Tusayan: Do not believe tweets
Officials: Viral messages misinform on Grand Canyon
Like so many Twitter threads that go viral, this one started with lots of passion and a strong statement.
The Twitter account @trippypapa (“jack”) began on Monday like this: “if any of my tweets ever go viral I hope it’s this one; the GRAND CANYON is facing a big problem right now. there’s no national news coverage about this and some very rich people want to keep it that way.”
He went on to say that the Italian developer Stilo Development Group USA bought land in the heart of the Kaibab National Forest near the Grand Canyon, and that if the developer gets approval from the town of Tusayan, “they plan to build over 2000 houses, a spa, a convention center, and potentially a ‘water park.’”
He said the town of Tusayan would hold a council meeting Wednesday to discuss plans to start building 17 houses, and he urged people to contact the mayor and town council members, including their email addresses as well as the phone number for the town of Tusayan.
And people responded by reaching out in large numbers.
Town Manager Eric Duthie said Tuesday that he and his staff of two had been on the phone nonstop, fielding a deluge of calls, voicemails and emails.
“I don’t know how many voicemails have been left because the phone’s been ringing so hard,” Duthie said. “It’s a lot for us.”
He said he’s been telling everyone that the tweets contained inaccuracies and out-of-date information. The Town Council doesn’t have any items related to a Stilo development on its agenda this week. And the town of Tusayan is not in the process of deciding
whether to approve a development with more than 2,000 houses.
What’s true is that the company Stilo did buy land in the area and has been looking to develop it. But some of the company’s plans have run into obstacles.
Back in 2014, Tusayan and Stilo applied to the U.S. Forest Service for a road and utility easement across national forest land, which would have made possible a development with about 2,000 homes near the south entrance of Grand Canyon National Park. But in 2016, the Forest Service rejected the easement, citing concerns including a lack of clarity about where the development would get water.
The Twitter thread included a link to a campaign page on the National Parks Conservation Association’s website, which mentioned that the Forest Service had turned down the proposal in 2016.
That rejection by the Forest Service didn’t end the fight over development in the area.
In 2017, town residents rejected a ballot measure that would have allowed taller buildings of up to 65 feet.
Stilo is still looking at how it might develop the property, called Kotzin Ranch, following the Forest Service’s decision, Duthie said.
“They are trying to find a way to work with the Forest Service to allow them to build a hotel,” he said.
Tusayan was incorporated as a town in 2010 and has about 600 residents. Its economy relies on hotels near the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
The Town Council has supported Stilo’s proposal to build a road and develop the property. And in an agreement that involved rezoning its properties, the company donated a total of 40 acres to the town in two separate 20acre parcels.
One of those 20-acre plots is located on the Ten X Ranch southeast of town, where the town government wants to build housing for Tusayan residents. The town started construction last year, planning 52 homes, Duthie said.
But the town later halted construction in January when the Coconino County Flood Control District sued, alleging Tusayan had violated floodplain regulations and state law.
“Currently, we are at a standstill on this project until we figure something out,” Duthie said. “We’re working through it with the county, but no resolution at this time.”
Stilo also owns land it could develop on the Ten X Ranch property, where there is no electrical infrastructure.
“Everything would be off-grid,” Duthie said. “It’s entirely up to Stilo what they want to do.”
In opposing the developer’s plans, @trippypapa cited concerns about water, saying the only water source available would be groundwater “pumped from an aquifer that feeds important springs in the Grand Canyon.”
He said that would threaten to lower an aquifer that is the source of Havasupai Falls and the water the Havasupai Tribe depends on.
The Havasupai Tribe has voiced concerns about groundwater pumping near the Grand Canyon. In 2016, the tribe sued the city of Williams and other well owners, saying the drilling of more wells for resorts, developments, theme parks and uranium mines, among other businesses, increasingly threatens the tribe’s water.
The lawsuit didn’t name Tusayan or Stilo among the defendants, but the tribe said expanding development is putting strains on the water supply. It also said increasing groundwater pumping will reduce the flow of springs and seeps that feed Havasu Creek.
Duthie said those concerns shouldn’t hinder Stilo’s proposal for the hotel on Kotzin Ranch because the company wouldn’t use a well.
“They have already told the Forest Service that they will not use groundwater. They will truck water in from about 40 miles away,” Duthie said.
Besides phone calls from across the country, emails have flooded the inboxes of the mayor and council members.
But Duthie said he’s glad to speak with people and set the record straight.
He said he wants to counter the notion that the town is signing off on developments that would threaten water supplies for the Grand Canyon.
“It would be crazy for us to do something that would hurt the canyon. That’s our livelihood. That’s why we’re here,” he said. “We love it, too.”
After the original tweet from @trippypapa was retweeted more than 130,000 times, he posted an update on Tuesday: “yes I’m aware I linked to an article from 2016. this has been an ongoing issue and I needed to cite the building plans.”
He added: “for those saying they called and the city said ‘there is no plan’ — I don’t know why they are saying that. STILO IS STILL PLANNING TO DEVELOP THIS LAND.”