Leave It As It Is

More than 100 years ago, President Teddy Roosevelt, who like so many before and after him had fallen in love with the Grand Canyon, implored Americans to preserve the wondrous site in a speech. “Leave it as it is,” he said. “ You cannot improve upon it.” Today, his words set off alarm bells as the Grand Canyon and Colorado River are surrounded on all sides by threats: uranium pollution, water diversion and proposal for a highly impactful gondola project. This short film by Peter McBride lays bare these threats and reminds us that the Grand Canyon belongs not to developers or industrialists — but to the people.