Volunteer Program

	Volunteers Work on a Variety of Projects, Including the Removal of Invasive Plants

The Trust’s volunteer program began informally in 1999 when Mark Brandt convinced a small army of people to log thousands of miles of roads created by logging and off-road vehicle use around the San Francisco Peaks on the outskirts of Flagstaff, Arizona.  From that small beginning, it has blossomed into a formal, hands-on program where students, retirees, stay-at-home moms, youth groups, clubs and many others volunteer to help the Trust complete field-based conservation projects throughout northern Arizona. The volunteer program provides meaningful, hands-on experiences that contribute to the restoration and protection of Northern Arizona, Grand Canyon, and the Colorado Plateau.

During the past few years, volunteers have worked on a variety of projects such as: helping protect prairie dog and spotted owl habitat; closing and rehabilitating unauthorized campsites; fencing springs to protect them from heavy grazing pressure from elk and livestock; surveying state lands for conservation acquisition; monitoring condors in the Grand Canyon and mountain lions near Flagstaff; and removing tamarisk from Bright Angel Creek near Phantom Ranch in the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

The volunteer conservation season generally runs from May to October.  Volunteers help with projects that may take one day, a weekend, or multiple days.  Some volunteers work on self-scheduled projects that may take months to complete.  Our collaborators include Arizona Game and Fish, the Forest Service, BLM, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Beginning in 2005, the volunteer program focuses primarily on restoration projects located on the Kane and Two Mile ranches, although we continue to do some projects near Flagstaff for volunteers that aren’t able to travel to the ranches.  This year, volunteers worked primarily on removing invasive plants and surveying forest conditions on the Kaibab Plateau.  Potential projects include:

Potential Short-Term Projects

• Removal of musk and scotch thistle in Central Winter Allotment
• Fencing natural lakes on the Kaibab Plateau
• Modification of fences in House Rock Valley to make them pronghorn friendly
• Survey work (small mammals, others) on Paria Plateau
• Condor monitoring
• Surveying roads
• Restoring and cleaning up the buildings and facilities located on the ranches.

• Spring restoration
• Habitat improvements in North Canyon
• Reintroduction of leopard frogs
• Monitoring / survey work
• Fence, infrastructure repair

For More Information On The Volunteer Program Please Click Here

Contact: Kari Malen