LATE REPRESENTATIVE MORRIS K. UDALL AND SENATOR JOHN S. MCCAIN TO BE HONORED AT GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PARK AND THE NATION
Posted:
3/30/2018
Contact: Mindy Riesenberg
(928) 863-3878
mriesenberg@grandcanyon.org
GRAND CANYON, ARIZ.— Two Arizona icons, the late Representative Morris K. Udall and Senator John S. McCain, will be honored on Wednesday, April 4, 2018, at Grand Canyon National Park for their shared love of the park and their efforts to advance the conservation purposes for which it was established.
Udall and McCain, although leaders from different parties, were united in friendship, patriotism, and devotion to the Grand Canyon. The celebration, hosted by Grand Canyon Association and Grand Canyon National Park, will include the unveiling of an enduring tribute plaque at the park to honor their legacy and an announcement of special initiatives to further their work to benefit the park and the nation.
A member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 30 years, Congressman Morris “Mo” Udall served for nearly one and a half decades as Chairman of the House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. During his tenure, he developed policies to preserve and protect Grand Canyon National Park’s unique features, to provide the public the opportunity to experience and enjoy the park, and to protect and interpret the park’s extraordinary scientific and natural values. He was also passionate about meeting the nation’s responsibilities to the Grand Canyon’s (and the country’s) first inhabitants, the Native Americans.
Senator John S. McCain, now serving his sixth term in the U.S. Senate representing the state of Arizona, served on the House Interior Committee under Udall’s leadership. Inspired by Udall, McCain went on to make his own mark on the history of Grand Canyon and in service to Native Americans as the Chairman, Vice Chairman, and longtime member of the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs.
The policies related to Grand Canyon that Udall and McCain are largely responsible for are as wide and varied as the Grand Canyon itself, including:
- The protection of the canyon’s air quality and the beauty of its vistas;
- The promotion of visitor safety;
- The protection of the Colorado River and the park’s riparian resources;
- The protection of wilderness on the Arizona strip and across the state, holding in trust nearly 3.5 million acres of the state’s most spectacular areas for future generations;
- Measures to protect the sovereignty, dignity, self-determination, and the quality of life of the Native Americans who call Grand Canyon home and those who value it for its cultural and spiritual resources.
Event Information
WHEN: Wednesday, April 4, 2018
10:30 a.m. to noon
WHERE: Mather Point Amphitheater
Grand Canyon National Park
The public is invited to attend this event.
About Grand Canyon Association
Grand Canyon Association (GCA) is the official philanthropic partner of Grand Canyon National Park, working hand-in-hand with the National Park Service to support projects including trails and historic building preservation, educational programs for the public, and the protection of wildlife and their natural habitat. GCA inspires people to protect and enhance Grand Canyon National Park for present and future generations. For more information, visit grandcanyon.org.
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