Grand Staircase-Escalante Symposium 2025
Ways of Understanding and Protecting Land and Water Resources in the Grand Staircase-Escalante Region March 20-22, 2025
Location: Interagency Visitor Center, 755 W. Main St., Escalante, UT
Purpose
Bring together land managers, Tribes, researchers, conservation groups and interested public to gain knowledge and discuss multiple perspectives on land and water, ecosystem management issues, and ways people engage with the landscape.
Geographic Focus
The landscape of the Grand Staircase-Escalante region, from the high plateaus of the Dixie National Forest and Bryce Canyon National Park down through the benchlands, valleys and canyons of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
Agenda
Link to PDF version
Day 1 (Thursday, March 20)
Welcome (videos here)
- Kevin Berend (Escalante River Watershed Partnership)
- The Beauty of Land & Water – Max Early
Ways of Knowing (videos here)
- Native Science & Sovereignty – Dr. Gregory Cajete (University of New Mexico; Santa Clara Pueblo)
- Planting seeds of hope, chili stew, and buffalo dance – John Naranjo (National Wildlife Federation)
- Seven types of science opportunities in the BLM’s National Landscape Conservation System – Fritz Klasner (Bureau of Land Management)
- Monitoring wilderness character at Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument – Kevin Berend (Grand Staircase Escalante Partners)
- Science and citizen engagement – Marc Coles-Ritchie (Bureau of Land Management)
Riparian Recovery (videos here)
- Response of the Escalante River to the invasion and treatment of Russian olive – Mike Scott (US Geological Survey, retired)
- Looking back at the ribbon of green: 50 years of repeat photography in the Escalante watershed – Katelyn Woodward (Western Colorado University)
- Ecological succession in Glen Canyon as Lake Powell dries: Rapid native riparian ecosystems establishment and dynamic changes – Seth Arens (Western Water Assessment)
- The evolution of invasive species detection using remote sensing in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument – Truman Anarella (Colorado State University)
Wetlands Management (videos here)
- Comparing water use in Russian olive and Fremont cottonwood – Rebecca Senft (University of Utah)
- Big Lake Lythrum salacaria Mitigation Project, 2018-2022 – Jordan Moody (Best Friends Animal Sanctuary)
- Badger Springs – Russian Olive and Tamarisk Removal Project – Max Taylor (Hopi Tribe)
- Stump Springs fencing project: A model for Tribal co-stewardship on public lands – Georgie Pongyesva (Hopi Tribe)
Physical Science (videos here)
- Dinosaur Frontier: What was happening in our neighborhood before the Late Cretaceous – Christa Sadler (Paleontologist/Geologist)
- Preserving the night sky from light pollution – Colin Littlefield (Stellar Vista Observatory)
- Fire on the land: Exploring the past to inform the present – Stanley G. Kitchen (US Forest Service, retired)
- Flash floods across southwestern Utah during the summer monsoon – John D. Horel (University of Utah)
Closing (video here)
- The Beauty of Land and Water – Max Early
Film Screening
Three short films about Native sovereignty, public lands, and human connection to nature. Followed by discussion.
Day 2 (Friday, March 21)
Welcome
- Richard Graymountain (San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe)
Art & Social Science (videos here)
- Stargazing, spending, and stewardship: Park visitors’ perspectives on dark sky conservation from across Utah – Jordan W. Smith (Utah State University)
- Hopi food and cultural practices – Evvy Trujillo (Hopi Tribe)
- The Utah Cultural Site Stewardship Program: A united front protecting Utah’s heritage – Ian Wright (Utah Cultural Site Stewardship Program)
- Understanding and protecting land through photography – Christina Selby (conservation photographer)
- On the trail of Neil M. Judd – Harry Barber (Bureau of Land Management)
Biodiversity and Wildlife (videos here)
- Discovering neglected lichen diversity with DNA-based inventories in Bryce Canyon NP – Steve Leavitt (Brigham Young University)
- Retrofitting and removing fences on the Paunsaugunt Plateau: Improving mule deer habitat connectivity in Grand Staircase-Escalante NM – Kasey Lindstrom (Wildlands Network)
- Aquatic invertebrate and bat community analysis at an isolated spring in Garfield County, Utah – Geoff Smith (Utah Tech University)
Field Trips and Workshops
Ethnobotany walk: Learn the identity and uses of native plants from expert botanists. 15 min drive. Led by Max Taylor and Marc Coles-Ritchie
Stump Spring fence project: Visit a spring that was fenced during a restoration project completed by Hopi and GSEP in 2024. 15 min drive. Led by Georgie Pongyesva & Lauren Nickell
Food and cultural practices of a Hopi woman: Led by Evvy Trujillo
Basketry workshop (day 1, limit 10 participants): Make a traditional San Juan Southern Paiute basket. Supplies provided. Led by Richard Graymountain
Astronomy of Grand Staircase-Escalante
View and learn about planets, stars, nebulae, and other astronomical objects in the night sky. Telescopes provided. Led by Colin Littlefield
Day 3 (Saturday, March 22)
Field Trips and Workshops
Woody invasive species of the Paria River: Learn about NASA satellite monitoring of Russian olive and tamarisk during a hike through the beautiful and remote Paria River. 1 hour drive. Full day. Led by Christa Sadler & Truman Anarella
Fire history & ecology: Learn about the history of fire in the Upper Valley of Dixie National Forest, and its interactions with geology, soils, vegetation, and land management. 15 min drive. Half day. Led by Brian Van Winkle
Stream ecology: Learn about riparian ecology of the Escalante River and Calf Creek. 15 min drive. Half day. Led by Marc Coles-Ritchie & Katelyn Woodward
Pottery workshop (limit 10 participants): Paint and fire your own pottery shards in traditional Laguna Pueblo style. Materials provided. Half day. Led by Max Early
Basketry workshop (day 2, limit 10 participants): Make a traditional San Juan Southern Paiute basket. Materials provided. Half day. Led by Richard Graymountain
