Posts Tagged: Grand Canyon Escalade Gondola

17
Dec

2014

Scuba Diving, Conservation and Cable Cars

Reef forest. Image by Flickr user JennyHuang.

Reef forest. Image by Flickr user JennyHuang.

Can recreation and conservation co-exist? 

Ask groups like the Grand Canyon Escalade opposition group Save the Confluence or the anti-Cheddar Gorge Cable Car circle at Keep Cheddar Gorgeous and the answer seems clear—no, they cannot. 

Yet, of course they can. Recreation and conservation are not mutually exclusive. Look at scuba diving, for example. The current thinking from that field suggests that, in fact, recreation within natural environments tends to lead more people to help with conservation efforts in those very places. 

It may seem like a contradictory argument at first, but it’s really not. Despite some well-founded claims that inexperienced divers can damage the corral reefs they’re supposed to be enjoying, the scuba-diving community is known for its advocacy, conservation and awareness programs. And this ethos originates from a place of tourism, business and recreation.

As a group of Southern Cross University scholars pointed out in a paper from 2012, some scuba divers move from an initial place of wanting simply “to see the big stuff” towards a more nuanced understanding of underwater ecosystems. Through their first-hand encounters with marine environments, they become “integral to raising conservation awareness within the wider community.”  Read more



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07
Sep

2012

Weekly Roundup: Grand Canyon Escalade (Gondola) Goes to Feasibility

Artists' Rendering of a Proposed Grand Canyon Gondola. Image via Adventure Journal.

A quick look at some of the things that happened this week in the world of cable cars, urban gondolas, and cable propelled transit:

  • Here’s one that’s sure to be controversial and bogged down in legal challenges for eternity: The Navajo Nation and Phoenix-based developers have agreed to launch a feasibility study into developing a gondola in the Grand Canyon’s East Rim. Of course the project, to be named The Grand Canyon Escalade, t is fraught with opponents who have challenged it from “environmental, historical, spiritual and aesthetic reasons.” In other words: Don’t hold your breath for this one.
  • The London Thames Cable Car / Emirates AirLine surpasses the 1,000,000 rider mark since opening in late June. It will be interesting to see how ridership holds up after the end of the Paralympic Games, but according to the Wharf, the system is boasting an impressive 20,000 riders per day (so maybe we’re wrong).
  • After a reader suggests using a gondola as a transit connection to the University of California, Santa Cruz campus, local blogger Romana Turner points out that Santa Cruz County’s Regional Transportation Commission had explored the possibility as far back as 1993. Apparently of the options explored a “cog rail option was found to provide the highest level of projected ridership and best cost effectiveness score.” This seems more than a little odd given the cost of cog rail technology. For anyone interested in digging a little deeper, apparently there are studies here and here that can illuminate this a bit more.


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