Grand Staircase Escalante Partners
Honor the past and safeguard the future of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument through science, conservation, and education.
Work with Us
Work with Us
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 following Tribes 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.
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
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Latest News
Adapting to Global Change
"Rapid global change is impacting every corner of the planet, including the Colorado Plateau. I’ve spent most of my career working on and thinking about the Colorado Plateau, my heart’s home, and I have come to feel that we need to find radically new ways of...
A Place of Learning
Craig “Sage” Sorenson has lived in Escalante since before the Monument was designated by President Clinton in 1996. He has seen the transformation of the small Utah town from an economically-struggling community to a thriving stop-over for travelers visiting the...
Family Tradition of Protecting Public Land
"My wife, Mary and I donate to Grand Staircase Escalante Partners (GSEP) because after I worked for the National Park Service 37 ½ years we are “hung-up” on protecting public land. We can’t contribute to every piece of public land but we donate annually to 6...
Dinosaur Discoveries
"My first very first day in GSENM was as a first-year paleontology graduate student at the University of Utah in the fall of 2004, lugging a helicopter net deep into the badlands for later retrieval of an articulated dinosaur skeleton. From that moment, I was hooked...
Cherished Family Memories in the Monument
"At sixteen, mom and I made a covenant to visit all of the National Parks and Monuments. Going East to go to the West, we drove out to the desert each summer and winter to explore more of our favorite part of the country: Utah. With a freshly printed TripTik as our...
Ever-Changing Canyons
"Friends have said they love the slickrock desert because it’s timeless. But the canyons keep changing. Each time I visit my favorite places, I see something new and extraordinary. Fresh layers of sediment banking the creek, washed in by flash floods. A delicate...
