The 2024 Partners trip, led by trip leader Jen Lair, boat operator John Napier, and assistants Nichole Sanchez and Stephen Yazzie, served two ALCC crews and based out of Arizona and New Mexico and one all-Indigenous Southwest Conservation Corps Crew based out of Colorado. The youth and young adults on this trip belonged to a diversity of Tribes in the Southwest and beyond. The group included many Navajo and Hopi crewmembers, as well as crewmembers from Lakota, Muscogee Creek, Pyramid Lake Paiute, and White Mountain Apache Tribes.

The group participated in a wide range of research, including studies of aquatic invertebrates, bats, fish, and river sediment. Colleen Flanagan Pritz, ecologist at the National Park Service, and Chris Kotalik, research ecologist at the USGS, represented the Dragonfly Mercury Project. Crewmembers learned about the dangers of mercury as a toxin in food webs and how dragonflies can serve as a bioindicator of mercury in the environment. Then, they helped find and collect dragonfly larvae in the mainstem and tributaries of the Colorado River. Shannon Sartain, hydrologist at the USGS, shared information about ongoing research at the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, including how Glen Canyon Dam management affects the Colorado River. Crewmembers helped her service and collect data from remote instruments used to study dam effects, such as acoustic monitors recording bat activity and cameras taking repeat photos of sandbars.

While ten days in the Grand Canyon would certainly be a meaningful experience for anyone, it was especially so for the participants on this trip. Their previous work as trail crewmembers and experiences in the American Southwest prepared them for the harsh outdoor conditions. The summer sun in Grand Canyon is not easy for anyone, but this crew was undeterred and excited to participate in scientific activities and canyon exploration, even as temperatures surpassed 115 °F. Additionally, their interests in the natural sciences, outdoor recreation, archaeology, anthropology, and the broader connections between humans and the environment led to great conversations about potential career paths in science, river guiding, and community advocacy, to name just a few. 

The GCY-USGS-ALCC partnership is one-of-a-kind. It offers an exceptionally rare opportunity for the exchange of place-based knowledge, stories, and science between Indigenous people, researchers, and Grand Canyon river guides over many days. Thanks to the National Park Foundation Service Corps Grant for providing funding for this year's expedition, and to GCY, the USGS, and the ALCC 2024 guides, scientists, crew leaders, and crewmembers for making this a memorable experience for all!