DatesMay 16th - May 22nd 2010 Service ProjectRiver restoration, Russian olive & tamarisk removal Free DaysSlot canyon, narrows or slickrock hike. Scenic drives. AccommodationsTent or car camping in State Park. Showers, flush toilets, sheltered tables. Trip RatingStrenuous : Lopping, sawing and dragging invasive Russian olive and tamarisk trees LeadersBrian Miller Equipment |
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, established in 1996, is a 1.9 million acre public treasure offering some of the most breathtaking scenery and diverse habitat found in the Colorado Plateau. The monument's vast and austere landscape embraces a spectacular array of scientific and historic resources. This high, rugged and remote region, where bold plateaus and multi-hued cliffs run for distances that defy human perspective, was the last place in the continental U.S. to be mapped. Even today, the unspoiled natural area remains a frontier, a quality that greatly enhances the monument's value for scientific study. The monument has a long and dignified human history: it is a place where one can see how nature shapes human endeavors in the American West. The monument presents exemplary opportunities for geologists, paleontologists, archaeologists, historians, and biologists...and of course volunteers! Our project is part of the ongoing effort by Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to restore the Escalante river ecosystem by removing invasive Russian olive and tamarisk trees from its tributaries. GSENM is partnering in this 10-year effort with Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, the State of Utah, private land owners and nonprofit organizations. Russian olive and tamarisk were originally planted in the 1930s for wind break, erosion control and decoration. They've now spread throughout many wild river systems in the western U.S. in part due to its very successful seed distribution in rivers. Besides dominating entire ecosystems, both invasive trees additionally are water hogs, further depleting precious water resources. Our project volunteers will identify Russian olive and tamarisk and use loppers or hand saws to cut them down and then drag them away from foot paths. After cutting, volunteers will apply an herbicide to stumps to prevent re-growth. The worksite is in shallow desert mountain creek bottoms including North Creek and Upper Valley Creek, upstream from the town of Escalante. Escalante Petrified Forest State Park , located 1.5 miles west of Escalante, is donating car and tent camping in their group campsite. Full accomodations include free showers, flush toilets, fire pit, sheltered tables and parking at the site.
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