Wildlife - header
Andrey Zharkikh

wildlife - beavers

wildlife - beavers
Steve Hersey

Bringing beavers back

Beavers, whose dams help slow the flow of water, are master engineers that change the way water flows in our forests. Their dams raise creek beds, reduce the force of flash floods, and create habitat for fish and other wildlife. We’re helping bring beavers back to their historic habitat in Utah. Watch our 13-minute video "Beaver: Back to the Future," and read an interview with the filmmaker ›

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Denise Ayers-Mondragon

Wildlife - pronghorn

Modifying fences for pronghorn

Topping out at 55 miles per hour, pronghorn are some of the fastest animals in the world. Yet despite their powerful, lean legs, they can’t jump.

Wildlife - pronghorn (part 2)

Fences stop pronghorn in their tracks — a serious problem in a landscape crisscrossed with barbed-wire cattle fences. Rather than hop over fences, the animals will try to squeeze underneath. But wires are typically strung too low, scraping pronghorns’ backs and leaving them susceptible to infection and disease.

We work in strategic locations where pronghorn return year after year to replace the bottom wire with a smooth one and raise it to 18 inches off the ground — enough space for pronghorn to pass through. Since 2011, Grand Canyon Trust volunteers have made over 13 miles of fences in House Rock Valley wildlife-friendly. See how we do it ›

PlantsAnimals - spring surveys

PlantsAnimals - spring surveys
Blake McCord

Spring surveys

Springs are the lifeblood of the Colorado Plateau's forests, canyons, and communities. They provide permanent homes for snails, ferns, and many other species, and serve as watering holes for wider-ranging animals like bobcats and desert bighorn sheep. Volunteers visit springs to document water quality, signs of wildlife, and native and non-native plants. We share the data we collect with land management agencies to help prioritize restoration.

PlantsAnimals - weeding

PlantsAnimals - weeding
Bill Ferris

Weeding non-native species

With the help of volunteers, we pull weeds and plant native species to rebalance degraded landscapes across the Colorado Plateau. We bag and remove non-native plants and take photo points to track the health of our public lands. Find out why we pull weeds ›

wildlife - biocrust

wildlife - biocrust

Speaking up for biological soil crusts

Bological soil crusts are living skins of lichen, moss, and cyanobacteria. They prevent erosion and absorb water. We make the case to land managers and advocate for the protection of these fragile desert soils that are easily crushed by cattle, off-road vehicles, and visitors.

PlantsAnimals - cattle grazing

PlantsAnimals - cattle grazing
Morgan Heim

Advocating for less cattle grazing

Nearly all public lands are open to grazing, and on the Colorado Plateau, where the ground is dry and water sources scarce, livestock leave big impacts on the land. Native plants wither under the pressure of too many mouths and hooves. We work with land managers to study grazing impacts, address problems, and advocate for a better balance of grazed and livestock-free lands.

Native species

Jonathan Barth
Andrey Zharkikh
Jonathan Barth
Andrey Zharkikh
Jonathan Barth
Jonathan Barth
Andrey Zharkikh
Andrey Zharkikh
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Restoration - partners

Partners make it possible

We rely on partnerships with federal agencies like the U.S. Forest Service, universities, environmental groups, and many others to accomplish change on the ground.

Volunteer - CTA (join us in the field)

Join us in the field.

ON THE BLOG

11/26/24

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
11/12/24

Bears Ears petroglyph panels and cultural sites protected by new proposed management plan.

Read More
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