#MyGrandCanyonStory | Viviana Reyes
HECHO spoke with Viviana Reyes of Flagstaff, Arizona to learn about her personal connection to the Grand Canyon, her favorite memories there, and why she believes the Grand Canyon should be protected from uranium mining.
HECHO: What is your personal connection the Grand Canyon
Viviana Reyes (VR): As far as my personal connection to the Grand Canyon, I was born and raised in Arizona. I grew up in Phoenix, and, as a child, the Grand Canyon was one of the only places that we were really able to visit. For one, it’s in our home state and it was really close. And, also, it’s kind of an affordable place to visit in the sense that we would just kind of get together as a family and drive. One of the first times I got to visit was with an uncle and it was super breathtaking and beautiful. I remember thinking that it wasn’t real, that it just looked like a picture, like a postcard almost. We visited often throughout my childhood, and spent a lot time together there as a family. It’s such an important place for Arizona, for those of us who are born and raised there, and, of course, for all the people that come and visit the Canyon from around the world.
I recently went again a couple of months ago, and I took Vida for the first time. She loved it just as much as I did and we learned a lot. One of her favorite things was the night sky, and, when we were sitting out for dinner at one of the restaurants in the area, she just looked up and said, “oh my God look at all the stars mom.” It was so breathtaking, and I don’t think she had ever seen anything like that. Honestly, I hadn’t either in a really really long time. It was beautiful and it’s a pretty magical place.
HECHO: Why you believe that the Grand Canyon should be protected?
VR: I believe the Grand Canyon should be protected because of how incredible the place is, and the meaning that it has for so many people from all around the world. So many generations have visited the Grand Canyon, and a lot of tribal communities live in the area. It is home to so many people, and an absolutely magnificent place— there’s nothing like it in the world. It’s absolutely important to preserve it and protect it for future generations. As a mother, taking my daughter to see the Grand Canyon was a really amazing experience, and I can’t wait to hear about times in the future when she has her own children to take to the Grand Canyon. It’s just a beautiful place and it’s incredibly valuable to our communities, especially to those that currently live in the Grand Canyon.
HECHO: Why advocate for the Grand Canyon?
VR: Well I think it’s similar to what I said before, I believe the Grand Canyon should be protected because it’s important to the people who have the connection to it, the generations that have lived there for so many years, and the people that have yet to visit it. It’s full of amazing natural resources, and the wildlife that live there, the community that have lived there, the people that currently go and study geology there — it’s just such an important place. There’s nothing like it in the world, and it deserves to be protected. And that’s what we’re trying to do. It’s important because if we don’t [advocate on behalf of the Grand Canyon], it would be such a loss to us as a world, to lose such a beautiful place.
HECHO: What do you look forward to about visiting the Grand Canyon again?
VR: Well, I recently moved to Flagstaff, and I’m really excited that I’m only about an hour away from the Grand Canyon now versus the 3-4 hours I was driving to visit before. So I’m looking forward to visiting a lot more. I’m really looking forward to doing a longer trip where we actually get to hike down to the bottom of the Canyon, I’ve heard that’s a really amazing experience, and it’s definitely on my bucket list. As soon as we are back to some sort of you know, being normal again, then I will definitely make a trip to the Grand Canyon.
HECHO: What tips would you share for people visiting the Grand Canyon?
VR: I would say to spend a lot of time learning the history of the Grand Canyon. I feel like that was missing for me as a child, we didn’t spend a lot of time learning the history and I think that’s really important. Plus, the visitor center at the Grand Canyon is just amazing. There are so many displays, videos, exhibits, and information. The park rangers are also available to answer any questions, and so I would say to spend some time really getting to know the history of the Grand Canyon. Asking things like, who the first people were that discovered the Grand Canyon and what it’s been like ever since.
HECHO: What are your thoughts about the administration’s policy aiming to open up the Grand Canyon watershed for uranium mining?
VR: Well, I think it’s disappointing. I’m definitely not supportive of it, and I hope that with enough people communicating, advocating for the Grand Canyon, that we can help turn that around.
HECHO: Can you complete the sentence, “Protecting the Grand Canyon Watershed from uranium mining is personal to me because…”
VR: Protecting the Grand Canyon from uranium mining is personal to me because I want the Grand Canyon to continue to exist for many generations.
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