DatesSep 28th - Oct 4th 2008 Service ProjectRemoving invasive species Free DaysSpectacular day hiking, slot canyons, waterfalls AccommodationsBackpack camping Trip RatingActive : Backpack ~3 miles; no pack support. Walking in river. LeadersJen Jackson Equipment |
The Grand Staircase - Escalante, our newest National Monument, encompasses 1.7 million acres of multicolored cliffs, plateaus, mesas, buttes, pinnacles, and canyons. This is a high, rugged and remote region, where bold plateaus and multi-hued cliffs run for distances that defy human perspective. Due to the remoteness of the area, the Escalante River was the last major river in the lower 48 states to be explored and named. It was the last place in the continental United States to be mapped. Even today, this unspoiled natural area remains a frontier, a quality that greatly enhances the monument's value for scientific study. It contains more than 300 species of amphibians, mammals, reptiles, and birds, and is rich in ancestral puebloan ruins and artifacts. Working with the Escalante Office of Bureau of Land Management, our project will be eradicating Russian olive along the Escalante River corridor. We'll backpack approximately three miles and set up a base camp from which we'll work. Russian olive wasn't found in the river corridor until the mid-eighties, but this non-native tree is quickly choking out willows and other native plants. To clear the river of this invasive tree we'll use saws and loppers and apply an herbicide to the stumps. This project will extend the work being done down river in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, where 35 miles of river have been cleared of the trees. Click on the map for a map of the monument.
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