Precariously PerchED

When the cantilevered structure opens to the public next month, it will be the most conspicuous commercial edifice in the canyon. And, if the tribe8217;s plans come to fruition, Skywalk will be the catalyst for a 9,000-acre development, known as Grand Canyon West, that will open up a long-inaccessible 100-mile stretch of countryside along the canyon8217;s South Rim. The cost of the Skywalk alone will exceed 40 million, according to tribal officials.

8220;Skywalk is the 8216;wow8217; that will draw people,8221; said Steve Beattie, the chief financial officer for Grand Canyon Resort Corp8212;the tribe8217;s business arm. Construction on an attached 6,000-sq-ft visitors centre and restaurant is to begin after the walkway opens. The Skywalk will charge an admission fee of 25, Beattie said, adding that some of the financing will come from a private-sector partner.

Tribal officials say the development, which eventually might include hotels, restaurants and a golf course, is the best way to address the social ills of a small reservation, where the 2,000 residents struggle with a 50 percent unemployment rate and widespread alcoholism and poverty.

But off the reservation, many people regard the development and especially the Skywalk as tantamount to defacing a national treasure. 8220;It8217;s the equivalent of an upscale carnival ride,8221; said Robert Arnberger, a former superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park. 8220;Why would they desecrate this place with this?8221;

The Hualapai have worked for years to attract more tourists to their 1-million-acre reservation. About 200,000 people visit each year. The tribe levies a charge for weddings on the canyon rim and other events. But after a disappointing foray into casino gambling, the tribe decided three years ago to launch a one-of-a-kind development at the rim of the Grand Canyon.

The tribe expects Skywalk to boost tourism at a more modest development already in place: a smattering of sites 120 miles east of Las Vegas offering experiences that can8217;t be found at the park, including an Old West Main Street and cowboy show and an Indian village.

Some members of the tribe are uncomfortable with the development. Joe Powskey, a Hualapai guide who takes tourists through a newly built Indian village adjacent to the Skywalk, said that though growth was necessary to give the tribe an economic base, tribal leaders needed to be careful not to overdo it. 8220;Our priority is not to overdevelop,8221; Powskey said. 8220;We want to kind of keep it pristine here.8221;

Others in the tribe have been critical of what they say is the development8217;s lack of sustainability, pointing out that water used here is trucked in over miles of unpaved, rutted roads, and that there is no sewer, trash, telephone or electrical service.

Pumping water up nearly a vertical mile from the river to the rim of the canyon could be fraught with financial and legal challenges. Joseph Feller, who teaches water law at Arizona State University, says no tribe has taken water from the Colorado without first negotiating with the federal government.

Julie Cart