#MyGrandCanyonStory | Sarah Benatar
HECHO spoke with Coconino County Treasurer, Sarah Benatar, 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 to the Grand Canyon?
Sarah Benatar (SB): My personal connection to Grand Canyon is, it's in my backyard, so to speak. Living in Coconino County, we have the Grand Canyon here, and it’s one of the most amazing things.
I personally think the best parts in the Canyon are the North rim and the South rim. The Grand Canyon is something I find a lot of pride and joy in, especially in that it’s a part of our County. We really get to enjoy it whenever we want.
I get to enjoy both the North and the South rim because the North end is so different than the South rim. Being able to have the opportunity to visit both and especially the North rim whenever I want, it's been just a really great opportunity and experience.
I do have to add that a couple of years ago, I went to Australia for a political exchange. And after the end of the two weeks, everyone was kind of teasing each other about our introductions, but everyone was like, yes, the introduction for Sarah is my name is Sarah, I’m the County Treasurer for Coconino County, home of the Grand Canyon, the most beautiful county of them all.
So that's how I introduce myself, you know, it's my home. I love it. We're very fortunate, and it's just so wonderful to have that connection here of just being able to say it's an hour away.
HECHO: Why do you believe that the Grand Canyon should be protected?
SB: I believe that the Grand Canyon should be protected and advocated for, because anything that was naturally here should be protected and we should be advocating for that protection. We can see the permanent damages it has when you do have deforestation, when you do have people, you know, going in and, and taking advantage of the land and not protecting it and not fighting for it.
So it's very devastating. It has. Lasting effects. You can't go back and you can't reverse. You can't hit, the undo button like you would on a computer, so for me, conservation and preservation has been, just so key to who I am.
I believe that the Grand Canyon is essential to protect. It doesn't matter how big it is. It's huge. And it's big for a reason. Every part is so unique, you know? Everyone goes to the South rim of the Canyon. That is the most popular part of the Grand Canyon, but the North rim is beautiful and unique in its own different way.
The views are different. The shape, the colors. The trees, the plant life, animal life, is so unique. So we need to protect the Canyon as a whole, because if you only protect a certain part of it, you will lose very unique plant and wildlife habitat that we can't ever get back.
HECHO: What are your thoughts about the administration’s policy aiming to open up the Grand Canyon watershed for uranium mining?
SB: My thoughts on the administration's policy to open up the Grand Canyon to uranium mining is that it’s a horrible idea. I am completely against uranium mining. We have seen what mining in general across the country does to, to the environment and it's damaging. It's a deep, permanent damage. You can't go back. Once you start mining, that's it, you're causing permanent damage to that place.
It’s causing permanent damage, to the plant life, to the actual Canyon wall itself, to the earth. That’s a lot of damage and risks the Canyon, impacting the community every day. People who live out there, especially the Tribes that are still living in the Canyon.
The Grand Canyon is very sacred to so many Native communities. We've got the Colorado River going through it. Any accidents that happen, will have devastation, not just to the plant life and to the earth, but to the people around it.
We need to protect the land and we need to protect the plant life, but we need to protect one another. What this administration is doing by opening the Grand Canyon to uranium mining is saying we don't care about the people. We don't care about the earth. We don't care about the plants. We just care about money and no life, whether it's human life or animal life. Every life is so important. To say that money is worth more than life, is just ridiculous. I think that's what this is doing a
HECHO: What tips would you share for people visiting?
SB: If you are a first timer coming out to visit the Grand Canyon, something that you cannot miss, is the North Rim. It’s absolutely worth the extra travel. It's a beautiful drive to get there. What you see and what you experience there will be so unique. It's amazing. If you don't have the time to make it to the North rim, I suggest that you enter the park one way and exit the other.
There’s two entrances for the the park. And by doing that whole loop, you get to see all of the Canyon. On the South side of the park, you get to really observe and get to see that different viewpoint. But then when you come out of the park, you get to really appreciate the Flora and fauna around the park, which for me, is so special. You can also enter through Williams and go up that way and go through the main park entrance, and then if you follow the park map all the way through the other entrance, you actually will come up on the Navajo Nation and then you can kind of come up back to Flagstaff.
There are some great parks right there on your, on your drive back. So you can really make it a great day to learn, not just about the Canyon itself, but learn about the people, learn about the culture, learn about the animal life if you do that loop, because you get that unique perspective from the Navajo nation of why the Canyon is so important. You get to really see how, they built their communities just outside of Canyon and the reasons why. So I highly recommend if you are coming to the Grand Canyon, to not just stick with the big touristy South rim, main park, but to really explore the other side and take the drive along the Eastern part of the park so you can come out on the Navajo nation.
HECHO: What are your plans for your next visit?
SB: What I look forward to the most about spending time in the Grand Canyon is being able to bring family there. I have a 13-month-old daughter. She has not been able to go into the Canyon yet, so I'm excited to bring her there and to just have her watch in amazement. She loves being outside.
Being able to, to bring her there where she can really just see all of that. I'm so excited for her to be able to experience all the uniqueness that the Grand Canyon has. Every viewpoint is different everywhere you go and every time you go, you see something, you didn't before, you get a different perspective. And then when she's older, we've already talked about getting a camping trailer and getting to go take her camping.
And there's a very special spot for my husband and I on the North rim. It was our first big camping trip, to the North rim. And just outside the park there's a lot of forest land and we've been able to find some great campsites where you pretty much come out your tent and your view is of the Canyon. In the summer time, the thunder storms over the canyon make for a beautiful view. I look forward to sharing all of that with her.
HECHO: Could you complete the following sentence: Protecting the Grand Canyon watershed from uranium mining is personal to me because...
SB: Protecting the Grand Canyon from uranium mining is personal to me because the Grand Canyon is my home. We live here, it's in my backyard. I want to make sure that it's there for years to come. For my kids, for my grandkids, to be able to enjoy and explore its formation. And I do not want any part of that destroyed. Uranium mining coming into the Grand Canyon would be devastating to me and my family for the years to come.
It would be devastating to the plant life, the earth life, but most importantly to the people who live here.
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