Transforming the Lives of Indigenous Youth

Grand Canyon is home to 11 tribal communities. Yet, for years, access to Grand Canyon National Park has been extremely limited to tribal members, often due to a lack of transportation or financial means. This inability to connect with sacred land has been especially acute for younger tribal members.

To help remedy this situation, Grand Canyon National Park recently began partnering with the Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps (ALCC). This organization engages underrepresented Indigenous youth and young adults in conservation service programs that reconnect participants to the land, their cultural heritage, and their traditions.

Last year, a limited number of participants had the opportunity to spend eight weeks in the park, where they completed important conservation projects, learned about career opportunities, and more.

Listen to the Behind The Scenery Podcast where North Rim rangers interviewed Ancestral Lands Crew 663 from Zuni, New Mexico.

This partnership has proven to be beneficial: it has been good for the park, and, most importantly, it has helped to shape the lives of young people. To grow this program so that we can welcome ever greater numbers of Indigenous youth, your help is needed.

Your generous gift will:

• Enable ALCC young adult participants to spend several weeks working and learning in Grand Canyon alongside park staff.
• Ensure the completion of park improvements, such as trail rehabilitation, the fabrication of new signs, wildlife conservation projects, and much more.