A new construction project being proposed for the eastern rim of the Grand Canyon has conservationists, members of the Navajo tribe, and nature lovers across the United States up in arms.
The project, known as the Grand Canyon Escalade, would create a large tourist area on the rim of the Canyon, complete with shops, restaurants, and hotels. It would also boast a tramway that would take visitors on a gondola ride to the canyon floor. There, they would access a riverwalk with an ampitheatre and another restaurant.
Proponents of the development argue that the project would allow visitors unprecedented access to the Canyon basin, an area they argue is currently inaccessible to less adventuresome tourists. They also say it will create more jobs and revenue for the Navajo people, who control the 420 acres and who are desperate for an economic boost.
Protestors of the plans, however, say the project would be built on sacred lands and endanger the resources and ecosystem of the fragile Canyon. They also say that the Grand Canyon is a national treasure, one which would be irrevocably blighted by the construction of such a tourist complex.
The proposed development would be built at the site known as the Confluence, where the Colorado and Little Colorado Rivers meet.
The development on the rim will include retail and gift shops, fast food and finer dining restaurants, a museum, a hotel and multiple motels, a lodge with a patio, and ample parking for both cars and RVs, according to the Grand Canyon Escalade's website.
It would be built on currently untouched land. Developers are hoping to open the complex by 2018.
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