GRAND CANYON VILLAGE, Ariz. — A month after Chenoa Nickerson died during a flash flood in the Grand Canyon, her family wants to honor her memory by encouraging others to donate to her memorial fund, which will help the Grand Canyon National Park's Search and Rescue Program.
Nickerson, 33, was hiking with her husband near Havasu Creek on Aug. 22 when the couple was swept away by the flash flood. Her husband was able to be rescued by rafters, but Nickerson went missing in the Colorado River.
Search and rescue crews looked for Nickerson for three days. Her body was found 20 miles downriver on Aug. 25.
Nickerson’s siblings—Tamara Morales, Kyra Farkas and Janosh Wolters—have created a memorial fund through Grand Canyon Conservancy in their sisters name to support Grand Canyon Search and Rescue.
“These brave men and women utilized every resource to find our sweet sister by navigating dangerous terrain with extremely limited methods of communication while leaving no stone unturned," the siblings said in a joint statement. "We are profoundly grateful for them and fully acknowledge that they defied the impossible to bring our family the gift of closure.”
Grand Canyon SAR is among the busiest search-and-rescue programs in the entire national parks system, responding to more than 300 incidents per year, according to a news release.
The Grand Canyon SAR team conducts rescue operations across a million miles of rugged terrain, from high-desert cliffs to the rushing waters of the Colorado River.
Donations to the Chenoa Nickerson Memorial Fund will help the Grand Canyon SAR program do the following:
- Purchase equipment such as underwater-breathing apparatuses and pack rafts for swift-water rescue.
- Fund training for rappelling, swift-water rescue and SAR logistics.
- Fund supportive programs for first responders and their families.
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