Successes Through the Years

A look back at our major accomplishments since 1985

1987: Natural quiet protected in the Grand Canyon

We helped pass the National Parks Overflights Act, reining in air traffic over the Grand Canyon and lessening noise pollution in the canyon.

1991: Navajo Generating Station gets cleaned up

We negotiated sulfur dioxide controls on Navajo Generating Station, the largest source of air pollution in the Grand Canyon region.

1992: Glen Canyon Dam operations modified to protect Colorado River

We provided key leadership in efforts to pass the Grand Canyon Protection Act, which changed the operation of Glen Canyon Dam to better protect natural and cultural resources downstream.

1998: Arches National Park enlarged

We helped draft the Arches National Park Expansion Act, which added over 3,000 acres to the park.

1996: Grand Staircase-Escalante designated a national monument

With others, we led the campaign to designate Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

2004: Colorado River protected from uranium contamination

We spearheaded the removal of 16 million tons of uranium tailings poisoning the Colorado River near Moab, Utah.

2005: Overgrazed lands north of the Grand Canyon begin to heal

We purchased Kane and Two-Mile Ranches (now known collectively as North Rim Ranches) to restore over 800,000 acres of public lands on the Grand Canyon’s north rim.

2009: Large-scale forest restoration in northern Arizona takes off

With others, we helped launch the Four Forests Restoration Initiative, the country’s largest forest restoration project, to protect 2.4 million acres of national forest land from catastrophic wildfire.  

2012: Temporary ban on uranium mining enacted around the Grand Canyon

We successfully campaigned for a 20-year ban on new uranium mines on 1 million acres of public lands around Grand Canyon National Park. 

2016: Bears Ears protected as a national monument

We provided key support to the tribally led campaign that culminated in the designation of Bears Ears National Monument.

2017: Navajo families defeat proposed tram development in the Grand Canyon

We provided key support to Save the Confluence, a group of Navajo families that successfully defeated a proposed tramway that would have shuttled up to 10,000 tourists a day from the rim of the Grand Canyon to the confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado rivers.  

2018: Native-led organization supports Indigenous entrepreneurs

We successfully transitioned Change Labs, a Native entrepreneurship business incubator born at the Grand Canyon Trust, into its own independent and self-sustaining 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

2021: Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments restored

With partners, and over the course of four years, we supported the tribally led effort to restore Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante national monuments.