GSEP September Newsletter

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The Blues Wilderness Study Area (WSA) is one of several areas with wilderness characteristics in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. It looks barren, but several plant species live and thrive in the salty soils.

Photo provided by Jackie Grant, 2024.

Dear Grand Staircase,

The Blues Wilderness Study Area is one of several areas on the Monument known for its wilderness characteristics. It is an excellent place to learn about as we wait for news about research, rehabilitation and soil stabilization will proceed on the Deer Springs Fire. We, and other nonprofit partners, submitted comments to the BLM about the Deer Springs Fire plan. We expect to hear about the finalized plan soon. We are also waiting to see the what the final decision will be for the Monument's Resource Management Plan, which is currently under Governor's Review. See The Land Desk for a good summary of the RMP - unless you want to read the 600+ pages yourself!

So while we wait... The Blues is part of the Kaiparowits geologic formation. It's bluish-gray sandstone and mudstone is in stark contrast with the pinks and oranges of the overlying Claron formation that makes Bryce Canyon National Park so beautiful. I rarely see anyone there because it is such a stark and seemingly barren environment. It can also be dangerous if you wander into the nearby fossil fuel facility unprepared for asphyxiating gases that emerge from the area.

The Blues' biggest claim to fame is the vertebrate fossils that were discovered there since the 1980s: fishes, turtles, amphibians, lizards, snakes, crocodilians, dinosaurs, and mammals. Many invertebrate fossils are also known from the area. What you may not know is that Grand Staircase Escalante Partners played a crucial role in funding paleontological work at the Bureau of Land Management during a time of low government funding. The Monument is so incredibly fossil-rich that it has been featured in prominent dinosaur road trip travel blogs.

Read on to learn about cottonwoods and drought, find out how we are participating in the Escalante Canyons Art Festival and Earth Gives Day, and get a glimpse of some of the scenery and plants in The Blues WSA.

-Jackie

Your donations enable our stewardship, education, and conservation work.

GSEP Newsletter for September, 2024

In this month's SCIENCE FROM THE STEPS, our Conservation Program Manager, Kevin Berend, reviews a scientific study of how drought is affecting riparian cottonwood forests such as those along the Escalante River.

SILVER LEAF ASTRAGALUS

The photo to the right shows one of the plants tough enough to survive in the nutrient poor soils of the Blues Wilderness Study Area. The scientific name of the plant, Astragalus argophyllus, means silver astragalus. It gets its name from the hairs on its leaves that make it look silvery. Several species of bumble bee in the genus Bombus forage on the nectar of this plant throughout its range.

Photo provided by Jackie Grant, 2024.

Powell Point (upper right) looms over the Blues. The soils of the Blues Wilderness Study Area (WSA) are very salty. The salts form a crust in the many, many sinuous little washes scattered throughout the WSA. Recent rains drew these salts up and coated the rocks and pebbles in Henrieville Creek.

Photo provided by Jackie Grant, 2024.

Join us!

The Escalante Canyons Arts Festival runs September 20-29, 2024. This annual event attracts people from all over the country because of the spectacular art, music, crafts, and scenery. Check out the Roving Talks during the Festival because our Executive Director, Jackie, will be giving a presentation about the Monument's beautiful bats. She was lucky enough to be with a group last weekend that detected six bat species near Headwaters Ranch in Boulder, which means that there will be a lot of bat biology to cover!

Our Conservation Program Manager, Kevin Berend, is leading a poetry session during ECAF where participants will read and analyze George Ella Lyon’s famous poem “Where I’m From”, and then use it as a template to create their own versions from their own life experiences.

We will be handing out stickers and information and selling GSEP merch at our booth. Make your lodging reservations soon if you'd like to stay for more than a day during this wildly popular event.

Contributed by Jason Pulver, Development Director

GSEP Receives Award to Study Native Plants on the Monument!

In 2025, GSEP will begin a new project in collaboration with the BLM's Colorado Plateau Native Plant Program. The majority of our work will be to survey the Monument for large populations of native plants, and we will also work with researchers to learn about restoration and seed biology.

The agreement will provide us with $75,000 to support plant surveys and seed collection for 4.5 months in 2025. Once we find the plants, we will collect environmental data about the location, and monitor the plants until they produce seeds.

Your donation could help us extend our working season and develop a volunteer program related to scouting for plants and collecting seeds. Flowers bloom on the Monument from February through October, and we'd love to show our volunteers how to do this work throughout the whole season. Our seed collections will contribute to research, the agricultural economy, and conservation of native plants.

Look for updates starting early next year as we move into this new phase of work on the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument!

Spinystar cacti (Escobaria vivipara) are one of the many native plants found on the Monument. The spinystar is a viviparous cactus, which means that seedlings can germinate within the parent or the parent's fruits. Sometimes you can see this phenomenon in overripe tomatoes where the seeds have begun to sprout while the fruit is still intact.

Photo provided by Jackie Grant, 2024.

Earth Gives Day - October 1st

We are taking part in Earth Gives Day - a nationwide initiative focused on boosting giving to nonprofits focused on climate change, climate justice, and environmental stewardship. We invite you to become an Earth Gives Day Ambassador for Change. If you’re willing, it can be an easy and fun way for you to share why you care about our work and our mission. You can help by:

Setting Up A Fundraising Page
Spreading the Word
Give Today - early giving has already started!

If you're interested in being a GSEP Earth Gives Day ambassador or want more details, email Jason Pulver (jason@gsenm.org)

We want to hear from you!

How interested would you be to learn the basics of native plant seed collection?

1 - not very interested

2 - mildly interested

3 - interested enough to mention it to a friend

4 - fairly intrigued. I'd like to read about how this project unfolds, or support the work

5 - really interested! I'd volunteer to scout for plants or collect seeds on the Monument!

Thank you for your ongoing support.

We couldn't do it without you!

Jackie Grant (she/her/hers)

Executive Director

Donate Today!

Grand Staircase Escalante Partners | gsenm.org