Conservation
We work with researchers, nonprofit Native American partner organizations, State and Federal government agencies, and volunteers to control invasive species, mitigate erosion, monitor climate and ecological change, and protect threatened species.
Contact our Conservation Programs Manager
Kevin Berend at [email protected] for more information!
Science and Research
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was set aside in 1996 to protect objects of scientific and cultural value. Since then, GSENM has been known as the “Science Monument”. In his proclamation designating GSENM, President Bill Clinton noted the area’s “exemplary opportunities for geologists, paleontologists, archaeologists, historians, and biologists.” Named for the “Grand Staircase”, the series of cliffs and terraces extending from Bryce Canyon National Park to the Grand Canyon, GSENM preserves hundreds of millions of years of geologic history, including ancient sand dunes, shorelines, and some of the most complete and stunning dinosaur fossil beds anywhere in the world. Ancient Pueblo and Fremont peoples inhabited the area for millennia, leaving behind evidence of their culture in the form of rock art, pottery, cliff dwellings, granaries, and ceremonial sites. More recently, Hopi, Paiute, Zuni, Ute, and Navajo peoples called this area home. Grand Staircase Escalante spans five distinct life zones, with a wide array of habitat types and exceptional diversity of birds, reptiles, mammals, insects, and plants.
GSEP facilitates scientific research on GSENM and surrounding lands, including these active projects:
- Wildlife – Birds, fish, mammals, bees
- Geology and geomorphology – Channel change, repeat photography
- Riparian ecology – Russian olive invasion dynamics, soil chemistry, native species phenology
- Erosion control – Natural rock structures on GSENM and private lands
- Springs restoration
- Climate monitoring
Cross-boundary Collaboration
Running ninety miles from its headwaters to where it empties into the Colorado River at Lake Powell, the Escalante River and its tributaries are an oasis of green in a vast desert landscape. Along the way, the river crosses three federal jurisdictions plus state and private lands. As threats such as climate change and drought continue to mount, close collaboration will be increasingly important to achieving conservation goals. GSEP works to convene diverse stakeholders on landscape-level initiatives that restore degraded habitats, protect species, and monitors climate change.
The Escalante River Watershed Partnership (ERWP) is a collaboration of state and federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, researchers, local businesses, and private landowners that works to coordinate science and riparian restoration projects in the Escalante River basin. Since 2009, and in partnership with ERWP, GSEP has led efforts to remove the invasive woody tree Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) from riparian habitats of the watershed. Leveraging $11 million over 8,000 acres of river habitat, the project has grown to become the largest riparian restoration effort of its kind in the Southwest. See the StoryMap below for more:
Symposium
Each spring, GSEP helps to organize ERWP’s two-day science symposium that showcases the work of scientists, conservation practitioners, stewards, and artists. The event features talks on natural history and land management, field trips, workshops, and live performances.
Click here for more information and to view videos from the 2024 sessions.
