Hale urges Arizona congressional delegation to keep
North Rim of Grand Canyon open longer
STATE
CAPITOL, PHOENIX – Rep.
Albert Hale, D-St. Michaels (District 7), recently wrote to the Arizona
congressional delegation urging the members to extend the visitors seasons for
the North Rim of The Grand Canyon National Park by two weeks.
“Extending
access to this part of the national park will provide an economic boost to both
the state and region,” Hale said. “It would be a benefit to Arizona’s economic
and employment situation.”
In the letter,
Hale requested that the congressional delegation and the National Park Service
work together to make the policy change a priority. He wrote that the services and businesses associated
with the North Rim of the Grand Canyon create a “sustained seasonal economy”
and “provide needed employment in Northern Arizona.”
“There are
hundreds of jobs that are dependent on the seasonal flow of visitors to this
area,” Hale said. “Businesses and employees would benefit greatly if the season
were extended until October.”
Hale added
that he believes that keeping this portion of the Grand Canyon open for an
extra two weeks would have only a negligible impact on the National Park
Service budget.
“The benefits
to the region will likely outweigh the cost associated with changing the length
of the visitors season,” Hale said.
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Rep. Hale is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. He was born in Ganado and raised in Klagetoh, Arizona. He is Ashiihi (Salt), born for Todichiini (Bitter Water). His maternal grandparents are Hanaghani (Walk About clan). His paternal grandparents are Kiyanii (Tall House clan). He is a 1969 graduate of Fort Wingate High School, a Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school located east of Gallup, New Mexico. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona (1973), and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law, Albuquerque, New Mexico (1977), and an honorary Juris Doctor degree from Phoenix School of Law (2012). He is the former President of the Navajo Nation.
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