Havasupai Update

[fotogirl53]

The Nov. 2 edition of the Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff's newspaper) carried an exclusive story about the current conditions at Havasupai. A former tribal employee, now Coconino FN employee, Stephen Hirst, was allowed down to report. To summarize, the 36 hour flood caused extensive damage with the area below the village trashed. Much of the trail and both bridges are gone; the spring that provided water to the campground is burried and blocked--the water is coming up in many places and running through the area. The composting toilets are 1/2 full of mud. High bluffs are still crumbling. A 1/4 mile gorge cuts about 100 feet down to the Redwall. Travertine dikes gave way, forming a new waterfall. 1/2 way down, the creek drops 30 feet befor a final 20 foot drop-- what left of Navajo Falls comes out of a 4 foot spout to the side of the original falls. The travertine pools gave way and mud flats cover them now.

The estimated cost of clean-up, repairs and returning the creek to its original bed is $2million. There will be a benefit concert and live auction in Flagstaff on Friday, 11/6 at The Green Room at 15 N. Agassiz with bands, and Havasupai dancers. Coconino National Forest is sponsoring a firewood drive on Nov. 15-16. The tribe has a relief account set up at Wells Fargo. They have a website.

Let's try to help restore this Arizona gem and give the people back their livelihood.

[fotogirl53]

Seems like alot of people are saying that its time the Havasupai people join the rest of the world. I tend to agree, but it will take alot of $$ to relocate or build an economy from scratch. Let's see--they leave the reservation, get public housing in towns and cities, get food stamps, their kids get free lunch at school, they get AFDC for child support, they get minimum wage jobs, they fail public school, they can't make their car payments or pay for car insurance, and the list goes on. Maybe they should just build a casino down there and helicopter rich people in.

[azbackpackr]

Build a rehab clinic in the village, bring in people to help them start a crafts industry to sell stuff to tourists, get someone to help them start regular AA and Alanon meetings, etc. Emphasize self-determination, we can do it ourselves, etc. I am not sure all of it would work, though. The Mormons built a new church down there (I wonder what happened to it in the flood?) Their church used to have an alcoholism program, not sure if they still do, and I wonder if they have that program in Supai.

My sister collects old Indian baskets. She says the old Havasupai ones are the most valuable of any tribe--they cost thousands of dollars. A new one in the same style would fetch a lot, too, if someone knew how to make one.

[joebartels]

Seems like alot of people are saying that its time the Havasupai people join the rest of the world.

Not me, I just said they had a choice.

Floods are nothing new to this canyon, it's how it was formed. If their ancestors chose to live in the canyon then they rebuilt every couple decades without $2 Million from outside assistance.

[SuperstitionGuy]

We can help them out by not trashing the place when we visit. Why should they have to carry out the trash and left behind tents, stoves, fuel bottles, etc. that are left behind by thoughtless backpackers. It wouldn't hurt as well to volunteer a few days a year to assist in rebuilding the trails, bridges and campsites. Maybe if we did, the fee to visit wouldn't be so high. But on second thought, higher fees may keep the riff raff out.

[azdesertfather]

But the thing is, they wouldn't be spending $2 million, or needing to spend $2 million for that matter, if it wasn't for us wanting to use their land for their own recreation and entertainment...right? I think it's worth helping them with their land in a time of real need to help recover the area for us to use.

[chumley]

But the thing is, they wouldn't be spending $2 million, or needing to spend $2 million for that matter, if it wasn't for us wanting to use their land for their own recreation and entertainment...right?

That's a chicken and egg argument. They have shown a willingness to "share" their natural treasure for a fee. There are plenty of tribal lands in this country (Baldy in AZ as an example) that are not open to outside visitors. It's their land, and they have the right to do what they want with it. If the People of the Blue-Green Waters didn't want to develop their land into a tourist destination, then they wouldn't have. Its a relationship that benefits the tribe as well as the thousands of non-tribal members who pay a fee to visit each year.

[azbackpackr]

Baldy has a peak that's open to the public. It also has one that's closed.

I just had to say that, because people post here all the time saying they went to the clearing where East Baldy and West Baldy trails meet, but they didn't hike to the peak.

The Indian Reservation system is antiquated, abuses the taxpayers, and is detrimental in many ways to tribal members. I am not sure of the way out of it, though. I think we are stuck with it.

[Dschur]

Flash flood at Arizona reservation causes little damage
by Dennis Wagner - Jul. 22, 2010 01:34 PM
The Arizona Republic


A flash flood earlier this week at northern Arizona's Havasupai Indian Reservation forced the evacuation of more than 100 campers but caused only minor damage.

"By flood standards, it was pretty small and over quickly," said Greg Fisk, a field office chief for the U.S. Geological Survey.


Video taken by campers and posted on the Internet showed muddied waters of Havasu Creek inundating the campground below Supai village and eroding portions of a hiking trail, both of which had been rehabilitated after a massive flood in August 2008.

U.S.G.S. data show the creek peaked Monday afternoon with flows just over 800 cubic feet per second, up from a norm of 65 cfs. By comparison, the flood two years earlier crested at about 6,000 cfs.

Tribal representatives could not be reached for comment.

After the 2008 flood, an estimated $4 million was spent on repairs and the installation of an early warning system upstream from Supai. Fisk said that system did not come into play Monday because the flash flood entered Havasu Creek from a side canyon downstream from the warning devices.

Flooding from deluges on the Coconino Plateau is common in the area, and helped form the gorge that empties into the Grand Canyon. Fisk said there have been several flash floods in the past year slightly larger than Monday's event.

[base871]

Hmmmm... going there next weekend. Hopefully I wont be dealing with flooding!

[switchflare]

I have a friend who had planned to go this weekend and was bummed to find out it is closed for the weekend. I have another buddy going this coming weekend and is hoping it will open up in time. Last of all, I am going in a month...better not be closed on my weekend!

When I went three years ago, we had flash flood of probably 600 cfs, though there was no evacuation. Quite the opposite...they were encouraging us to stay another night instead of hike out. Half of our group had hiked out earlier in the day, so staying back wasn't an option. We did huff it out of there in the late afternoon, as more rain was in the forecast and we didn't want to get caught in the canyon. Fortunately we made it to the widening of the canyon before the rain started to come down.

Always a crapshoot down there during monsoon season.

[azbackpackr]

It floods a bit every summer and winter, but it never used to make the news until recently. The residents are used to it.

[base871]

FYI Havasupai opens back up This Wed, July 28th, 2010.

[Dave1]

http://www.azfamily.com/news/Havasupai- ... 98399.html

SUPAI VILLAGE, Ariz. (AP) — Havasu Canyon on the western end of the Grand Canyon is closed until at least Nov. 1 because of flooding.

The Havasupai Tourism Office says on its Web site it will not be taking reservations until that time.

The Arizona Daily Sun says flooding has caused damage to trails as well as the campground.

A tourism office worker says they are in the process of calling people who made reservations to let them know of the closure.

Approximately 1,000 reservations have been canceled through Jan. 1.

Online:

http://www.havasupai-nsn.gov

http://www.havasupaitribe.com

[azbackpackr]

Sheesh. I am not surprised, since I have been talking to someone in Lees Ferry about what happened up there, and about what happened above Lees Ferry. A LOT of the washes running into the Colorado River flashed when the big storm hit. I had been wondering if Havasu Creek also flashed, and expected that it had.

Flooding is part of life in Supai. They expect floods, and have been dealing with them since they settled there over a thousand years ago. Of course, the terrible overgrazing on the canyon rims and also within the canyon does not help at all.

[big_load]

Flooding is part of life in Supai. They expect floods, and have been dealing with them since they settled there over a thousand years ago.

Yeah, but the last couple years has hit their revenue pretty hard, and probably their expenses too.

[azbackpackr]

Well, yeah, you are probably right.

[hikeaz]

Maybe this is old news to some, but Havasu is closed until further notice... maybe spring or beyond.

"The canyon is closed to visitors at this time due to last years flooding. Do not attempt to hike to Supai until re-opening - you will be turned back. The tourism office is not taking new reservation calls until the spring."

[maxpower]

Well, at least there won't be a repeat of the Linda Fortney incident from 1975, where she attempted to hike down to the Supai village, got disoriented, abandoned her pack and then wandered around for 20 days until finally being rescued. So there was a backhanded bonus from the stormy weather.

[VVebb]

If the People of the Blue-Green Waters didn't want to develop their land into a tourist destination, then they wouldn't have.

I'm not sure if that's true -- The tribe has been sort of painted into a corner regarding its ability to sustain itself, and tourism is now its only source of income. The tribe's people used to migrate seasonally between the canyon and the plateau on top, but at some point the American government confined the tribe to less than one square mile of land, which meant they couldn't farm/hunt/gather in the highlands around the canyon. Since then, the American government has allotted more land to the Havasupai tribe, but it seems that our government made it difficult for them to revert to their old self-sustaining ways.

Additionally, tribal governments became "Americanized" at some point, which means that there is more opportunity for corruption. I'm not sure what led to the development of the tourism industry at Supai, but it's very possible that the tribal government embraced tourism without the support of the People.

[BobP]

Maybe this is old news to some, but Havasu is closed until further notice... maybe spring or beyond.

They plan on re-opening May 1st and will start taking reservations next week.