Protect Wetlands in the La Sal Mountains

Working alongside the Forest Service in the La Sal Mountains, volunteers built an 800-foot log fence and a 1,425-foot barbed wire fence to protect a wetland from further degradation by cows. We also constructed 13 human-made beaver dams to raise the water table of the wetland.

Number of volunteers: 7

Volunteer hours: 140

Pinyon and Juniper Old Growth Scavenger Hunt

Volunteers surveyed over 50 cut trees in Fishlake and Dixie national forests. They measured the stumps to determine each tree’s age and found that the Forest Service is consistently felling old-growth trees. This data helps Trust staff encourage land managers to follow agency guidelines for minimizing the destruction of old growth.

Number of volunteers: 10

Volunteer hours: 260

Johnson Lakes Jamboree

On one of our favorite annual trips, volunteers removed an entire field of dry Russian thistle, sticktight, and cheatgrass from an area below Johnson Lakes Dam. Volunteers also planted 18 cottonwood trees and pulled thistles and watercress around a boiling sand spring. Finally, they launched two artificial islands planted with native species for bird habitat.

Number of volunteers: 14

Volunteer hours: 336

Progress for Pronghorns

Since 2011, Trust volunteers have modified barbed wire fences in House Rock Valley for safe crossing by pronghorn. Volunteers exchanged the bottom barbed wire with a smooth wire 18 inches off the ground. Since pronghorn can’t jump, this allows pronghorn to comfortably slip underneath fences and reach critical water sources and forage areas.

Number of volunteers: 9

Volunteer hours: 140

Kane Ranch Garden Beautification

Volunteers seeded about three pounds of native seed mix around a newly installed water tank. Volunteers also planted globemallow seeds and transplanted about 40 native blue gramma and broom snakeweed plugs that popped up in the driveway and pathways.

Number of volunteers: 9

Volunteer hours: 135

Kane Garden Stewards Program

To keep the Kane Ranch Garden a native plant oasis, volunteer stewards visited the garden each month to water plants and pull weeds on the property. Maintaining this garden is one small way we are creating ecosystem resilience in the face of climate change.

Number of volunteers: 8

Volunteer hours: 85

Change Labs Building Remodel

In June 2023, Change Labs opened its first small-business and entrepreneurship hub on the Navajo Nation in Tuba City. Volunteers helped Change Labs staff ready the space for its grand opening by assembling office furniture, installing cabinets and carpet, and hanging shelves.

Number of volunteers: 6

Volunteer hours: 48

Keeping Tabs on Uranium Mining

Volunteers visited Canyon Mine (renamed Pinyon Plain Mine) monthly in 2023 to monitor the mine's activities and document observed violations (water spraying outside the fence, animals in the holding pond, etc.). These issues get reported to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, the regulatory agency that oversees the mine.

Number of volunteers: 8

Volunteer hours: 28

Helping Flagstaff Forests

On half-day excursions, volunteers worked alongside Coconino National Forest staff to naturalize three closed trails and clean up one trailhead. These efforts benefit wildlife, including the endangered Mexican spotted owl, migrating deer and elk, and predators like black bears and mountain lions.

Number of volunteers: 24

Volunteer hours: 80

Stream Stewards of the Coconino - Lake Mary

Over two weekends, volunteers built rock structures to stabilize eroded streambeds, shore up banks, and widen wetland areas. Volunteers from Leading Change Africa worked with Flagstaff locals to construct two Zuni bowls and two one-rock dams at Clark's Well. At Hoxworth Spring, volunteers built one Zuni bowl, armored a smaller section of eroded stream bank, and repaired previous rock work.

Number of volunteers: 48

Volunteer hours: 294

Spring Stewardship Project

Trained volunteers made independent visits to springs throughout Northern Arizona. Their data helps inform restoration priorities throughout the Coconino and Kaibab national forests.

Number of volunteers: 7

Volunteer hours: 102

Spring Survey Training

Using apps, and interactive maps, volunteers learned how to monitor springs. After participating in the training, they collected data on their own. These volunteers’ spring surveys help the Trust and its Forest Service partners prioritize future spring restoration projects.

Number of volunteers: 8

Volunteer hours: 72

Botany Transects

Volunteer botanists documented all plant species within 30-foot transects of several springs. They started monitoring in 2018, before Trust volunteers did restoration work at these sites, and will continue monitoring through 2023. By documenting plant life around springs before and after restoration work, we can study how effective our restoration projects are.

Number of volunteers: 2

Volunteer hours: 20

Stream Stewards of the Coconino - Mogollon

Volunteers built eight erosion control structures at Buck Spring. Using rocks, they built massive Zuni bowls and smaller one-rock dams. These structures help slow and spread out water, and they increase the size and health of wetlands.

Number of volunteers: 8

Volunteer hours: 128