A Living Canyon: Discovering Life at Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon's scale and beauty overwhelm the senses and inspire awe. At first glance the great chasm appears lifeless, but thousands of interconnected plants and animals bring this magnificent stone wilderness to life. The canyon's extreme elevation changes and dramatic topography produce a range of climates, creating homes for a surprisingly rich diversity of living things. These organisms' interactions with and adaptations to this rugged environment define Grand Canyon's ecology. This living canyon is only one part of a larger story. Its forests, deserts, and rivers do not begin or end with Grand Canyon, just as threats to this ecosystem do not exist only inside park boundaries. As global climate changes, plants and animals must adapt or they will die.

Environmentalists, outdoor actvitists and tourists, national park officials and visitors.