Kane and Two Mile Ranches Mission and Goals (Back to Restoration Program Index)
Mission
To restore and maintain the ecological and scenic integrity of the magnificent landscape north of the Grand Canyon known as the Kane and Two Mile ranches.
Goals
- Restore productive grassland, shrubland and forest ecosystems.
- Protect unique and sensitive natural resources such as springs, ancient forests and remnants of native grasslands.
- Restore and maintain thriving, viable populations of a full range of native species.
- Maintain ecologically and economically sustainable land uses to benefit local economies and support ongoing management activities.
- Promote inclusive, conservation-based land management by engaging citizens and local, state, tribal and federal government agencies.
- Manage livestock grazing in a manner consistent with restoration and maintenance of ecological and scenic integrity.
K2M mission and goals
Background:
In 2005, the Grand Canyon Trust, in partnership with The Conservation Fund, will be purchasing the Kane and Two Mile ranches, located north of the Grand Canyon Canyon. In acquiring the ranches, the Trust will assume the role of livestock grazing permitee across approximately 850,000 acres of U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands. Because the ranches span a vast landscape of vital ecological and social importance, and because much of this land has been heavily impacted over the past century (due in large part to logging across the Kaibab Plateau, inappropriate livestock grazing, water development, and other land use practices), the Trust is committing to assist land managers and collaborate with other stakeholders to initiate and sustain landscape-scale restoration-based management across the ranches. Restoration-based management offers significant promise for improving environmental conditions across the ranch area, as well as catalyzing broader discussions about sustainable rangeland management throughout the region.
First year ecological assessment:
Rigorous science will be a keystone element of our work across the Kane and Two Mile ranches. As such, we will be conducting a first year baseline ecological assessment of the ranches in 2005 to assess historic and current conditions, and to help identify restoration and management needs and opportunities. The first year assessment will focus on characterizing current rangeland conditions, forest conditions, and water resource conditions across the entire ranch area. A number of different techniques will be used, including extensive on-the-ground assessment of current vegetation and soil conditions, cutting edge interpretation of satellite imagery, and detailed assessments of water resource conditions. More information will be posted here as the assessment proceeds.
Science Advisory Council:
Any restoration-based management initiative must be ecologically appropriate, and ultimately socially/politically viable if it is to be successful in the long-term. As such, we are convening the Kane and Two-Mile Ranch Science Advisory Council (SAC) to ensure that the best available science is integrated into management planning and implementation, and to improve GCT’s ability to meet its management goals. Specifically, we expect that SAC members will assist GCT staff in defining management priorities and strategies for the ranches, and developing a scientifically rigorous foundation from which GCT staff can implement comprehensive restoration-based management. Initial members of the Kane and Two Mile ranches Science Advisory Council are listed below:
Dr. H. Ronald Pulliam: University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
Regents Professor, Institute of Ecology. Former Director, National Biological Service, DOI. Past President, Ecological Society of America. Dr. Pulliam’s primary research area is maintenance of biological diversity. He also is interested in how human behavior is molded by environmental circumstances and how human behavior controls environmental change. He has been the author or co-author of more than 70 articles and papers on these and other subjects.
Dr. Jayne Belnap: US Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Moab, Utah
Soil scientist and ecologist. Dr. Belnap’s current research is focused on biological soil crusts, invasive annual grasses, effects of grazing on sediment and runoff production, methods for predicting the species composition of biological soil crusts in different areas of the Mojave desert and the effect of off-road vehicles on dust production from different soil types. She is also assisting the National Park Service in developing protocols for indicators of ecosystem health. These indicators include soil stability, soil fertility, vegetation cover and composition, and social trailing. Over the past 20 years, she has published 105 peer-reviewed articles and books on soil crusts. She is recognized by scientists around the globe as one of world's authorities on soil crusts.
Dr. Mark Miller: US Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Moab, Utah
Research ecologist. Dr. Miller was an ecologist for the Bureau of Land Management at Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah, where he initiated a broad-scale effort to assess the condition of rangeland ecosystems across the 2-million acre Monument. In 2002 he accepted a position as program ecologist with the National Park Service's Northern Colorado Plateau Inventory & Monitoring Network, where he led the process by which 16 NPS units of the Colorado Plateau region identified "vital signs" for monitoring the condition of park ecosystems In addition to his work with the NPS, he works closely with the BLM, The Nature Conservancy, and the U.S.D.A. Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in issues pertaining to the assessment, monitoring, and management of rangeland ecosystems on the Colorado Plateau.
Dr. Tom Stohlgren: Colorado State University & USGS, Fort Collins, Colorado
USGS Invasive Species Branch Chief; Natural Resources Ecology Laboratory, CSU; Science Director, National Institute of Invasive Species Science. Dr. Stohlgren is a leading plant ecologist who focuses on community ecology, restoration, grazing, and exotic species. He has worked extensively in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, nationally and has been involved in the Valles Grande National Preserve.
Dr. Tom Sisk: Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona
Associate Professor, Center for Environmental Sciences and Education. Dr. Sisk is a conservation biologist and landscape ecologist. His work focuses on three interrelated objectives: to better understand how nature works; to interest and engage others in the challenges and societal relevance of the environmental sciences; and to help provide viable solutions to real-world problems facing land and resource managers. Public affairs committee, Ecological Society of America; Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow; Past President, Colorado Plateau Chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology.
Dr. Thomas Whitham: Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona
Regents Professor of Biology at NAU; Director of Merriam-Powell Center for Environmental Research. Dr. Whitham’s research is focused on cottonwood riparian communities and pinyon-juniper woodlands. These studies emphasize plant-herbivore interactions and a community-level understanding of the consequences of plant genetics and environmental stress on keystone species. His teaching is focused on field ecology, which emphasizes the discovery of original problems, devising appropriate sampling methods, data collection, statistical analyses, oral presentations in national meeting format and written presentation in journal format.
Matthew Loeser: Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona
PhD candidate. Department of Biology at NAU. Mr. Loeser has studied rangeland ecology in northern Arizona for several years, and is a well-respected voice in ongoing collaborative planning efforts in the region.
Volunteer restoration projects:
Meeting our restoration goals across the Kane and Two Mile ranches will be a monumental effort. In order to meet our goals we will be asking for your help. Please visit our volunteer webpage for more information on assisting with ongoing volunteer projects. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you in the field!
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