Grand Canyon Trust 2024 Volunteers

Safeguarding Escalante Springs

Volunteers repaired a damaged fence around a spring near Escalante, Utah. They worked alongside Forest Service partners to assess damages to the fence, clear brush, and replace barbed wire that had been trampled by cows and broken by snow loads. Thanks to Trust volunteers, the fence is intact and the wetland has a chance to regrow without pressures of heavy-hooved animals.

Number of volunteers: 11

Volunteer hours: 179

Johnson Lakes Jamboree

On one of our favorite annual trips, volunteers removed an entire field of dry Russian thistle, pulled out huge swaths of cheatgrass and invasive mustards, cut back overzealous roses, and removed thistles and watercress from a boiling sand spring. Volunteers managed to do all of this in temperatures above 100 degrees!

Number of volunteers: 14

Volunteer hours: 156

Progress for Pronghorns

Since 2011, Trust volunteers have modified barbed wire fences in House Rock Valley for safe crossing by pronghorn. Volunteers replaced 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: 11

Volunteer hours: 176

Kane Garden Stewards Program

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

Number of volunteers: 9

Volunteer hours: 68

North Rim Seed Collection and Planting

Volunteers worked alongside National Park Service employees to plant two new pollinator gardens at the north rim of the Grand Canyon. The milkweed and asters that volunteers planted will support native pollinators, like monarch butterflies, for years to come. Volunteers also collected native plant seeds to re-seed areas disturbed by upcoming construction at the park.

Number of volunteers: 14

Volunteer hours: 222

Fence Repair Along the Grand Canyon's South Rim

Volunteers surveyed and repaired 9.4 miles of fence between Grand Canyon National Park and Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni National Monument. This fence protects rare surface water along the South Rim from thirsty livestock that cross into the park from neighboring national forest lands through weakness in the fence.

Number of volunteers: 12

Volunteer hours: 198

Keeping Tabs on Uranium Mining

Volunteers visited Canyon Mine (renamed Pinyon Plain Mine) monthly 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: 30

Helping Flagstaff Forests (4 day trips)

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: 39

Volunteer hours: 154

Stream Stewards of the Coconino - Lake Mary/Clark Well

Over two days, volunteers ages 5-70 built and repaired rock structures that mitigate erosion in streambeds. They moved hundreds of pounds of rocks to turn deeply cut channels into spongy wetlands.

Number of volunteers: 19

Volunteer hours: 16

Springs Survey Training and Stewardship Project

Volunteers built four erosion control structures at Buck Spring. Made of rocks, these structures help slow and spread out water and increase the size and health of wetlands.

Number of volunteers: 12

Volunteer hours: 116

Stream Stewards of the Coconino - Mogollon

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: 10

Volunteer hours: 128