park brought in $710 million for the local economy in 2021, according to a report released Monday.

The park’s 4.5 million visitors last year spurred the spending and supported nearly 9,500 jobs in the area, the peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis conducted by economists at the National Park Service and the U.S. Geological Survey revealed.

“Grand Canyon is proud to be welcoming back more visitors from across the country and world since the beginning of the pandemic,” Superintendent Ed Keable said in a press release.

To read more, go here. 

Grand Canyon National Park Announces Bus Schedule Changes

Above, Grand Canyon Village shuttle bus station. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The pandemic may (or may not) be ending, but it still is affecting certain national park operations to some degree.

The latest is at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. The pandemic has made park officials make changes to the shuttle bus schedule.

According to KTAR News: 

PHOENIX– Those traveling to Grand Canyon National Park starting on Saturday should expect changes to typical shuttle bus operations.

All buses and shuttle operations are still altered in order to meet COVID-19 guidelines, but routes such as the Village, Hermits Rest, Kaibab Rim and Tusayan are all affected by the update, officials said in a press release Wednesday.

The Village route will run from 5 a.m. until 10 p.m. while the Hermits Rest and Kaibab Rim routes will operate from 5 a.m. until one hour after sunset.

To read more, go here.