Grand Staircase Escalante Partners
Honor the past and safeguard the future of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument through science, conservation, and education.
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
Moqui marbles offer clues about ancient life on Mars
In January 2004, after a journey of six months and 47 million miles, NASA’s Opportunity rover finally touched down safely on the surface of Mars. Minutes later, it sent back an astonishing image from its new surroundings, an equatorial region known as the...
Fleas and Mosquitoes and Ticks, O My!
A trio of itchy, bloodsucking, disease-ridden stories of science: 1)Aedes aegyptiis a species of mosquito that inhabits tropical and subtropical regions of the world and is known to transmit yellow fever and Zika virus. In North America it is found primarily in the...
Help document native pollinators in Utah
Bees and other native pollinators are found across all major ecozones in Utah, from arid desert to high alpine. They provide a myriad of benefits, such as facilitating reproduction and genetic diversity of plants, including agricultural crops, by pollinating them...
Utah cloud seeding program brings snow to high elevations
It’s no secret that a lack of precipitation has left the Southwest and its reservoirs high and dry. The natural “megadrought” we are experiencing is the worst in the last 1,200 years. Water levels are dropping, and everyone from residents to wildlife are feeling the...
Starkly Pristine Watershed
Lee Hayes was one of the corpsmembers assigned to Southwest Conservation Corps’ Rapid Monitoring Team in the summer of 2022, tasked with monitoring for regrowth of Russian olive and other vegetation after removal. The Escalante River Watershed was one of four...
Beyond Boundaries
When Davina Smith was asked to join the Board of Directors for Grand Staircase Escalante Partners, it was an easy decision to say “yes”. Starting at Bears Ears, Tribes have finally been an integral part of the conversation about how to save these sacred landscapes,...
