PL93-620 R5. Jan-May 1974: Lobbying The Sierra Club: After A Little Tempest, The Teapot Goes Cold

Back to the events of early 1974:

In a January visit to Washington, McComb talked with Udall about flying over the area, and re-stated how adamant the Club was on keeping the Havasupai status quo. He had to repeat this to involved Committee staffers, too, who were "surprised" at what they had heard about the pro-Havasupai Chapter members. 

In Tucson, as I "offered information" to some of the uncommitted Chapter officers, others were trying to find a middle ground, i.e., using Canyon de Chelly National Monument as a model for mixed administration. However, McComb told Garcia that he did not want to be involved in the McIver-called meeting: "I am opposed to any Havasupai change." There was talk about a second Club-Havasupai get-together in Tucson. Another chapter member had visited Supai and came back bearing dire news about Havasupai conditions, which he would carry to the special meeting, where he hoped to bury any idea of buying private land and get the Executive Committee to support Havasupai land transfer. McComb argued with him, and as well tried to convince the two main Havasupai backers. Garcia worried to me about the extent of McComb's lobbying.

PL93-620 R4. Jan 1974: Ingram-- What He Was Thinking; How The Havasupai Saw Him

1. Before dealing with the climax of the Havasupai lobbying attempt on the Arizona Sierra Club, I want to provide a look at my own attempts to deal conceptually with their effort, at least as I wrote them down in several private documents. Not all can be exactly dated, but summarizing a few may give a sense of how we cast around over the many months of trying to shape worthwhile legislation to present and protect the Grand Canyon, while also trying to deflect the transfer of Park land to Havasupai ownership. Nothing made any difference; the Havasupai were no longer to be put off with part-way measures; sovereignty was their goal. And nothing could have led me to accept that goal given what I knew about the history, particularly recent events that accentuated the possibility of damage being done to the Canyon by development.

PL93-620 R3. Dec 1973 - Jan 1974: The Havasupai Lobby the Chapter; It Debates

A very large "Special Meeting Havasupai Tribal Council" took place on 2 Dec 1973 in Flagstaff at the Museum of Northern Arizona between 18 Havasupai plus 10 allies and 10 Club chapter members and McComb (for the complete roster, see below**.) Hirst wrote out very detailed minutes, while McComb's summary to me was much terser: "an unpleasant three hours";  the Havasupai were angrier; Hirst and Babbitt quieter. The anger focussed on McComb, whom they saw as the obstacle to getting the Sierra Club on their side: Why, they asked, can you not help us?

PL93-620 R2. Jun-Nov 1973: The Havasupai are ANGRY!

The Senate hearing in June gathered and concentrated everyone's attention. Meanwhile in Arizona, there was a series of meetings which, ignoring the land question, concentrated on infra-structure and development support. In early May, at Supai, the BIA and the Supai covered finishing the road from US 66, bringing transmission lines to Long Mesa and down to Supai, trail maintenance, a new school building, a revised liquor ordinance, upgraded irrigation, power at the Hilltop trailhead, beginning a study for a tramway, and starting a long-range-planning process to cover camping facilities, tourist lodge construction & the school. 

  CBS asked to meet with the Council in June about a tv documentary.

A mid-June meeting in Phoenix included officials from BIA, the Park and Forest Services, and a state planning agency; no Havasupai. They reviewed the road and power tranmission and then discussed multi-agency projects: a village and campground sewage system, trail improvement, camping limits, and a trail ride business.