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The Public Lands "Day of Action" campaign in June took me to the gorgeous striped features near Paria Townsite on the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
Photo provided by Jackie Grant, 2025.
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Dear Supporter of Grand Staircase,
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 The funding for our fabulous programs has been frozen, unfrozen, refrozen, partially released, and now possibly rescinded - just in the first seven months of 2025!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section into the appropriations bill that would link funding for the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to an outdated management plan from 2020.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.
This week, the White House Office of Management and Budget directed the BLM to decrease or eliminate spending on the management of cultural resources, wilderness, wild horses and burros, wildlife habitat, and renewable energy projects. The directives specifically target cooperative agreements, which are one of the primary ways that the Federal government leverages funding to be cost effective and efficient in its work on public lands and other arenas important to Americans. As you can imagine, we are very concerned about how this will all play out. Our programs are already being affected, as you will see below.
Despite the seemingly endless fountain of bad news, I am still finding joy and satisfaction in this work, science and research, and time spent in the Monument. Our work with Tribal coalitions is growing steadily, and I plan to attend the Inter-Monument Tribal Gathering later this month to lend support to Tribal efforts to protect Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Bears Ears National Monument, and Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni - Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument. If you didn't know, I am a former professor of biology and geosciences. This summer, a dear colleague and I were able to publish a paper about bumblebees and how they use sound to get pollen from wildflowers. The summary of the paper is available online, but you might enjoy this PBS cartoon video of a bumblebee in action more than reading our technical paper.
Enjoy the rest of the summer, and we will be back with more news and updates in September.
-Jackie
| | Your donations enable our stewardship, education, and conservation work. | | |
GSEP Newsletter for Summer, 2025
Stewardship Update
Goodbye to our fantastic stewardship team, Kaitlin, Kristen, and Victor! Kaitlin has taken a position with Trout Unlimited, and will be getting back to her river-loving roots. Kristen has made a big career move, and will now be working in development (fund-raising) for a nonprofit in Maine. Victor had been straddling two worlds of work during his time with us, and will be taking a break to put both of his feet in one place. Congratulations to Kaitlin, Kristen, and Victor as they move upward in their chosen career paths. We wish you the best!
We are working hard to nail down continued funding for our stewardship program so that we can continue this impactful work. Stewardship programming is on hold, most likely through October, 2025. If you found our stewardship work to be impactful, we would welcome your donation to keep the program going in 2026.
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Stewardship volunteers have an outsized impact on the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
Photo provided by Victor Coulon, 2024.
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Development Update from Jason
GSEP, alongside ten other organizations, attended the Public Lands Market hosted by the National Forest Foundation (NFF) on June 18th in Salt Lake City. The market featured Utah-based organizations fighting to protect public lands from Salt Lake City down to Grand Staircase. Roughly 250 people stopped by our booth to learn about our work and mission! We received some donations and lots of interest in volunteering and other ways of getting involved. Thank you to NFF for hosting a fun and interactive event!
| Looking to keep out of the desert sun this summer? Check out our sun hoodies and hats to help you stay cool! | | |
Public Lands Market Exhibitors
Photo provided by NFF, 2025
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Conservation Update from Kevin
The heat of summer is upon us, and as I guzzle water from the GSEP office in Escalante, I think about the parched land around us that isn't so fortunate. What happens to desert ecosystems during drought, and how do we prepare for a future of increased stress on these critical communities?
For the latest installation of Science from the Steps, intern Jack Behrens investigates this question, writing about plant adaptation and resilience in the face of climate change. How are species and communities changing, and what actions are needed to preserve crucial ecosystems of the Southwest? Read the article to find out.
I'm also collaborating working with researchers from the University of Utah who are investigating water use by Russian olive and cottonwoods along the Paria River in GSENM. We're hoping this research will shed some more light into the efficacy of invasive species treatments in desert riparian ecosystems, especially amid long-term drought.
- Kevin Berend, Conservation Programs Manager
| | Wooly plantain (Plantago patagonica) on GSENM. Photo by Max Licher | |
Two dogs exploring the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. One of them was adopted from Best Friends Animal Society. Photo provided by Jackie Grant, 2025. | |
June Poll Results
In our last poll, we asked you how interested are you in bringing your dog to the Monument? Forty percent of you did not have a dog, so were not interested, but 60% of you were interested in how to safely bring your dog with you to enjoy the Monument's beauty together.
We were excited to see these results because we are working on a new pet membership option, and a collaboration with Best Friends Animal Society this September. Our executive director, Jackie, will present on dog safety in the desert that will cover dog (and human) safety topics from hydration to scorpions. Join us in Kanab on September 6, 2025 at 5 pm for the presentation, and stay for live music at 6 pm at the Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile. See their Facebook page for details.
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Rockfall at Lower Calf Creek Falls Frightens Swimmers (and their parents)
You may have seen some alarming footage of falling rocks that just barely missed two swimmers in the pool below Lower Calf Creek Falls. Several people contacted us wanting to know whether or not the incident was staged. It was not.
In fact, a similar rockfall in 2024 resulted in a person suffering a severe leg injury. Luckily, a bystander had enough first aid training to put together a tourniquet to stop the injury from becoming life-ending. The incident serves as a reminder to always be prepared when you are visiting public lands. Your donations help pay for our team to attend Wilderness Medicine certification classes that help us keep volunteers safe on our trips.
Do you know one way that investigators could have used signs from nature to determine whether or not the rockfall video was real?
Check out our poll below to test your intuition.
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Lower Calf Creek Falls, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was the site of two documented rockfalls, one in 2024 and one in 2025. Always carry a first aid kit with you, and know how to use it, when you visit the Monument, even if it is just for a short walk.
Photo credit: Great American Hikes.
| | We want to hear from you! | | What is the best way to determine the origin of a rockfall in the Monument's sandstone canyons? | | | | |
Thank you for your ongoing support.
We couldn't do it without you!
Jackie Grant
Executive Director
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Grand Staircase Escalante Partners | gsenm.org
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