• Description:
• Location: South end of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, near Kanab, UT
• Difficulty: Moderate; requires lifting 30-40 lbs repeatedly, ability to hike an estimated 3 miles/day over rough terrain with about 300 ft of elevation gain, and exposure to inclement weather. The majority of this work will be rock work. Volunteers should expect to be bending, digging, lifting, carrying, cutting, hauling, tensioning, etc., throughout the project.
• Project type: Front country – camping in a campground near cars, most project sites will be in close proximity to vehicles
• Details:
• We are looking for volunteers to help construct natural rock structures (aka “Zuni bowls”) on private land near the southern end of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to mitigate the impacts of climate change, such as drought and erosion on the Colorado Plateau. This project is funded by the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Climate Adaptation Fund, and will be done in collaboration with Tribal representatives. Zuni bowls are natural rock structures used for millennia by Indigenous peoples of the Colorado Plateau to mitigate erosion, increase soil moisture, and promote the growth of vegetation. Placed at actively eroding headcuts in ephemeral washes, they consist of a stepped rock “dam” with a layer of rock lining the channel downstream of the structure to create a plunge pool. They are placed at steep headcuts where swiftly moving water scours away soil and vegetation, contributing to a loss of soil and habitat. The pool dissipates the energy of falling water, nullifying the effects of steep sloping at the headcut. Rock lining lifts the stream bottom, creating a shallower profile and slowing water as it exits the pool. The pool holds water, allowing it to infiltrate into the soil and for sediment to settle out, preventing it from being carried downstream. Over time, a positive feedback loop is initiated: retained sediment→greater infiltration→retained moisture→more vegetation and greater biodiversity→reduced erosion→more retained sediment and moisture. This change allows the habitat in the vicinity of the Zuni bowl to support the recruitment of native grasses and forbs and the presence of a variety of invertebrates, birds, and mammals that rely on them for forage and habitat. Such transformations will become more important as the effects of persistent drought and climate change continue to compound on the Colorado Plateau.
• Along with volunteering to install Zuni Bowls March 22nd-24th, we are looking for 1-2 volunteers who live locally in the Kanab/Page area to monitor their effectiveness throughout the year (2023). This will include 3-4 days of additional volunteer work throughout the year with the option to continue monitoring sites in future years. After signing up for this event, please reach out to GSEP staff at kaitlin@gsenm.org indicating your interest in monitoring.
• Volunteers should have the ability to hike 3-5 miles per day and lift 30-40lbs throughout the work day. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be provided at no cost to volunteers. Volunteers will need to commit to all work days of this project.
• Itinerary:
• Wednesday, March 22nd @ 2 p.m: Volunteers will meet GSEP staff at GSEP Headquarters in Kanab to carpool to campsite. Volunteers are also welcome to come to the campsite later in the day.
• Thursday, March 23rd: Work day
• Friday, March 24th: Work in the morning and break down camp/depart in the afternoon.
• Sign-up here!

• Description:
• Location: Southern End of Cottonwood Canyon Road, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
• Difficulty: Moderate; requires lifting 30-40 lbs repeatedly, ability to hike around 6 miles/day over rough terrain with about 300 ft of elevation gain, and exposure to inclement weather. Volunteers should expect to be bending, digging, lifting, carrying, cutting, hauling, tensioning, etc., throughout the project.
• Project type: Front country – camping in a campground near cars, most project sites in close proximity to vehicles
• Details:
• Grand Staircase Escalante Partners is partnering with the Bureau of Land Management to help remediate visitor impacts on Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument along the popular Cottonwood Canyon Road. Visitation to this area has greatly increased over the past several years with people looking to recreate on the beautiful mesas and in the stunning canyons of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This has also caused an increase in visitor impacts that are hard to address completely without the help of volunteer time and labor. Volunteers will help address visitor impacts including camping impacts like campfires, tree cutting, vehicle trespass, and new site creation. This project may also include addressing and remediating scratched-in and drawn-on graffiti in sandstone canyons and trail work to improve signage and cairn reconstruction and refinement.
• Volunteers should have the ability to hike 6 miles per day and lift 30-40lbs throughout the work day. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be provided at no cost to volunteers. Volunteers will need to commit to all three work days of this project.
• Itinerary:
• Tuesday, April 4th @ 1p.m.: Volunteers will meet GSEP staff in Kanab to carpool to campsite. Volunteers are also welcome to come to the campsite later in the day.
• Wednesday, April 5th: Work day
• Thursday, April 6th: Work day
• Friday, April 7th: Work day
• Saturday, April 8th: Break down camp, goodbyes, and depart (volunteers are also welcome to depart on the evening of the 7th)
• Sign-up here!

We are partnering with Wilderness Volunteers to remediate visitor impacts on Hole in the Rock Road in GSENM! Sign-ups and all information related to this project can be found at the Wilderness Volunteers website.

Description:

• Location: North end of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, near the towns of Escalante and Boulder
• Difficulty: Moderate; requires lifting 30-40 lbs repeatedly, ability to bend over to pull invasive plants, ability to hike around 3 miles/day over rough terrain with about 300 ft of elevation gain, and exposure to inclement weather. The majority of this work will be rock work. Volunteers should expect to be bending, digging, lifting, carrying, cutting, hauling, tensioning, etc., throughout the project.
• Project type: Front country – camping in a campground near cars, most project sites in close proximity to vehicles
• Details:
• We are looking for volunteers to help construct natural rock structures (aka “Zuni bowls”) on private land near the southern end of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to mitigate the impacts of climate change such as drought and erosion on the Colorado Plateau. This project is funded by the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Climate Adaptation Fund, and will be done in collaboration with Tribal representatives. Zuni bowls are natural rock structures used for millennia by Indigenous peoples of the Colorado Plateau to mitigate erosion, increase soil moisture, and promote the growth of vegetation. Placed at actively eroding headcuts in ephemeral washes, they consist of a stepped rock “dam” with a layer of rock lining the channel downstream of the structure to create a plunge pool. They are placed at steep headcuts where swiftly moving water scours away soil and vegetation, contributing to a loss of soil and habitat. The pool dissipates the energy of falling water, nullifying the effects of steep sloping at the headcut. Rock lining lifts the stream bottom, creating a shallower profile and slowing water as it exits the pool. The pool holds water, allowing it to infiltrate into the soil and for sediment to settle out, preventing it from being carried downstream. Over time, a positive feedback loop is initiated: retained sediment→greater infiltration→retained moisture→more vegetation and greater biodiversity→reduced erosion→more retained sediment and moisture. This change allows the habitat in the vicinity of the Zuni bowl to support the recruitment of native grasses and forbs and the presence of a variety of invertebrates, birds, and mammals that rely on them for forage and habitat. Such transformations will become more important as the effects of persistent drought and climate change continue to compound on the Colorado Plateau.
• Along with volunteering to install Zuni Bowls May 2nd-6th, we are looking for 1-2 volunteers who live locally in the Escalante/Boulder/Tropic area to monitor their effectiveness during 2023. This will include 3-4 days of additional volunteer work throughout the year with the option to continue monitoring sites in future years. After signing up for this event, please reach out to GSEP staff at kaitlin@gsenm.org indicating your interest in monitoring. 
• Volunteers should have the ability to hike 3-5 miles per day and lift 30-40lbs throughout the work day. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be provided at no cost to volunteers. Volunteers will need to commit to all work days of this project.
• Itinerary:
• Tuesday, May 2nd @ 2 p.m.: Volunteers will meet GSEP staff at GSEP Headquarters in Escalante to carpool to campsite. Volunteers are also welcome to come to the campsite later in the day.
• Wednesday, May 3rd: Work day
• Thursday, May 4th: Work day
• Friday, May 5th: Work day
• Saturday, May 6th: Break down camp, goodbyes, and depart (volunteers are also welcome to depart on the evening of the 5th)
• Sign-up here!

Description:

• Location: Southern End of Hole In the Rock Road, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
• Difficulty: Strenuous; requires lifting 30-40 lbs repeatedly, ability to hike around 5 miles/day over rough terrain with about 500 ft of elevation gain, and exposure to inclement weather. Volunteers should expect to be bending, digging, lifting, carrying, cutting, hauling, tensioning, etc., throughout the project.
• Project type: Front country – dispersed camping near cars, most project sites in close proximity to vehicles
• Details:
• Grand Staircase Escalante Partners is partnering with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and the Bureau of Land Management to complete stewardship projects on Hole In the Rock Road in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument! We will be focusing on cleaning up dispersed camping and recreation impacts throughout the Hole In the Rock Road Corridor. Visitation to this area has greatly increased over the past several years with people looking to recreate on the beautiful mesas and in the stunning canyons of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.This has also caused an increase in visitor impacts that are hard to address completely without the help of volunteer time and labor. Volunteers will help address visitor impacts including camping impacts like campfires, tree cutting, vehicle trespass, and new site creation. This project may also include addressing and remediating scratched-in and drawn-on graffiti in sandstone canyons and trail work to improve signage and cairn reconstruction and refinement.
• Volunteers should have the ability to hike 3-5 miles per day and lift 30-40lbs throughout the work day. This trip may include hiking through the Dry Fork Slot Canyons, Peek-a-boo and Spooky. These canyons are extremely narrow (not recommended for those over 200 lbs), have exposure to heights (up and down climbs around 15 feet), and require hiking through rocky, difficult terrain. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be provided at no cost to volunteers. Volunteers will need to commit to all three work days of this project.
• Itinerary:
• Tuesday, May 16th @ 1p.m.: Volunteers will meet with GSEP and SUWA staff at the GSEP Headquarters in Escalante, UT, to caravan and carpool to campsite. Volunteers are also welcome to come to the campsite later in the day.
• Wednesday, May 17th: Work day
• Thursday, May 18th: Work day
• Friday, May 19th: Work day
• Saturday, May 20th: Break down camp, goodbyes, and depart (volunteers are also welcome to depart on the evening of the 19th)
• Sign-Up here!

Description:

• Location: Escalante River Corridor between Escalante town and the HWY 12 Bridge
• Difficulty: Very Strenuous; requires lifting 30-40 lbs repeatedly, ability to hike with a backpacking pack around 5 miles/day over rough terrain with about 500 ft of elevation gain, and exposure to inclement weather. Volunteers should expect to be bending, digging, lifting, carrying, cutting, hauling, tensioning, etc., throughout the project.
• Project type: Backpacking – this is a 4 day, 3 night backpacking trip, previous backpacking experience is required! Participants will be expected to be able to hike around 5 miles/day with a backpacking pack and be able to do several hours of manual labor in the same day.
• Details:
• Grand Staircase Escalante Partners is partnering with the Bureau of Land Management to help remediate visitor impacts in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument along the popular Escalante River Corridor between the town of Escalante and the HWY 12 Bridge. Visitation to this area has greatly increased over the past several years with people looking to recreate in the stunning canyons of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This has also caused an increase in visitor impacts that are hard to address completely without the help of volunteer time and labor. Working from the HWY 12 bridge to the Escalante town trailhead, volunteers will remediate visitor impacts by destroying rock fire rings, packing out trash and human waste, digging out and shredding tires that have washed down from town, and remediating scratched-in and drawn-on graffiti. The work period will be 4 full days May 30th – June 2nd.
• Volunteers should have the ability to hike 5 miles per day with a 40 lb pack and lift 30-40lbs throughout the work day. Volunteers must also be comfortable wading and working in water. Previous backpacking experience is required and volunteers must be able to provide most of their own backpacking gear (there is limited gear available for borrowing) and all of their cooking supplies and meals. Volunteers will need to commit to all four work days of this project.
• Itinerary:
• Tuesday, May 30th @ 10 a.m.: Volunteers will meet GSEP and BLM staff at the Partners Headquarters in Escalante, UT. Volunteers will carpool to the HWY 12 Bridge Escalante River Trailhead in the afternoon to begin the backpacking trip.
• Wednesday, May 31st: Backpacking and work day
• Thursday, June 1st: Backpacking and work day
• Friday, June 2nd: Work day and backpack out to Escalante Town Trailhead. Volunteers depart during late afternoon.
• Sign-up here!

Description:

• Location: North end of the Burr Trail Road, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
• Difficulty: Moderate; requires lifting 30-40 lbs repeatedly, ability to bend over to pull invasive plants, ability to hike around 3 miles/day over rough terrain with about 300 ft of elevation gain, and exposure to inclement weather (heat and thunderstorms). Volunteers should expect to be bending, digging, lifting, carrying, cutting, hauling, tensioning, etc., throughout the project.
• Project type: Front country – camping in a campground near cars, most project sites in close proximity to vehicles
• Details:
• Interested in joining the Goathead Obliteration and Annihilation Team (G.O.A.T.)? Grand Staircase Escalante Partners is partnering with the Bureau of Land Management to help remove the invasive goathead plant and remediate visitor impacts on Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument along the popular Burr Trail Road. 
• The goathead plant (Tribulus terrestris) is spreading rapidly throughout GSENM, especially at popular dispersed campsites and along hiking trails. Visitation to this area has also greatly increased over the past several years with people looking to recreate on the beautiful mesas and in the stunning canyons of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This has caused an increase in visitor impacts that are hard to address completely without the help of volunteer time and labor. Volunteers will help address the spread of the goathead plant by removing it and its seeds from the Monument and will also address visitor impacts including campfires, tree cutting, vehicle trespass, and new site creation. 
• Volunteers should have the ability to hike 3-5 miles per day and lift 30-40lbs throughout the work day. It is likely that inclement weather will affect this trip, including heat and thunderstorms and GSEP will make adjustments to the trip itinerary as needed. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be provided at no cost to volunteers. Volunteers will need to commit to all three work days of this project.
• General Project Itinerary:
• Tuesday @ 2 p.m.: Volunteers will meet GSEP staff at GSEP Headquarters in Escalante to carpool to campsite. Volunteers are also welcome to come to the campsite later in the day.
• Wednesday: Work day
• Thursday: Work day
• Friday: Work day
• Saturday: Break down camp, goodbyes, and depart (volunteers are also welcome to depart on Friday evening)
• July 25th-29th Project: Sign-up here!
• August 8th-12 Project: Sign-up here!
• August 22nd-26th Project: Sign-up here!
• September 4th-8th Project: Sign-up here!

• We are partnering with Wilderness Volunteers to remove Russian olive in GSENM! Sign-ups and all information related to this project can be found at the Wilderness Volunteers website.

Description:

• Location: The Gulch from the Burr Trail and down the canyon towards the Escalante River.
• Difficulty: Very Strenuous; requires lifting 30-40 lbs repeatedly, ability to hike with a backpacking pack around 7 miles/day over rough terrain with about 500 ft of elevation gain, and exposure to inclement weather. Volunteers should expect to be bending, digging, lifting, carrying, cutting, hauling, tensioning, etc., throughout the project.
• Project type: Backpacking – this is a 4 day, 3 night backpacking trip, previous backpacking experience is required! Participants will be expected to be able to hike around 5 miles/day with a backpacking pack and be able to do several hours of manual labor in the same day.
• Details:
• Grand Staircase Escalante Partners is partnering with the Bureau of Land Management to help remediate impacts in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument along The Gulch from where it intersects the Burr Trail and down canyon towards the Escalante River. Visitation to this area has greatly increased over the past several years with people looking to recreate in the stunning canyons of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This has also caused an increase in visitor impacts that are hard to address completely without the help of volunteer time and labor. Working from Burr Trail down canyon, volunteers will remediate visitor impacts by destroying rock fire rings, packing out trash and human waste, digging out and shredding trash that has washed down from flash floods, and remediating scratched-in and drawn-on graffiti. The work period will be 4 full days October 9th-12th.
• Volunteers should have the ability to hike 7 miles per day with a 40 lb pack and lift 30-40lbs throughout the work day. Volunteers must also be comfortable wading and working in water. Previous backpacking experience is required and volunteers must be able to provide most of their own backpacking gear (there is limited gear available for borrowing) and all of their cooking supplies and meals. Volunteers will need to commit to all four work days of this project.
• Itinerary:
• Monday, October 9th @ 10 a.m.: Volunteers will meet GSEP and BLM staff at the Partners Headquarters in Escalante, UT. Volunteers will carpool to The Gulch trailhead on the Burr Trail in the afternoon to begin the backpacking trip.
• Tuesday, October 10th: Backpacking and work day
• Wednesday, October 11th: Backpacking and work day
• Thursday, October 12th: Hike back out to trailhead
• Sign-up here!

Description:

• Location: Southern End of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
• Difficulty: Moderate; requires lifting 30-40 lbs repeatedly, ability to hike around 6 miles/day over rough terrain with about 300 ft of elevation gain, and exposure to inclement weather. Volunteers should expect to be bending, digging, lifting, carrying, cutting, hauling, tensioning, etc., throughout the project.
• Project type: Front country – camping in a campground near cars
• Details:
• Grand Staircase Escalante Partners is partnering with the Bureau of Land Management to help remediate impacts in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Volunteers will help complete stewardship projects  which may include remediating dispersed camping impacts, installing signs, removing trash, and trailwork. This project may also include addressing and remediating scratched-in and drawn-on graffiti in sandstone canyons and trail work to improve signage and cairn reconstruction and refinement.
• Volunteers should have the ability to hike 6 miles per day and lift 30-40lbs throughout the work day. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be provided at no cost to volunteers.
• Itinerary:
• Tuesday, October 24th @ 1p.m.: Volunteers will meet GSEP staff in Kanab to carpool to campsite. Volunteers are also welcome to come to the campsite later in the day.
• Wednesday, October 25th: Work day
• Thursday, October 26th: Work day
• Friday, October 27th: Work day
• Saturday, October 28th: Break down camp, goodbyes, and depart (volunteers are also welcome to depart on the evening of the 27th)
• Sign-up here!

Description:

• Location: Southern End of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
• Difficulty: Strenuous; Requires the ability to hike around 8 miles/day over rough terrain with about 800 ft of elevation gain, and exposure to inclement weather. 
• Project type: Front country – camping in a campground near cars
• Details:
• Grand Staircase Escalante Partners is partnering with Wildlands Network to survey wire fencing in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Volunteers will help survey fencing to determine if it complies with wildlife friendly standards. 
• Volunteers should have the ability to hike 8 miles per day with around 800 feet of elevation gain. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be provided at no cost to volunteers.
• Itinerary:
• Friday, November 3rd @ 1p.m.: Volunteers will meet GSEP staff in Kanab to carpool to campsite. Volunteers are also welcome to come to the campsite later in the day.
• Saturday, November 4th: Survey day
• Sunday, November 5th: Survey day
• Monday, November 6th: Break down camp, goodbyes, and depart (volunteers are also welcome to depart on the evening of the 5th)
• Sign-up here!