Local News

Stars of TV's Modern Family Urge Rejection of Stilo Project

March 4, 2016

With each day the oppostion to Stilo's controversial development plan at the doorstep of the Grand Canyon National Park grows.And now The stars of ABC's hit comedy Modern Family have weighed in, making a video for the Sierra Club.

Here is a link to the video.

While more than 200,000 messages have been sent to the Forest Service in oppostion to expanding long Jim Loop Road, this video brings the controversy to a much borader national audience. It does not look good for Stilo which so far has yet to identify a water source for its massive plans. 

 

Here is a portion of the Sierr Club's release:

Phoenix, AZ— Ty Burrell and Nolan Gould, stars of the hit television show “Modern Family,” have teamed up in a new video to save the Grand Canyon from a planned mega-development. In the video the stars go to great lengths, performing a series of “death-defying” stunts to preserve the natural wonder of Grand Canyon.  The video can be seen here.

Current plans for the 350-acre Tusayan development include three million square feet of housing and commercial space to be built on the doorstep to Grand Canyon National Park. The development would harm wildlife, diminish water supply, and cause pollution. The video is asking the Forest Service to protect the Grand Canyon by rejecting the project

As Sierra Club Youth Ambassador Nolan Gould says in the video, “You don’t go to the Grand Canyon to shop at some big box store... You go to experience the vast beauty of one of the Seven Wonders of the world.”

Ty Burrell, a Utah local, says, “I’m in love with the scenic southwest. This is the land I always dreamed of. I live here to be closer to nature, not to go shopping. Some things are better left untouched.”

Building this development at the gateway to Grand Canyon threatens the very things that the park was established to protect – the waters, wildlife, dark skies, and opportunities to experience natural quiet,” said Sandy Bahr, chapter director for Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter. “The Forest Service should reject this proposal.”

The video, created by Funny Or Die for the Sierra Club, is part of an ongoing campaign to support #CampgroundsNotMalls. Learn more at www.sierraclub.org/GrandCanyon.