It’s the 8th wonder of the world and a sacred place. But they want a hotel.

In the Grand Canyon, there’s a place where two rivers join. It’s sacred to 17 tribal nations. Renae Yellowhorse grew up visiting this special place with her grandmother.

This sacred place lies just outside of the protected lands of Grand Canyon National Park. A development group wants to build a billion-dollar tourist destination there. Something like this:

“The Escalade” would include hotels, retail, a tramway, and a river walk spilling over the rim and down into the bottom of the southeastern part of the canyon.

People who want to build here say there are “no sacred sites” to disturb.

Renae knows differently (and so do a lot of other folks).

The confluence is where she learned all she knows, she says.

I grew up in Arizona and spent time in the Grand Canyon. I agree with her. People who support the project claim it will give more people ways to see the canyon, but visitors can already experience the beauty in multiple ways, like mules, rafts, and even helicopters as well as their own two feet.

Do we really have so many sacred places on this earth that we can afford to commercialize them?

Listen to how Renae explains it — and spread the word.