Hopi Long-term Monitoring Trip 2023 

Kristin Huisinga 

Paayu or Little Colorado River 

A program conducted by the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office 

under the guidance of the Cultural Resources Advisory Task Team 
 

 

Management Actions: Fish Removal 

A Change in Perspective: What else can we be doing. Does Mechanical Fish Removal Work? 

Rainbow Trout Observed at Vasey’s Paradise. 
Management Actions: Tamarisk and Non -natives 

Continued Mix Perspective 

Tamarisk provides habitat for other animals, especially sacred birds. 

Tamarisk and other invasive plants pushes out native plant species and can impact wetland and springs. 
 

 

Management Actions: Is Recreation in The Grand Canyon 

Appropriate 

Visitation is seen in a negative light. 

Sites need to have a recreation off time. 

Visitors need guidance. Hopi Wishes to review the new River Contracts with the Park 

Service. 
 

 

 

Culturally Important Resource Health: Archeological Sites 

Slightly Healthier than last Year. Biggest Worry is Visitor Impacts. 

South Canyon Picked Clean of Resources. 

Collection Piles at Unkar. 

Minor Erosion Damage. 

To the Hopi archeological sites are living, the ancestors still live there and impacting these sites has rippling effects throughout the whole canyon and out. 
 

 

Culturally Important Resource Health: Health of Native Fish 

Continued Healthy Native Fish 

Plenty of Razor Back Suckers and Humpback Chub below the LCR 

Plenty of threats. 
 

Culturally Important Resourse Health: Animal Health 

Hopi continued to see animal health as very good. 

Big Horn sheep and Deer were plentiful. 
 

 

Culturally Important Resourse Health: Bird Health 

Hopi this year continued to find bird populations healthy. Three eagle nests were observed before 

Mile Marker 13 and one was observed at Nankoweep. 

Birds are very sacred to the Hopi, especially golden eagles as they help deliver prayers and are 

collected to foster ceremonies. 
Culturally Important Resource Health: Snake Health 

The perception that snakes are healthy has 

remained high, participants saw a good 

handful on the trip. 
 

 

Culturally Important Resource Health: Willow Health 

Willow was seen to be healthy this year. Hopi encourages projects like the Hualapai willow 

project. 

The few willows seen are healthy. The Hopi were saddened about the willow deaths near 

Diamond Creek. 
 

 

 

 

Culturally Important Resource Health: Marsh Health 

This year marshes were seen as healthier, very green with healthy reeds. The increase of 

tamarisk around springs and around the LCR are concerns to Hopi too. 

Phragmites health was a good sign of the river health, a healthy monsoon season, and good 

snowmelt. Though, the nonnative reeds are now a concern to this observation. 
 

 

Culturally Important Resource Health: Salt Mine (Öönga) health 

The Hopi felt the salt mine recovered this year. They felt the increase monsoon rain and snow 

melt helped it. 

A site of immense sacredness to the Hopi and other tribes for ceremony use and shared 

stewardship. 

The Shrines and petroglyphs were undamaged. 

. 
 

 

Culturally Important Resourse Health: Insect Health 

Like always Hopi have continued to view insects as being healthy. 

Most observed at Lee’s Ferry and then between the Little Colorado and 

Havasu. 
 

Culturally Important Resource Health: Spring Health 

Springs were the healthiest since 2019. 

Vasey's spring was flowing the most since 2003. 

The Spring at Ernie's Armpit was chocked with sand. Just windblow or was it the HFE? 
Culturally Important Resource Health: Overall health of the Grand 

Canyon 

Over all the health was seen healthier compared to previous years. 

33% found the overall health negative half of that compared to the previous year. 
 

 

 

 

 

What is Next 

1. We have been granted funding from this program for two separate projects. 

A. Hire a archivist to digitize old Canyon research from the 90s. B. Compose a ethnographic 

project recording Hopi’s relationship to the Grand Canyon especially from the missed female 

perspective. These are in the hiring process at last. 

2. The next river trip is end of April 2024. 

3. The Dam Management team needs to continue to update their climate change and water 

management goals and projects as those are the greater long term issues we all will be facing. 

4. Review fish SEIS. The net and bypass are both very acceptable responses for fish. 

5. Hopi is in Review on TCP documentation for the Grand Canyon. 

6. Hopi is in the process of a new herpetology project. 
 

 

 

 

 

A Healthy Landscape 

“As a cultural landscape, Hopitutskwa 

[Hopi land] is defined by landforms 

associated with deities and historical 

events, rivers, springs, trails, shrines, and 

what the Hopi people call 

itaakukuven or “our footprints.” 

--from Ang Kuktota: Hopi ancestral sites and cultural landscapes