Tribe Puts Bridge on Grand Canyon's Edge

A crowd of tourists watch the rollout of the Skywalk on the Hualapai Indian Reservation in Grand Canyon West, Ariz., Wednesday, March 7, 2007. The tribe will open it to the public later this month, charging $25 per person in addition to other entry fees. Organizers expect the Skywalk to become the main draw in a community of tribal attractions that includes a cowboy town, an Indian village, helicopter tours and Hummer rides through the outback. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) (Ross D. Franklin - AP)

"You have to be real gentle with the land," said Hualapai spiritual leader Frank Mapatis. "It's a living being, and it can feel those things."

Environmentalists also have criticized the project for diminishing the canyon's majesty.

Kieran Suckling, a policy analyst for the Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson, Ariz., called the Skywalk a "tacky tourist attraction."

If the Hualapais need to boost their economy, they should follow the national park's example and build their attractions away from the rim.

"The tribal leadership is turning the Grand Canyon into a zoo," Suckling said. "It's unbelievable."

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On the Net:

http://www.grandcanyonskywalk.com/