From the magnificent stone openings of Arches to the vast landscape of Canyonlands carved by the Colorado and Green Rivers, to the streambed spans of Natural Bridges, the wide-open spaces of the Manti La Sal National Forest and the cultural significance of Bears Ears, Canyons of the Ancients and Hovenweep, our public lands form a landscape unlike anywhere else.

During the government shutdown, these places remain open but with limited staff and services. This is a time when the care of every visitor is essential. By recreating responsibly, following Leave No Trace and Visit with Respect principles, and lending your voice in support, you help protect the lands we all love.

Canyonlands Natural History Association supports more than Arches and Canyonlands. We stand with all of our partner lands across the Colorado Plateau and their dedicated employees by providing funding for education, interpretation, and research that continues even when operations are reduced.

If you visited one our parks and the visitor center was closed, you can get your official souvenirs through our online store shop.cnha.org, or visit us in person at the Moab Information Center (MIC). The MIC has passport cancellations for Arches and Canyonlands, too. Every purchase, whether online or in person, directly benefits the public lands of the Colorado Plateau.

Your membership, donations, and purchases make this work possible. Together we can ensure that these public land areas remain vibrant, welcoming, and inspiring for generations to come.

Thank you for caring for your public lands. We will continue to keep you updated as things change.

With gratitude,

Canyonlands Natural History Association

On September 25, Canyonlands Natural History Association hosted a National Public Lands Day celebration at the Moab Information Center. The event brought together a wide range of partners, organizations, and community members to honor the lands that connect us all.

The celebration featured informational tables, hands-on activities, and opportunities to learn about the stewardship work happening across southeastern Utah. Visitors were able to connect with representatives from the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Utah State Parks, and local nonprofits, each sharing their projects and programs that support public lands.

In addition to education and outreach, the event served as a reminder of the importance of community partnerships. National Public Lands Day is the largest single-day volunteer event for public lands in the country, and here in Moab, it continues to grow as a space for collaboration and appreciation.

At CNHA, we’re proud to support our public land partners not only on National Public Lands Day, but every day. Events like this highlight the strength of collaboration, the joy of community, and the lasting impact of education and stewardship.

During the last two weeks of September, we at Canyonlands Natural History Association (CNHA) were honored to help bring Zuni stone carver Jimmy Yawakia and his wife, Clarinda, to Hovenweep and Natural Bridges National Monuments. Thanks to last-minute funding we provided, nearly 2,000 visitors had the rare opportunity to connect with Zuni traditions in a deeply meaningful way.

At Hovenweep, Jimmy worked with a school group of 92 students (K–6). He not only demonstrated his carving process, but also spoke about the cultural importance of effigies in Zuni traditions. At the students’ request, he even carved a few designs on the spot—including a dog and a centipede—sparking excitement and curiosity among the kids. He and Clarinda generously shared their knowledge of Zuni culture and ceremonies, making the sites come alive for everyone present. Some visitors even traveled from as far away as Phoenix just to meet them.

This was Jimmy and Clarinda’s first time at Hovenweep and Natural Bridges, and they were warmly welcomed by rangers and visitors alike. Their experience was so positive that they’ve already asked to return in the future, both as demonstrators and as visitors.

For us at CNHA, this project underscores the importance of the work we do—supporting opportunities that build bridges between the public, our partner agencies, and the Tribes and Pueblos with deep ancestral connections to these landscapes. We’re grateful to have played a role in opening the door for these kinds of relationships, and we’re excited to see where it leads next.

Photo: NPS / Andrew Kuhn

A new National Park Service report shows that nearly 2.4 million visitors to parks of the Southeast Utah Group in 2024 spent $421.9M in communities near the park. That spending had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $447 million. 

"People come to this area to see Delicate Arch or Canyonlands' outstanding viewpoints, and along the way they support local and national economies," said Superintendent Lena Pace. "We're proud that these parks and monuments generate nearly $450 million in revenue for our gateway communities."  

Park-specific metrics include: 

• Arches National Park’s nearly 1.5 million visitors in 2024 spent an estimated $288 million in local gateway communities, which supported approximately 2,500 jobs, $94.5 million in labor income, $183 million in value added, and $312 million in economic output overall. 
• Canyonlands National Park’s over 818 thousand visitors in 2024 spent an estimated $126 million, which supported around 1,010 jobs, $38.2 million in labor income, $74.3 million in value added, and $126 million in economic output for gateway communities. 
• Hovenweep National Monument’s over 31 thousand visitors in 2024 spent an estimated $2.4 million, which supported approximately 22 jobs, $838 thousand in labor income, $1.6 million in value added, and $2.8 million in economic output. 
• Natural Bridges National Monument’s nearly 76 thousand visitors in 2024 spent an estimated $5.5 million, which supported around 49 jobs, $2.0 million in labor income, $3.7 million in value added, and $6.2 million in economic output. 

The National Park Service report, 2024 National Park Visitor Spending Effects, finds that visitors spent $29 billion in communities near national parks. This spending provided $18.8 billion in labor income and $56.3 in economic output to the U.S. economy. The lodging sector had the highest direct contributions with $11.1 billion in economic output. Restaurants received the next greatest direct contributions with $5.7 billion in economic output.  

Read the full news release here.

Photo: NPS / Andrew Kuhn

Bureau of Land Management officials are reassessing the motorized vehicle route designations within the Labyrinth/Gemini Bridges Travel Management Area, near Moab. In particular, BLM is reassessing whether certain routes currently designated as

closed or limited to off highway vehicles should be redesignated as open to OHV use. The process has and will be informed by the agency, cooperators, and the public — including a comment period starting today and ending October 24, 2025. 

In the Labyrinth/Gemini Bridges Travel Management Plan, completed in 2023, the BLM designated about 700 miles of routes as open to off highway vehicle travel. The BLM also designated about 100 miles of routes as available for limited OHV use, and about 300 miles of routes as closed to OHVs.

An interactive map of the area is available online and includes the routes that BLM has preliminarily identified for re-designation. Reassessments and amendments are an important part of the travel management process and consistent with Executive Order 14313, Establishing the President’s Make America Beautiful Again Commission. 

All 2023 Labyrinth/Gemini Bridges TMP route designations will remain in effect during the reassessment process. If BLM concludes that any designations should change, the agency will issue a new decision amending the Labyrinth Rims/Gemini Bridges TMP. Until that time, members of the public should adhere to the route designations in the 2023 TMP. 

BLM officials invite the public to submit further information on the routes currently designated OHV-limited and OHV-closed — including information about the routes’ purpose and need, and resource considerations. Comments must be submitted either at ePlanning online or by standard mail to: Labyrinth/Gemini Bridges TMP, 82 Dogwood Avenue, Moab, UT 84532. 

The BLM will review and consider all information and comments submitted by the public. The public is encouraged to include the route Segment ID with each comment.

The Southeast Utah Group of parks is now accepting applications for the 2026 Community Artist in the Parks (CAIP) program through October 15th.

Created in 2009, the CAIP program highlights the connection between local artists and the surrounding landscape, particularly Arches and Canyonlands national parks and Hovenweep and Natural Bridges national monuments.

The selected artist spends a minimum of 24 hours each month, April through October, creating original works of art in the participating parks and sharing inspiration and the creative process with visitors from around the world. The artist’s work will also be sold at participating parks’ stores operated by Canyonlands Natural History Association.

Read the full news release here.

Free Lecture Series at the Moab Information Center

We hope to see you at 6pm at the Moab Information Center for our lecture series.

• Tuesday, October 7 at 6pm | Uranium Mines to Red Rock Tourism by Robby Anderson
• Thursday, October 9 at 6pm | Lichen Diversity by Steve Leavitt
• Thursday, October 23 at 6pm | Last Ice of the La Sal Range by Michael Thorne

View the full lineup and descriptions here.

Your Purchases Support Education and Research on the

Public Lands of the Colorado Plateau.

Our Mission

Canyonlands Natural History Association (CNHA) is a non-profit organization, which exists solely to assist the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management in their education and visitor efforts. Proceeds from sales support these agencies’ educational, interpretive, and scientific programs on the Colorado Plateau.

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