Now that the Grand Canyon School District Board has decided not to give up its land to provide access to the Kotzin property, The Center for Biological Diversity says the Forest Service needs to halt the Tusayan easement application process.

Italian developer Silo needs access to the land to move ahead with its controversial development project and the Town of Tusayan tried to grab some land from the school district. After getting all of the facts the District withdrew the land offer.
Now the Center says it’s time for the Forest Service to halt the access application process.

In a July 16th letter to the Forest Service, the Center says the easement application was done prematurely and should now be void because the School District has said its land cannot be used for a high traffic access road. It also goes on to say the application itself is fraudulent
 

Here is the July 16th letter from the Center to the Forest Service:

Dear Supervisor Williams and Regional Forester Joyner,

RE: (1) GRAND CANYON SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS DENIED USE OF ITS LANDS
INAPPROPRIATELY AND PREMATURELY INCLUDED IN THE JUNE 10, 2014,
TOWN OF TUSAYAN EASEMENT ACCESS APPLICATION,
and,
(2) PLEASE STOP PROCESSING THE TUSAYAN EASEMENT APPLICATION.
Please note the attached correspondence from the Grand Canyon Schools Superintendent
to the Tusayan Town Manager. The Board of Directors of the Grand Canyon Unified School
District state,
“We authorize the Grand Canyon School District Superintendent (Dr Shonny
Bria) to submit formal notice to the Town of Tusayan and the US Forest Service, that
(1) the District does not authorize or request that the Town of Tusayan be permitted to
access it’s property or requests that the Application be amended to remove the access
through the Grand Canyon School’s Tusayan Site via the Long Jim Loop.”

As you know, the Town of Tusayan’s June 10, 2014, application for easement
inappropriately and premature proposed to use land belonging to the Grand Canyon School
District. We are dismayed that the Kaibab National Forest Supervisor and the Southwest
Regional Forester have (1) refused to publicly address our previously expressed concerns
regarding the Town of Tusayan’s dishonest easement application
( dated June 24, 2014), and (2) that the Forest Service is actively proceeding with
unnecessary National Environmental Policy Act activities regarding this fraudulent application
(see attached USFS correspondence, dated July 1, 2014).

With this correspondence, now that the attached correspondence confirms that your
actions have moved into a realm governed by the U.S.C statutes, 18 U.S.C. 371: Conspiracy to
commit offense or to defraud United States, and 18 U.S.C. 1001: Prohibition against fraud or
false statements in a Government matter, we request termination of the application proceedings
and an explanation of your intentions.