Page 6 - FINAL fall 2014 magazine

By Noel Poe and Daisy Johnson
Photo by Darby Hayes

This article is the fifth in a series highlighting the accomplishments of other Friends and Partner groups
associated with the National Conservation Lands. There are over 60 nonprofit organizations, very similar to
Friends of Red Rock Canyon, who preserve and protect their own special places. They educate and advocate
to ensure that the lands will remain as pristine as possible for our future generations to love and enjoy.

In his 1875 book entitled Explorations of the Colo- After the creation of GSENM, many conservation-

rado River of the West and Its Tributaries, John oriented individuals began to meet to discuss what they
Wesley Powell made could do to support the new
mention of a great geologi- monument. From this grass
cal staircase spanning the -roots movement came a
region from the Grand group who established the
Canyon to Bryce Canyon. official friends group for

This is a high, rugged and GSENM in 2004: Grand
remote region, where bold Staircase Escalante Part-
plateaus and multi-hued ners (GSEP, Partners). In
cliffs run for distances, the beginning, GSEP mem-
defying human perspec- bers met with the Friends
tive. It was the last area in of Red Rock Canyon board
the continental United States Grosvenor Arch—Grosvenor Double Arch is one of hundreds of who were instrumental in
major arches within the Monument Photo provided by BLM
to be mapped. These strik- helping the fledgling
ingly beautiful and scientifically important lands are Partners get on their feet.
divided into three distinct regions: the Grand Stair-
Today, Grand Staircase
case, the Kaiparowits Plateau and the Escalante
Escalante Partners has four
Canyons.
major areas of focus: Educa-
On September 18, 1996, President Bill Clinton tion, Archeological Site
created the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Stewardship, Conservation/
Monument (GSENM) by presidential proclamation. Restoration and Paleontology.

Encompassing nearly 1.9 million acres, GSENM is the (Continued on page 17)
first national monument ever to be managed by the Paria Badlands
Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Photo provided by BLM
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