To study, educate, speak, and act for preservation and protection of America's National Park System
During [the 1995 shutdown of the federal government] I, as superintendent [of Grand Canyon], received a phone call from the Governor of the State of Arizona indicating he planned on “taking over Grand Canyon National Park” using State Highway Patrol officers, State Parks Personnel and the National Guard. Indeed, he arrived at the Canyon with all of this contingent -- and more -- including hundreds of press that played this event out on every national network station across our country. As the Governor and I met and walked on a vista trail at Mather Point, seeking to negotiate some level of opening the national park, in spite of the President’s closure order, we stopped and gazed out at the incredibly sublime scene spread out before us. The Governor then said something to me I will never forget. He waved his hand at that scene below the rim and said, “Why do we need any of that down there anyway -- all we really need are the hotels on the rim.” [excerpt from Robert Arnberger's 05.05.08 testimony.]
