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Grand Canyon Trust Volunteers, a program to help restore ecological and archeological resources on eh Colorado Plateau
Grand Canyon Volunteers : Connect, discover, conserve, restore

General Info

Accommodations

We will be camping out for 6 days and 5 nights. The town of Boulder is not far from where we will be camping. Expect a "car camping" experience, with any nights away from vehicular base-camp limited to one night out (with plenty of advance notice provided!)

Gear

You provide: Camping and hiking gear for our time on the Aquarius Plateau.

We provide: Transportation on Boulder Mountain/Aquarius Plateau, all meals/snacks, technical training and tools. 

Comments

The Aquarius Plateau can be a challenging environment to live and work in for a week, but it is a beautiful and unique high-elevation plateau. You will avoid summer heat, but might not avoid rain. Nights can be cold, so bring warm gear. However, it is also an incredibly beautiful place to work together. So bring a camera (if you have one) and contact us if you have any gear needs!

We will be working around beaver ponds, springs, and in riparian areas, be prepared to get your feet wet and muddy! Our campsite will be around 9000 feet, so bring appropriate clothing and sleeping gear.

Utah volunteer trips in the Dixie, Fishlake, and Manti-La Sal forests

Working for BEAVERS! Beaver Habitat Assessment - Escalante River Headwaters: July 13-18, 2010

Overview

Southern Utah's Fishlake, Dixie, and Manti-La Sal National Forests are ideal areas for restoring beaver. We are actively working with the Forest Service and other conservation organizations to implement new management strategies that support native plant and animal diversity. Because beaver is a keystone species due to its support of riparian areas and spectacular engineering of water, the Dixie National Forest is keen on getting beaver back to its former habitats. 

On January 6, 2010, Utah adopted its first-ever beaver management plan! One part of the plan calls for assessing beaver populations and the condition of their historical habitat throughout the state.   Grand Canyon Trust is taking on one portion of that assessment, namely the seven creeks that form the famed Escalante River.   We need to map beaver dams (active and inactive) and assess the presence of willow and aspen in historical beaver habitat in these creeks and on the Aquarius Plateau from which they flow, because beaver need aspen and willow for food and dam construction. Excessive elk and/or livestock browsing of aspen and willow can effectively prevent restoration of beaver. 

We'll work in teams along headwater creeks of the Escalante River and on the beautiful Aquarius Plateau, the highest forested plateau in North America -   including Boulder Mountain (11,328 feet) and its south-facing slopes.

To read more about the beaver restoration project, visit our Utah page.

Suggested Packing List (PDF)


Apply to volunteer on the Colorado Plateau

Itinerary

Day 1 3 pm: Meet at Hell's Backbone Grill (20 N. Highway 12, Boulder, UT). Drive to work site on Dixie National Forest and set up camp. Project orientation: "The World According to Beaver." Dinner and relaxation. Sleep under the stars.
Day 2 Wake early for breakfast and coffee. 8 am - noon: training for assessment of beaver sign and habitat. Break for lunch. 2 pm - 5 pm: first day of beaver sign/riparian assessment. Evening: download photos and assemble data sheets, followed by dinner, relaxation, and stories. Sleep under the stars.
Day 3 Wake early for breakfast and coffee. 8 am - 5 pm: beaver sign/riparian assessment. Return to camp to download photos and assemble data sheets. Dinner, relaxation, and more stories! Sleep under the stars.
Day 4 Repeat Day 3!
Day 5 Wake early for breakfast and coffee. 8 am - noon: final morning of beaver sign/habitat assessment. 2 pm - 5 pm: begin entering data into Excel sheets in teams of two. Return to camp for dinner, relaxation, and even more stories! Sleep under the stars.
Day 6 Wake early for breakfast and coffee. 8 am - noon: complete data entry; trip evaluation; pack up camp. Depart work site between noon and 1 pm, returning to Boulder, UT by mid-to-late afternoon.
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Visit our Flickr album to see photos of this project

Visit our blog to read stories from the field

 


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