Landscapes - header
U.S. Forest Service, Coconino National Forest
Image
Dawn Kish

Landscapes - NRR

North Rim Ranches

Restoring 830,000 acres of public land on the north rim of the Grand Canyon.

Landscapes - NRR (2)

Kane Ranch House

About the ranches

In 2005, the Trust bought grazing permits for lands north of the Grand Canyon. We work with a ranching family to manage the day-to-day operations. Read on ›

Climate change research on the North Rim Ranches

Research projects

Alongside universities, the Bureau of Land Management, the Forest Service, and others, we pilot restoration approaches on the North Rim Ranches. Learn more ›

Image
Marra Clay

Native Plants - Johnson Lakes (detail)

Johnson Lakes Canyon

Transforming overgrazed pastures into wildlife paradise.

Native Plants - Rick and Susie

Rick and Susie Knezevich, the owners of 800 acres of cattle-free land in southern Utah, have an admirable goal: leave the land better than they found it. Several years ago, they teamed up with the Trust, put their land in a conservation easement, and have been working with our volunteers to restore their property and study its recovery.

Surrounded by Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Johnson Lakes Canyon is a laboratory for restoration experiments and projects. It also serves as a lesson in the recovery that is possible when cattle are kept off the land.  

What the recovery looks like

Native cottonwoods and willows are thriving, biological soil crusts cover entire hillsides, red-tailed hawks nest, and water birds drop by during their travels. Trust volunteers have been helping remove invasive species in Johnson Lakes Canyon since 2014. We also bring scientists out for bioblitzes to document the plant and animal life gradually coming back to the property. Take a look at what we've found ›

Native species

Jonathan Barth
Andrey Zharkikh
Jonathan Barth
Andrey Zharkikh
Jonathan Barth
Jonathan Barth
Andrey Zharkikh
Andrey Zharkikh
Image
Tim Peterson

Landscapes - WMCCA

White Mesa Cultural Conservation Area

Studying the recovery of land when it gets a rest from livestock grazing.

Landscapes - WMCCA (2)

Thanks to an agreement with the Forest Service and Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, 28,000 acres of land in in the Abajo Mountains are closed to livestock grazing through at least 2022. The Trust studies native grass diversity, builds and repairs fences, and is tracking the recovery of the ponderosa and aspen forest as it rests. More on our work in the White Mesa Cultural and Conservation Area ›

Volunteer - CTA (join us in the field)

Join us in the field.

ON THE BLOG

12/10/24

Mugs, handmade soaps, high fashion, jewelry and more. There's something for everyone on your holiday shopping list.

Read More
12/3/24

The Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam is heating up. Find out why.

Read More
11/18/24

Groundwater pumping at a uranium mine near the Grand Canyon will affect the canyon's springs, scientists says.

Read More
Copyright © 2024 Grand Canyon Trust