Grand Staircase Escalante Partners
Honor the past and safeguard the future of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument through science, conservation, and education.
Resource Management Plan
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) published a Notice of Availability in August 2023 and opened a 90-day public comment period for the Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Click here for more information
A Living Landscape: the future of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
This film seeks to tell a more complete story of the ecological and cultural importance of Grand Staircase-Escalante — that the entire landscape is an object worthy of protection, as set aside in the original 1996 Presidential Proclamation and affirmed in the 2021 Proclamation. “A Living Landscape” strives to give voice to the land itself, through the people engaged in working on its behalf: tribal members, scientists, guides, educators, business owners, local citizens, and volunteers, each with a unique perspective that comprises a richness rivaled only by the ecology and cultural significance of the Monument itself. Click here to watch.
What we Do
Our Focus
Grand Staircase Escalante Partners is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) founded in 2004 to protect and preserve Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
We are committed to:
- Promoting science, conservation, and education on the Monument.
- Increasing public awareness and understanding of the Monument.
- Providing resources to support the Monument’s scientific, interpretive and educational programs.
- Expanding our membership so we represent a diverse constituency that supports the Monument.
For Science
This natural area remains a frontier, a quality that greatly enhances Grand Staircase’s value for scientific study and presents unique opportunities for geologists, paleontologists, archaeologists, historians, and biologists.
For History
The Monument is home to countless Native American cultural sites, western pioneer history, and the greatest diversity of dinosaur fossils found anywhere on Earth. Since time immemorial, Native American people have inhabited, crossed, lived on, and been stewards of the lands that make up what we now know as Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
To learn about the Tribes that have deep connections to the Grand Staircase-Escalante region, click here
Science
Expanding knowledge and understanding of the natural wonders, biodiversity, and unique ecosystems with which this landscape is endowed by participating in scientific inquiry and historical investigation, as well as advocating for the inclusion of Indigenous knowledge in land management decision-making.
Conservation
Ensuring Grand Staircase-Escalante’s culture, ecology, history, recreation, and science are recognized, sustained, and enhanced. Work on the ground with organizations, government agencies, and volunteers to repair and restore the Escalante River watershed, as well as prevent and mitigate damage at cultural and ecological sites.
Education
Providing in-person and virtual learning environments in which people can engage with Monument topics, and practice critical thinking, as well as exchange ideas, and learn from one another, thereby fostering the connection and understanding needed to support the Monument’s long term well-being and respect ancestral lands.
For All
Grand Staircase Escalante Partners is committed to fostering an equitable and inclusive environment in our workplace and across the Monument. We recognize the complex and difficult histories that have shaped American public lands, from dispossession of Native lands and forced removal of indigenous communities to create public lands and parks, to the ongoing exclusion of people of color from conservation and preservation movements.
We acknowledge that the area known as Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and its surrounding areas are the ancestral land and historical territory of the Hopi, Zuni, Dine/Navajo, San Juan Southern Paiute, Kaibab Paiute, Ute, Ute Mountain Ute, Jemez Pueblo, and Acoma nations.
We are on a journey to transform our work–to foster diversity through equitable actions that create a just and inclusive environment, within and beyond our organization. Learn more about how we are integrating justice, equity, and inclusion into our work.
Latest News
GSEP Letter to Secretary Deb Haaland
November 9, 2023 Dear Secretary Deb Haaland and the U.S. Department of the Interior Staff: On October 8, 2021, the new Proclamation for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument restored its boundaries to nearly 1.9 million acres. It established that the entire...
GSEP Announces its New Executive Director
A Letter from Board President, Scott Berry On behalf of the Grand Staircase Escalante Partners (GSEP) Board of Directors, I am thrilled to announce that Jacqualine Grant has accepted our offer to become GSEP's next Executive Director. As GSEP prepares to enter its...
The future of pinyon-juniper woodlands
Pinyon-juniper woodlands are an iconic landscape of the American west. They can be found at arid mid-elevations, especially on rocky soils or jointed bedrock, and are characterized by an open forest dominated by low, bushy, evergreen junipers and pinyon pines (exact...
Important Grand Staircase Management Plan and Legal Update
This has been an extraordinary week for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, with reasons to celebrate and even more reasons to stay vigilant in our commitment to protect this vital landscape. Here is a breakdown of the week’s events: August 10th: The Bureau...
Draft Resource Management Plan for Grand Staircase Released
Draft Resource Management Plan for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Available for Review and Public Comment Earlier today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) published a Notice of Availability and opened a 90-day public comment period for the Draft...
A Time of Transition
I am writing today to share that I will be transitioning out of my role as Executive Director of Grand Staircase Partners. GSEP, and the land for which it is a steward, have undergone extraordinary changes since the end of the last decade. Restoration of the...
