Grand Staircase Escalante Partners
Honor the past and safeguard the future of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument through science, conservation, and education.
Come Work With Us
Grand Staircase Escalante Partners is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization founded in 2004 to protect and preserve Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
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. The Hopi, Zuni, Diné/Navajo, San Juan Southern Paiute, Kaibab Paiute, Ute, Ute Mountain Ute, Jemez Pueblo, and Acoma nations have deep connections to the Grand Staircase-Escalante region.
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.
Upcoming Events
May
Honoring the Land Trail Ambassador Program
Sign up here. Training required.
Ambassadors volunteer their time at popular trailheads and hiking the trails of the Monument to educate recreators about how to minimize their impact.
Upcoming Events
10
May
Fisheries Stewardship Project on the Escalante River
Tuesday, May 10, 11:00AM-5:00PM MDT
Help promote the health of aquatic ecosystems by protecting native fish populations through river and fish management strategies. All GSEP volunteers must be fully vaccinated.
Upcoming Events
13
May
Anthropology of Paleontology: A Brief Look at Indigenous Depictions of the Fossil Record in the Greater Grand Canyon Region
Friday, May 13, 7:00PM-9:00PM MDT
Author R.E. Burrillo will be giving a talk at our Headquarters. Come for a fun night of learning and discussion and to check out our building at 530 West Main Street in Escalante, UT.
Upcoming Events
14
May
Graffiti Remediation
Saturday, May 14, 9:00AM-5:00PM MDT
Help GSEP remediate drawn-on and scratched-in graffiti in GSENM. All GSEP volunteers must be fully vaccinated.
Upcoming Events
1
June
@ Yonder Escalante: Escalante Film Festival
Wednesday, June 1, 7:00PM-9:00PM MDT
Join Grand Staircase Escalante Partners and Yonder Escalante for the screening of the world-wide premier of the Mark We Make Film – a visual exploration into Utah’s slot canyons to witness the majesty, power, and the impact we leave. We will also be screening other Monument-based films including Desert Mourning, Messengers, Ace and the Desert Dog, and the Bees of GSENM.
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.
Volunteer Opportunities
Join us in the field or online.
Support
Discover ways to support Partners!
Latest News
A Special Grand Staircase Earth Day Invitation from our new Conservation Programs Manager
Hello, I'm Kevin Berend, the Conservation Programs Manager for Grand Staircase Escalante Partners. Six years ago I took a seasonal job in northwestern Colorado studying greater sage grouse, a summer spent among the dusty cliffs and gulches of the upper Colorado...
Grand Staircase-Escalante Symposium
Ways of Understanding and Protecting Land and Water Resources in the Grand Staircase-Escalante Region March 3-4, 2022 Purpose Bring together land managers, Tribes, researchers, conservation groups and interested public to gain knowledge and discuss multiple...
GSENM Artist-in-Residence Program
2022 ARTIST IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Artist in Residence Program is a partnership effort of between the Monument, Escalante Canyons Art Festival, and Glen Canyon Conservancy to promote awareness through the arts of the...
Interagency MOU
Memorandum of Understanding Regarding Interagency Coordination and Collaboration for the Protection of Indigenous Sacred Sites. Interagency MOU 11-16-2021
Safeguard the Future
Dear Grand Staircase, Today, I want to remind you about an event that took place in 2019 and invite you to take action on behalf of Grand Staircase-Escalante. On March 15, 2019, the Global Climate Strike for Future took place with a series of school strikes imploring...
Ways of Understanding and Protecting Land and Water Resources in the GS-E Region
Our planet is in trouble. There is evidence piling up all around us, yet we still seek refuge in the convenience of not really knowing. And we all do this to some extent — seek the comfort of the bubble. But the ability to stay in our bubbles is shrinking. Drought...
March 22 Volunteer Newsletter
Dear Supporter of Grand Staircase, I hope this message finds you well! You are receiving this email because you have signed up to receive monthly updates from Grand Staircase Escalante Partners about our volunteer program, and we have some great volunteer events...
Tribal Advisory Committee
Agriculture and Interior Departments Take Action to Strengthen Tribal Co-Stewardship of Public Lands and Waters Tribal Homelands Initiative will incorporate tribal capacity, expertise, Indigenous knowledge into federal land and resources management Release &...
Secretarial Order with Tribal Nations
Order No. 3403 Subject: Joint Secretarial Order on Fulfilling the Trust Responsibility to Indian Tribes in theStewardship of Federal Lands and Waters Section 1. Purpose. This Secretary’s Order is issued by the Secretary of Agriculture and theSecretary of the Interior...
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Email: admin@gsenm.org
Call Anytime: (435) 644-2724