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Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument — larger than all five of Utah’s national parks combined — is one of the most extraordinary landscapes in America. It was protected because it matters: to science, to history, and to the people who call this region home. Its cliffs and canyons hold fossils that reshape our understanding of life on Earth, sacred and historic sites that carry deep cultural meaning, and fragile desert ecosystems found nowhere else.
But protection on paper is not enough.
Grand Staircase–Escalante Partners is a rural nonprofit rooted in the communities that surround the Monument. We work alongside local residents, scientists, land managers, and Tribal partners to care for this place every day. We support research and education, preserve cultural memory, improve trails and habitat, and create opportunities for local people to stay connected to the land and benefit from it responsibly.
The Monument’s future depends on steady, local stewardship. Our job is to make sure this landscape — and the communities tied to it — remain strong for generations to come.
Meet Zach Earl, our new Native Plant Program Manager. Zach (saltair_house) grew up in Utah and fell in love with nature as a kid. After receiving a Linguistics and International Studies degree from the University of Utah, he worked in education as a teacher and academic advisor.
Over time, he became more deeply interested in native plants, growing 100s of species from seed, joining the Utah Native Plant Society Board of Directors, and planning large-scale native plant-focused events, such as PlantFest. These led him to GSEP where Zach brings a passion for building community through connecting with native plants. Outside of work, you might find him gardening, camping with his dogs, or botanizing the deserts and mountains of Utah.
Jun 14
💦Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument protects the Escalante and Paria River watersheds. Both are vital tributaries of the Colorado River, which supports 40 million people! If you live in another part of the U.S. and eat vegetables in winter you rely on this water too.
Colorado River flows are extremely low this year from drought and high heat. Reservoirs like Lake Powell are rapidly shrinking. Every drop of water in the system is critical.
The current Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument management plan ensures robust protections from mining, grazing, and off road vehicles for these lifelines. Please call or write your representatives and urge them to vote against Utah delegates use of the Congressional Review Act to undo this critical piece of management that protects our water.💦
Write your reps: https://monumentsforall.org/grandstaircase/
Photos 1 & 2 taken with support from @ecoflight ✈️
Jun 11
Today is the 120th Anniversary of the Antiquities Act. This law gives Presidents the authority to protect public lands (and oceans), along with historic and cultural sites. Since President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act into law in 1906, it has been used by 18 presidents from both parties to designate 168 monuments. This includes the designation of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in 1996 by President Bill Clinton.
Photo taken with support from @ecoflight
Jun 8
The Paria townsite area on the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is home to some incredible geology that reflects a past when water covered the area then receded or evaporated in cycles over thousands of years. These cycles of wetness and dryness laid the foundation for the layers of color we see today in sedimentary formations throughout the Monument.
Jun 6
Meet Puq, our newest PAWtner!🐾
Your Monument companion can be a PAWtner too, for a $25 annual donation. In return, you will receive a special PAWtners sticker, your pet`s photo in our gallery, and a digital toolkit that reviews desert safety and etiquette.
Becoming a PAWtner means your four-legged friend joins a community of animal lovers who care about Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Our program informs visitors about hazards specific to the region, explains pet etiquette expectations, and recognizes the pet that has made your trips to the Monument so special.
Your donation helps support restoration, education, and stewardship efforts to ensure these lands and the adventures they inspire last for generations to come.
Welcome to our new PAWtners, and say hello if you run into them on the Monument. https://gsenm.org/pawtners/
Jun 3
Please welcome our new Restoration Technician, Gabe Brown! In 2024, Gabe was the Overall Volunteer of the Year for the fabulous nonprofit, Sageland Collaborative. Gabe helped one of Utah`s special toads, the boreal toad, and volunteered as a part of the Wildlife Watch Camera Response Team.
We are so excited to work with Gabe on our Russian olive removal and low tech process based restoration work in the Escalante River Watershed. Gabe joins Katie and Alex in the Restoration team as a seasonal technician.
Jun 1
Trail Ambassadors Wanted!
Trail Ambassador volunteers are representatives of Grand Staircase Escalante Partners (GSEP) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). A Trail Ambassador is a volunteer who provides information to trail users, emphasizing safety and use etiquette as well as reporting current conditions and alerting the BLM staff to any attention needed. The GSEP Trail Ambassador Program stands apart by taking a holistic approach to deepen the visitors connection through the "Honor the Land" ethic. GSEP Trail Ambassadors will educate visitors using Native Connections, Resilient Ecosystems, Scientific Inquiry, and Cultural Awareness and Reflection, as well as Leave No Trace and Visit With Respect Principles to minimize harmful impacts on the Monument.
More information for interested volunteers can be found here and linked in our Instagram bio: https://sites.google.com/gsenm.org/stewardship-project-site-draft/trail-ambassadors/become-a-trail-ambassador?authuser=0
May 30
As scientists, researchers, and educators from across the United States, we write to reaffirm our deep concern regarding threats to the scientific integrity, management, and long-term protection of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Specifically, the Utah delegation’s reckless gambit to toss out the monument’s management plan using the Congressional Review Act risks not only the scientific objects of interest within the boundaries, but also the future of research and scientific discovery in this unique landscape.”
Join 150 scientists and take action to protect the monument today: https://monumentsforall.org/grandstaircase/
May 28
Op-Ed: Autumn Gillard, Grand Staircase-Escalante Inter-Tribal Council member explains how attacks to the national monument is a strike on Indigenous culture and history.
“As a Southern Paiute woman, I have a strong connection to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, as it is referred to today.
Part of what makes the newest strike on Grand Staircase so painful is that it would undo protections for our ancestral places. This time, instead of going after Grand Staircase’s boundaries, members of the Utah congressional delegation are taking aim at the monument’s resource management plan.
Many people think of Grand Staircase as a science monument. They think of the amazing geology and paleontology, the many dinosaur fossils that have made it famous. But for us, as Native people, Grand Staircase is so much more than a research laboratory or a library of our planet’s past.”
Read: https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2026/02/27/voices-strike-grand-staircase-is/
Act: https://tinyurl.com/36jjdz75
May 25
