Cherubs and the Chub

Back in 1988, my family lived at the famous Grand Canyon in Arizona. My dad was a trail crew worker for the National Park Service and knew the incredible canyon and the mighty Colorado River very well.

Dad would go on long trips into the canyon to work on remote treacherous trails and build rock walls down side canyons. Often he was asked to be an extra man on river rafting trips. My dad would never turn it down, especially when he was asked to take VIP’s like Vice President Dan Quayle and his wife Marilyn and their three children down the river.

As the story was told to me, this particular trip started out on a gorgeous spring day. The government rafting group launched six huge rafts from Lee’s Ferry and had been enjoying the trip down the river for three or four days. They had already gone through several periods of smooth water and had also survived several “No. 10” grade rapids, which are among the largest, loudest, and most terrifying in the entire world.

By now everyone was settling in the routine, relaxing and getting to know each other. The Quayle’s were very nice and talked openly and friendly with the entire group.

After setting up camp for the night, starting a fire and getting dinner for the entire group, everyone was just milling around, resting and enjoying a few quiet moments before the brilliant colors of the sunset faded into nightfall.

The young Quayle children asked their parents if they could hike up to a stream in a side canyon not far from the camp. They were very excited to go exploring before going to bed for the night. With permission from their mom and dad, the three of them anxiously set off to the side canyon for some outdoor fun.

Before long they found the cool, crystal clear creek branching off from the murky Colorado. Being from the city, they got excited when they found a strange looking fish, and they decided to play fishermen. After searching the shadow-covered ground, they finally found a sharp stick. After several attempts, one of the children successfully speared it.

Having been gone 20 minutes or so, they rushed back to camp in the fading daylight shouting out loudly, “Look what we caught! Look what we caught!”

They were obviously very proud of their fishing ability, and had no idea that their little adventure could make tomorrow morning’s news.

The mood of the group quickly and drastically changed as they realized the children had speared an endangered species of fish called the humpback chub.

It was estimated at the time, that less than half a dozen populations of these fish were left in the entire world. All of them resided in the tributaries and creeks of the Colorado River.

Everyone in the group had a different take on the situation. The interpretive rangers turned pale, white as snow.

The Vice President and his wife were mortified at the thought that this could end up being a media fest.

The Secret Service weren’t sure what to think, and the trail crew workers, like my dad, couldn’t help but laugh about the irony of the situation.

The kids were punished for their environmental blunder. In addition to being yelled at by parents and environmentalists alike, they were no longer allowed to “explore” for the rest of the trip.

The interpretive rangers, who are environmental protection experts, were horrified; a couple of them almost fainted; another few looked as if they were going to drown the Quayle children in the ice cold river.

And while no one was taking this matter lightly —except the trail crew members — the tale has been passed on only privately by the few people present at the time. It has never been publicly told or put in print.

No one will ever know the impact the loss of that one endangered fish will have on the status of the humpback chub.

After the eventful rafting trip, my dad returned home to the park’s South Rim. His first night home, he told the tale of the doomed humpback chub to my mom in great detail. She thought it would be profitable to call the National Enquirer; however, my dad talked her out of it due to some employment concerns on his part.

Later that year, we received a Christmas card from the Quayle family perfectly seated in front of a fire place in the White House.