An old pinyon pine stands tall in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. BLAKE MCCORD
If you’ve ever visited the Colorado Plateau, you’ve probably walked or driven through pinyon and juniper forests. These forests have been a source of food, medicine, and ceremony for Indigenous people since time immemorial. The pinyon jay, a striking blue bird, depends on the pinyon pine for its survival, collecting and caching its seeds throughout the year. However, old-growth pinyon and juniper trees are often slated for removal by federal agencies.
The slow-growing pinyon and juniper trees have learned to survive and thrive in the harsh climate of the Colorado Plateau. These native species can withstand hot, dry summers and bone-chilling cold winters, living for upwards of 500 years.
We need volunteers to hike through clear cut areas, or areas under consideration for tree removal, in southern Utah to document old-growth trees. The information we gather will help us advocate for old growth protections, ensuring the existence of all species that rely on these trees for survival.
Anyone! Membership is optional, but we ask that participants who are comfortable financially become members of the Grand Canyon Trust with a $25 donation. Members receive a subscription to our biannual print magazine, The Advocate. Please contact us if you have any questions. You’ll also need to submit your volunteer application form to secure your spot on the trip.
NOTE: This trip is currently full. Sign up for a spot on the waiting list.
We’ll start out with coffee and breakfast in the mornings at our basecamp in Utah's Fishlake National Forest near Torrey, Utah. During the days, we'll look for old-growth tree stumps and large standing trees, taking samples and counting tree rings to determine their age. We’ll return to camp in the evenings for free time, appetizers, dinner, and stargazing. We’ll also have time for Trust staff to give a few informal talks about the importance of pinyon and juniper forests. On the last morning of the trip, we’ll break camp, pack up, and head home.
We will camp at a national forest campground at a fairly high elevation (approximately 8,000 ft) in the Fishlake National Forest near Torrey, Utah. There will be toilets, drinking water, and a camp kitchen.
The Trust provides: All meals, snacks, field equipment, tools, and training.
Participants provide: Personal transportation to the site, individual camping gear, coffee mug, lunch container, work clothes, work gloves, wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, rain gear, and clothes for warm days and cold nights. Please come prepared.
Audrey has a background in experiential and wilderness education and is passionate about healing the lands and supporting the communities of the Colorado Plateau. Ask about her favorite German desserts, backpacking adventures, and goofy dog stories!
Mike loves the Colorado Plateau and working with volunteers to improve the conditions of the entire ecological community that makes these landscapes so special.
Our gear packing list will help you prepare. We can loan some camping gear items on a first-come, first-served basis — contact us for details.
Curious about logistics, the food you'll eat during the trip, or the difficulty of the field work? Check out the frequently asked questions ›
When you volunteer for the Trust, we make it worth your while. From eating good food, to learning new skills, find out the perks of volunteering.
Our top priority is the safety and comfort of our trip participants. Precautionary measures that will be followed on trips to avoid the spread of communicable diseases will be communicated in pre-trip emails. If we feel that a trip cannot be safely conducted due to public health conditions, or for any other reason, we will cancel the trip with as much notice as possible. Contact volunteernow@grandcanyontrust.org with any questions.
The Grand Canyon Trust is committed to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion at every level of our work. The conservation field and the Colorado Plateau have their own histories of racial injustice and exclusion and as a largely white organization, we know we have work to do. We are actively working to make the conservation field and the Colorado Plateau more just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive. Read the Grand Canyon Trust’s justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion statement ›