Park Service Wants To Make Desert View Watchtower A Cultural Heritage Site
Thousands of visitors flock to Desert View Watchtower each year.
The 70 foot-high stone tower on the south rim of the Grand Canyon was designed by Mary Colter in 1932. She was inspired by the architecture of the ancestral Puebloans, who lived at the Grand Canyon 800 years ago.
The park service has proposed to transform the scenic overlook to an inter-tribal cultural heritage site. That would mean some demolition of underutilized facilities and potential new construction within the existing developed footprint.
The park service is preparing an Environmental Assessment in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act to develop an alternative site plan.
Public scoping meetings are planned for Feb. 20 and 21 in Flagstaff and Grand Canyon respectively.
People have until March 6 to comment.
