The Grand Canyon - Overview
• “The Big Ditch”
• 1,218,375 acres - Colorado Plateau in NW Arizona
• Arid Erosional System
• 277 miles long - averages 4000 ft. in depth
• First Established as a preserve in 1906 - Teddy R.
• National Park - 1919, World Heritage Site - 1979
• Colorado River - most important, but most controlled
The Grand Canyon - Overview
• Ecologically diverse
• North Rim = Canadian Life Zone
• South Rim = Upper Sonoran Life Zone
• W/I the canyon = Lower Sonoran
• > 2000 species - many endemic and endangered
The Grand Canyon - History
• 4000 years of human habitation
• 1869 - Major John Wesley Powell
– First scientific expedition
– 9 men - 4 small wooden boats