Time seems to get lost in the chaos these days, but I’ve finally had minute to gather my thoughts for this month’s GSEP newsletter. The government shutdown continues unabated, but we have been in discussions with the BLM about how our new staff can start to help, which brings us to a big welcome for our new staff: Mary Peek, Mackenzie Morgan, and Katie Woodward. Mary and Mackenzie arrived last week, and will lead our Stewardship and Sustainable Visitation Program as Stewardship Project Coordinators based in Kanab (Mary) and Escalante (Mackenzie).

This year continues to be a bit of a rollercoaster ride for us here at Grand Staircase Escalante Partners. The funding for our fabulous programs has been frozen, unfrozen, refrozen, partially released, and now possibly rescinded – just in the first seven months of 2025! Most recently, the U.S. House of Representatives inserted a section into the appropriations bill that would link funding for the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to an outdated management plan from 2020. This action makes it even more difficult for Bureau of Land Management staff to do their work because the Monument is legally bound by a newer management plan that was approved this year. You can learn about the havoc this bill might cause in this recent article on the bill.

An unexpected rainy late spring has been traumatizing one of my dogs, Sunny, but is still very welcome after such a dry winter. The land and plants are responding with a vigor that I might almost describe as joyously frightening. I am finding enormous joy in the many plants that are blooming for the first time in years, or with more zeal than I’ve seen in a very long time. The frightening part comes with knowing that these rains bring the peril of flash floods, which can be both exhilarating and deadly in this land full of canyons. In fact, a group of hikers had to be rescued this week after a storm many miles upstream caused water flow to increase from 7.5 gallons per second to nearly 18,000! Luckily, everyone was safely retrieved from Big Horn Canyon where the flooding occurred.

Three new studies shed investigate restoration of degraded biological soil crusts, and their nutrient content amid climate change.

When you think of natural stone arches in Utah, you probably think of Arches National Park. But, did you know that the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is home to 2,517 natural stone arches? That’s 517 more than Arches National Park! You can learn more about arches in the Monument, including how to report and name a new arch from archesoftheescalante.com.

The Monument needs your help! Below is a message from Marietta Eaton, former Bureau of Land Management Science Advisor for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, expressing a practical way YOU can help protect GSENM.