Confession time: We’re biased. We think the Southwest is the greatest place in the world, and we aim to keep it that way.
The Grand Canyon Trust has been a leading voice in regional conservation for more than 35 years. From improving air quality around the Grand Canyon to helping win national monument protections in southern Utah, the Trust works tirelessly to protect the Colorado Plateau’s remarkable landscapes.
We are a nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to making sure the region’s natural wonders, communities, and cultures thrive. We’re in it for the long haul, and we hope you are too. Join us ›
To safeguard the wonders of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado Plateau, while supporting the rights of its Native peoples.
The Grand Canyon Trust traces its roots to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, where the Colorado River and love of place runs deep.
In the early 1980s, river runner and wilderness advocate Martin Litton took several environmentalists downstream. Sitting around a campfire one evening, the group's conversation turned to the need for an organization with the express goal of protecting the Grand Canyon. Long-time conservationist Huey Johnson proposed a name: the Grand Canyon Trust.
Over the next few years, those fireside chats turned into action. In 1985, Arizona Governor Bruce Babbitt and several others officially registered the Grand Canyon Trust as a non-profit organization dedicated to defending the natural integrity of the Grand Canyon.
The Trust realized early on that environmental threats don’t stop at the boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park. So in 1987, we expanded the scope of our work to encompass the entire Colorado Plateau — the Four Corners region of Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, of which the Grand Canyon stands as the centerpiece.
Over the years we’ve grown from a one man show to a staff more than 30, working on issues ranging from grazing, to forest restoration, to uranium mining. We have a membership of more than 3,000 people who love the Grand Canyon and the Colorado Plateau, and an active volunteer base of more than 400 people who help us with on-the-ground restoration work, data collection, monitoring and more.
When it comes to safeguarding the Grand Canyon and the Colorado Plateau, we have a proven track record of success.
Legislation could permanently protect precious water resources, economies, and Indigenous lifeways connected to the Grand Canyon.
Read More
After years of advocacy by Havasupai grassroots and tribal leaders, Indian Garden has been officially renamed Havasupai Gardens.
Read More
Miners have pumped more than 49 million gallons of water laced with uranium and arsenic out of a mine near the Grand Canyon.
Read More
