Grand Canyon skywalk sparks grand controversy

By Andy Goldberg Mar 8, 2007, 23:46 GMT

Los Angeles - A massive glass-bottomed skywalk that can take tourists out over the incredible terrain of the Grand Canyon has sparked a grand controversy, with native Americans saying it violates sacred ground and environmentalists charging that it demeans the area's natural beauty.

The criticism gained renewed emphasis after engineers cautiously rolled out the 453-metric-ton platform over the plunging canyon this week. Fastened to the rock by a complicated system of metal cantilevers, the structure juts out 20 metres from the red rock walls of the canyon and seems to hang in the air over 1,200 metres above the canyon floor.

The skywalk will open to visitors at the end of the March, with tickets costing some 25 dollars.

The 30-million-dollar project was built by a Las Vegas tour operator in conjunction with the impoverished Native American Hualapai tribe, whose reservation rims the remote western edge of the canyon.

Since reservations can administer their own laws, the controversial structure was built without the usually strict oversight that accompanies other building proposals. But according to the Arizona Republic Thursday, the structure was pushed through a tribal committee against the wishes of many in the tribe.

'Our ancestors roamed this land before us,' tribeswoman Leatrice Walema was quoted as saying. 'This is holy ground. Most of our elders disapprove of this, but the council members approved it before the community voted on it. It was hidden (from us). This should never have been done.'

Environmentalists are also up in arms about the horseshoe-shaped structure.

'I think it's a real travesty,' said Robert Arnberger, who was superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park from 1994 to 2000. 'I understand the need for the tribe to consider the economics of the tribe, but ... it desecrates the very place the Hualapai hold so dear.'

Most Indian tribes rely on casinos to survive, but the Hualapai casino venture failed ten years ago because the area is so remote. Tribal elder Emmett Bender told the Washington Post that the skywalk was now their best option.

'Like the car and buses. The white man made it, and it came out strong,' the 84-year-old tribal elder was quoted as saying. 'We've got to give it a chance.'

Others pointed out that the structure could add to the majesty of the Grand Canyon by pulling customers away from the noisy helicopter and small plane rides that are the only other method of getting an eagle eye's view of one of the natural wonders of the world.

'We're not building a power plant. This isn't a ride and nobody's swinging around,' said Sheri Yellowhawk, head of the tribe's business enterprises. 'We're building a natural way to view the canyon.'