#MyGrandCanyonStory | Nikki Julien

HECHO spoke with Nikki Julien, Outreach Director for the Arizona Wildlife Federation to learn about her favorite memory at the Grand Canyon, and why she believes uranium mining poses a dangerous threat to the National Park.

HECHO: What is your personal connection to the grand Canyon?

Nikki Julien (NJ): My personal connection to the Grand Canyon started the first time I visited, I was probably about five, six years old. My family had moved to Arizona and my parents, of course, put my brother in boy scouts. They had a boy scout trip to go down to Havasupai Village and we all hiked all the way down and back up again. While I was there, I actually learned to swim in that beautiful blue, green water. I learned how to swim in Mooney Falls. I was just a kid at the time, so I didn’t think much about it until after I realized how major it actually was. In the education field and nature writing field, and nature advocacy field, one of the first questions that is asked at almost any conference, is about your connection to the land. When that is asked, I get to say that I learned to swim at Mooney Falls at Havasupai Village which is an amazing, amazing experience. Not many six year olds can make that trip down and back out again. In 2014, I was able to helicopter down into the village and that was remarkable.

HECHO: Why do you believe that the grand Canyon should be protected?

NJ: I believe the grand Canyon should be protected because it's one of nature's miracle places. The grand Canyon digs through 5 billion years of Earth's history and lays it all out. That’s a rare thing to be able to find, and a lot of people come to Arizona to see the Grand Canyon. If we look at the four corners region, the government could look at these places and come to the conclusion that they really don't have anything to them. But when you're there, you recognize how much wonderfulness is there and how much your spirit is moved by being there. Then suddenly you’re reminded that this picture perfect image can be torn to shreds through mining or bad practices and it’s heartbreaking. As humans, it is important for us to remember that we are visitors to this place. It belongs to the people who have resided there since time immemorial, and to the wildlife that belong there. As visitors, it is a gift for us to be able to go there and see it. We shouldn’t treat those gifts with bad practices.

HECHO: Why do you advocate for the grand Canyon?

NJ: I advocate for the Grand Canyon on a couple of different levels. Working for the Arizona Wildlife Federation has allowed me to participate in several campaigns against uranium mining at the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is way too precious to mine. There is a community that calls that land home, and the water that is found in the Grand Canyon, that is their livelihood. We cannot decimate their people by piling more uranium mining, it just doesn’t make sense. I also advocate for the Grand Canyon because of the wildlife that's there. These canyons are amazing places for birds, like condors, which are under threat of extinction. Additionally, watching Big Horn Sheep navigate those cliffs is just astounding. There's so many ways that people can connect to the Grand Canyon, whether it's just going to the overlook, or going hunting or fishing down the river. All of that depends on us promoting and protecting the Grand Canyon as a place to love.

HECHO: What are your thoughts about the administration's policy aiming to open up the grand Canyon for uranium mining?

NJ: What do I think of the administration's policy of opening up the grand Canyon? I think it’s foolish. When so many people are saying, protect the Grand Canyon because we love recreating there and for existing mines not being cleaned up despite it being closed for years, it just doesn’t make sense. If there's one place you don't screw up the land, it should be the Grand Canyon. I think legislators are turning a blind eye to that. They're not thinking about the beauty that fills people with love and care and you know, maybe that's what it's ailing our society. We need our elected officials to be cognizant of that.

HECHO: Complete the sentence: protecting the Grand Canyon watershed from uranium mining is personal to me because…

NJ: It's personal to me because I want to be able to continue to recreate in that water. I want to know that my grand children are able to play in that water and walk into the Grand Canyon or that surrounding area without a radiation sign. It’s almost unbelievable, like something out of science fiction. Having to continue this fight when everybody knows that this is bad stuff and the science is there to say that, and our allies are producing a much greater amount of uranium at a much higher percentage, it just doesn't make sense on so many different levels. It really keeps coming back to how can we destroy such a beautiful thing?

HECHO: What tips would you share for people who are looking forward to going to the Grand Canyon?

NJ: My daughter was actually asking me this very question at Christmas. She saw some pictures of my trip to Havasupai Village and really wanted to go. I told her to be prepared for it to take a couple years to get an appointment to get your reservation. This was before Coronavirus. I was just listening to the natural resources committee speak with the President of the Navajo Nation talking about how difficult Covid has been on his people. I hear them asking for a bit of a break to protect their community, so I let me daughter know that it’s better to wait. For now, it can be seen virtually, and later on, it’ll be stronger and better because we’re being careful.

HECHO: What are your plans for the next time that you're able to visit?

NJ: I have never taken the Grand Canyon Railroad and I've always wanted to do it. I also make a special trip to go down to see the hoodoos and I’ve never fished there. So that’s another experience that I want to do in Arizona. There’s so many things that I still haven’t seen or done in the Canyon, and that makes me really happy. There’s a lot left to take part in.

Share your own Grand Canyon photo to our story bank project by tagging @hechoonline on Facebook and Instagram using the #MyGrandCanyonStory hashtag to be featured.