GRAND STAIRCASE - ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT
Need:
Pinon and Juniper Encroachment into Sagebrush Communities
Issue:
Many factors have led to the increase in the density of pinon-juniper throughout the
West. What has precipitated are vast areas once dominated by sagebrush,
sagebrush/grasslands are now dominated by pinon-juniper. As pinon-juniper
increases in density less opportunity exists for palatable, more desirable species to
occupy the landscape. Wildlife species dependent on the forage in a sagebrush
community lose grass, forbs, and browse species to the encroachment of pinonjuniper. Specific to the GSENM, sage grouse lose nesting, foraging, and breeding
habitat. Big game species (deer, elk) lose grass, forbs and browse species
necessary for their subsistence. Other passerine and small mammal species that
are dependent on the sagebrush community are also negatively impacted. We need
a better understanding of the system dynamics between these two vegetative
communities and the interactions with various wildlife species.
Application:
The implementation and completion of such a project would allow land managers
more opportunity to maintain and/or restore wildlife populations that are tied to the
sagebrush community.
Category:
Research - pinon-juniper, wildlife.
Scope:
Regional.
Potential partners:
USGS, NAU.
Estimated costs:
> $100,000. The proposal could be broken into an array of smaller, discrete projects
with costs estimated at $10,000 - 25,000 each.
Status:
Initial phases of project rolled into NSTC project which will attempt to determine
pertinent literature and research available. Also components of the proposal have
been incorporated into the BLM Colorado Plateau pinon-juniper Strategy.
Contact:
Harry Barber, Wildlife Biologist (435) 644-4311
Paul Chapman, Resource Advisor (435) 644-4309
Kanab Headquarters, 180 W. 300 N. , Kanab, Utah 84741
Need:
Issue:
Impacts to Water Quality from Backcountry Human Waste
Increasing levels of human waste and the detrimental effects on water quality along
the Paria River Corridor are resulting in an escalation in coliform bacteria and
parasitic organisms. As yet, research has not been conducted regarding human
feces potential contribution to the problem, or how to manage human waste in a
wilderness area. The Paria Canyon is not alone in the problem of what to do with
human waste in remote areas. All of the southwestern region’s public land
agencies, including the National Park Service, are experiencing the same kind of
problems. No comprehensive region wide research has been done, and no viable
solution identified.
Application:
Water quality is an issue that every American is concerned about. Many of these
wilderness areas are watersheds for public water systems. Water contamination
due to humans is far more deadly than contaminants from livestock. The
applications of this research would benefit not just wilderness users, but all water
users.
Category:
Research - hydrology, water quality.
Scope:
Regional.
Potential partners:
NSTC, USGS, NAU.
Estimated cost:
$10,000 - 25,000.
Status:
Have initiated portions of the work with NSTC, with NAU looking at waste
degradation in the Paria drainage.
Contact:
Marietta Eaton, Asst Monument Manager/Physical and Earth Sciences - (435) 8655114
Kanab Headquarters, 180 W. 300 N. , Kanab, Utah 84741
Need:
Consolidation of Rock Art Data on the Colorado Plateau
Issue:
Rock art across the Colorado Plateau is deteriorating at an alarming rate from
natural causes, damage and vandalism. Visitation across the regions is increasing.
The rock art sites of the Colorado Plateau are world class heritage resources. Many
local manifestations (i.e. Barrier Canyon, San Juan, Fremont) have been studied in
detail, but that information is not readily available or connected. No consolidated
database has ever been compiled.
Application:
A database of rock art sites will facilitate a greater understanding of this resource,
therefore allowing us to manage them more effectively. Documentation and
database development will help BLM meet NHPA requirements for both Section 106
and Section 110. Tribal relationships could be enhanced by sharing this information
with local tribal groups. It would also enable BLM to evaluate conservation needs
across the Plateau and focus on the most threatened sites each year for
documentation and conservation.
Category:
Inventory - archaeology.
Scope:
Regional
Potential partners:
NSTC, NAU, AHC
Estimated cost:
$25,000 - 50,000
Status:
Some initial efforts underway within the Monument, including dialogue with SHPO
and NSTC.
Contact:
Marietta Eaton, Asst Monument Manager/Physical and Earth Sciences - (435) 8655114
Kanab Headquarters, 180 W. 300 N. , Kanab, Utah 84741
Need:
Human Carrying Capacities and Levels of Acceptable Change in Canyons of Grand
Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Issue:
Recreational use in remote, hard to access canyons is rapidly increasing. What is
the level of human use that various types of canyons can sustain while protecting
cultural sites, plant and animal habitat and water quality? What are the social
expectations of recreating in these canyons? What cultural, biological, and social
criteria should/could be used to determine levels of acceptable change? This
information is needed to be proactive rather than reactive in managing these
resources.
Application:
Information would benefit all offices on the Colorado Plateau. Recreation,
Wilderness, Biological, and Cultural programs would specifically benefit from the
information.
Category:
Research - recreation, human carrying capacity.
Scope:
Regional.
Potential partners:
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument could provide staff assistance.
Estimated cost:
$10,000 - $50,000.
Status:
New proposal (2001).
Contact:
Barbara Sharrow, Assistant Monument Manager, Visitor Services
(435) 644-4312
Need:
Interactions of Ecological Site, Climate Variability, and Grazing on Biotic
Communities, Hydrologic Function, and Soil-site Stability
Issue:
A major use of BLM lands is grazing by cattle. Federal regulation mandates
sustainable management of natural resources. Information is needed on sustainable
livestock stocking rates in relation to climatic variability, soil type, and vegetation
association. The need is for long-term studies, with regional inference. A general
strategy is to spend about one year on literature review and formulation of key
hypotheses. One year identifying sites and designing experimental approaches,
followed by five to ten years of treatments (e.g. comparing continuing existing
stocking levels with increased or decreased stocking, changes in season of use
etc.) with measurement of responses. An expected product would be the
development of quantifiable criteria for classifying ecological sites and landscapes
with regard to their sensitivity to biotic and/or hydrologic degradation, emphasizing
concepts of environmental thresholds.
Application:
Information would benefit all offices on the Colorado Plateau.
Category:
Research - grazing impacts, climatic variability, soil type, and vegetation..
Scope:
Regional.
Potential partners:
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument could provide staff assistance.
Could partially overlap with P-J strategy.
Estimated cost:
$10,000 to 30,000 for one or two years, thereafter. $100,000-300,000 per year, 5
year minimum.
Status:
New proposal (2001).
Contact:
Thom O’Dell, Science Program Administrator, Grand Staircase-Escalante
National Monument (435) 644-4316 or Mark Miller, Vegetation Mgt. Lead, Grand
Staircase-Escalante National Monument, (435)-644-4325
Need:
Issue:
Effects of Herbivory on Nitrogen Dynamics Associated with Actinorhizal Browse
Species
The Fundamentals of Rangeland Health, as outlined in 43 CFR Subpart 4180,
require that nutrient cycles be maintained on BLM lands in order to support
ecosystem function and healthy biotic populations and communities. On the
Colorado Plateau, several woody taxa (e.g., bitterbrush, cliffrose, mountain
mahogany, and buffaloberry) that are preferred browse species for wildlife and
livestock also are potential associates of nitrogen-fixing actinomycete bacteria.
Information is required to assess the effects of herbivory on the occurrence and
dynamics of N-fixation in these actinorhizal taxa, as well as the implications of these
effects for ecosystem nutrient cycling.
Application:
Information would benefit offices on the Colorado Plateau and elsewhere in the
Intermountain West.
Category:
Research - grazing, nitrogen cycling, biotic communities.
Potential partners:
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument could provide staff assistance.
Estimated cost:
$45,000 to 75,000 (funding for a graduate student at the M.S. or Ph.D. level).
Scope:
Regional.
Status:
New proposal (2001).
Contact:
Thom O’Dell, Science Program Administrator, Grand Staircase-Escalante
National Monument (435) 644-4316 or Mark Miller, Vegetation Mgt. Lead, Grand
Staircase-Escalante National Monument, (435)-644-4325.
Need:
Does Availability of Mycorrhizal Fungal Propagules Limit Plant Establishment on Sites
with Soil Loss Detectable by the BLM Rangeland Health Assessment Protocol?
Issue:
BLM Rangeland Health standards mandate assessment of grazing allotments by
evaluating a standard set of indicators, including several indicators of soil/site
stability. One consequence of soil loss is that inoculum potential of mycorrhizal fungi
may be reduced. Since most perennial plants are obligate symbionts with
mycorrhizal fungi, reduced inoculum potential could lead to lower recruitment of
native plants on sites with erosion. Additionally, this study would contribute to
quantitative testing of the rangeland health assessment protocol by measuring a
variable that is not directly assessed in the protocol.
Application:
Information would benefit all offices on the Colorado Plateau.
Category:
Research - mycorrhizal fungii, plant establishment.
Scope:
Regional.
Potential partners:
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument could provide staff assistance.
Could partially overlap with P-J strategy.
Estimated cost:
$45,000 to 60,000 (funding for a graduate student at the Masters level.
Status:
New proposal (2001).
Contact:
Thom O’Dell, Science Program Administrator, Grand Staircase-Escalante
National Monument (435) 644-4316
Need:
Common Garden Studies to Evaluate Ecotypical Variation in Plant Taxa Used for
Revegetation and Restoration on the Colorado Plateau
Issue:
Plant materials used in revegetation and restoration projects often are derived from
collections originating in areas with vastly different climatic regimes and soil
conditions than those found in the project area. To facilitate the success of
expensive restoration projects, research is required to evaluate ecotypical variation
and ecological amplitudes of a wide variety of plant taxa commonly used in
restoration projects. Regional plant collections and common garden experiments
would be used to develop plant materials suitable for use in different climate zones
and edaphic environments across the Colorado Plateau.
Application:
Plant-material development would benefit all offices on the Colorado Plateau.
Category:
Research - restoration, vegetation.
Scope:
Regional,
Potential partners:
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument could provide staff assistance.
Project could be conducted in cooperation with BLMs Native Plant Materials
Development Program.
Estimated cost:
$20,000 to $30,000 annually for 5 years to fund collections and multi-site common
gardens.
Contact:
Thom O’Dell, Science Program Administrator, Grand Staircase-Escalante
National Monument (435) 644-4316 or Mark Miller, Vegetation Mgt. Lead, Grand
Staircase-Escalante National Monument, (435)-644-4325.
Need:
Among-soil Variations in Responses of Invasive Non-native Species to Fire
Issue:
Fire is an important natural component of many ecosystems on the Colorado
Plateau and throughout the Intermountain West, but land-use practices and weed
invasions have greatly altered wildland fire regimes relative to their pre-settlement
conditions. Managers are uncertain regarding the conditions under which fire will
facilitate weed invasion. Uncertainty regarding the consequences of fire for weed
invasion greatly impacts fire-management decisions (i.e., intensity of suppression
efforts) and decisions regarding the need for post-fire treatments such as seeding
and seed-bed preparation by chaining. Managers need better information
concerning among-soil variations in the likelihood of post-fire weed invasion to
improve decisions and resource allocations. On the Colorado Plateau, the great
variety of soils and geologic substrates indicates the need for soil-specific firemanagement and rehabilitation prescriptions. Long-term, multi-site experimental
studies are required.
Application:
Information would benefit all offices on the Colorado Plateau.
Category:
Research - soil, fire, exotic weeds.
Scope:
Regional.
Potential partners:
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument could provide staff assistance.
Could partially overlap with P-J strategy.
Estimated cost:
$100,000-300,000 per year, 5 year minimum.
Status:
New proposal (2001).
Contact:
Thom O’Dell, Science Program Administrator, Grand Staircase-Escalante
National Monument (435) 644-4316 or Mark Miller, Vegetation Mgt. Lead, Grand
Staircase-Escalante National Monument, (435)-644-4325.
Need:
Among-soil Variations in the Effects of Biological Soil Crusts on Hydrologic Function
of Arid-land Ecosystems
Issue:
Biological soil crusts composed of cyanobacteria, mosses, and lichens are important
components of many arid and semiarid ecosystems on the Colorado Plateau and
elsewhere. In systems where these soil crusts are present, they can be important
contributors to nutrient cycles, soil structure and stability, and hydrologic function.
Despite increasing recognition of the ecological significance of biological soil crusts,
our understanding of among-soil variations in their ecosystem function remains
limited. In particular, more information is needed with regard to variations in the
effects of biological soil crusts on hydrologic function among soils with differing
physical and chemical characteristics. Experimental research is required to quantify
and characterize hydrologic implications of the presence, disturbance, and loss of
biological soil crusts on different soil types.
Application:
Information would benefit all offices on the Colorado Plateau.
Category:
Research - biological soil crusts.
Scope:
Regional.
Potential partners:
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument could provide staff assistance.
Estimated cost:
$45,000 to 75,000 (funding for a Ph.D.-level graduate student).
Status:
New proposal (2001).
Contact:
Thom O’Dell, Science Program Administrator, Grand Staircase-Escalante
National Monument (435) 644-4316 or Mark Miller, Vegetation Mgt. Lead, Grand
Staircase-Escalante National Monument, (435)-644-4325.
Need:
Evaluation and Comparison of Restoration Methods for Different Ecosites, Types and
Intensities of Disturbance, and Their Variation by Soil-vegetation Type and Regional
Climatic Regime
Issue:
Ecological restoration is needed on a high percentage of federal lands on the
Colorado Plateau. A strategy must be developed that identifies: desired future
condition of sites (based on historic and current vegetation and ecological site
criteria), for prioritizing sites for restoration treatments, and appropriate treatments
for various ecological sites and levels of degradation. Initial phases of literature
review (including identifying relevant current studies underway in the region),
hypothesis development and study design could take 1-2 years, followed by a five
to twenty year program of research. Studies should have the broadest possible
inference and include sites representing a wide range of ecological sites, conditions,
and climatic regimes representative of the entire region.
Application:
Information would benefit all offices on the Colorado Plateau.
Category:
Research - restoration methodologies.
Potential partners:
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument could provide staff assistance.
Could partially overlap with P-J strategy.
Estimated cost:
$10,000 to 30,000 for one or two years, thereafter. $100,000 per year, 5 year
minimum.
Status:
New proposal (2001).
Contact:
Thom O’Dell, Science Program Administrator, Grand Staircase-Escalante
National Monument (435) 644-4316 or Mark Miller, Vegetation Mgt. Lead, Grand
Staircase-Escalante National Monument, (435)-644-4325
Need:
Issue:
Impacts of Roads on Wildlife, Vegetation, Hydrology and Erosion
Roads are found on most federal lands in the region. Their impacts are profound and
widely distributed. Understanding of these impacts on different biota and ecological
processes can both identify restoration priorities and mitigate impacts from future
road construction. A thorough review of current knowledge is a crucial first step.
Following hypothesis formulation, wide scale retrospective studies should
significantly increase our understanding of roads as stressors in ecosystems, and
where these stresses can be most effectively mitigated in three to five years.
Application:
Information would benefit all offices on the Colorado Plateau.
Category:
Research - impacts from road development, soils, vegetation.
Scope:
Regional.
Potential partners:
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument could provide staff assistance.
Could partially overlap with P-J strategy.
Estimated cost:
$10,000 to 50,000 for three to five years.
Status:
New proposal (2001).
Contact:
Thom O’Dell, Science Program Administrator, Grand Staircase-Escalante
National Monument (435) 644-4316 or Mark Miller, Vegetation Mgt. Lead, Grand
Staircase-Escalante National Monument, (435)-644-4325
Need:
Base-line Survey for Sensitive Fish Species in the Escalante River within Grand
Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Issue:
Numerous surveys for Federally Threatened and Endangered and Utah/BLM
Sensitive fish species have been conducted for the Escalante River within Glen
Canyon National Recreation Area, and for species such as Colorado River cutthroat
trout within the numerous tributaries of the Escalante River drainage. A major gap in
our knowledge of the Escalante River concerns the fishery within Grand StaircaseEscalante National Monument, specifically the main stem of the river. Several
questions need to be answered to better manage for listed fish species within the
Escalante River. For example, what is the status (relative abundance) of the listed
species within the Monument? What is the demography (distribution, age class, etc)
for these listed species? What habitat and microhabitat features do the species
use/need? How do we best manage for these needs? Data gathered would be
incorporated into a long-term monitoring program in cooperation with Glen Canyon
NRA.
Application:
The data collected would benefit not only the Monument, but the Utah Division of
Wildlife Resources and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area as well, in managing
for the listed species, since all three agencies are concerned with the Escalante
River and its fishery.
Category:
Inventory - fish species, habitat requirements.
Scope:
Local, with regional applications.
Potential partners:
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument would provide staff support for the
base-line surveys, with the monitoring program a coordinated effort between the
Monument and Glen Canyon NRA.
Estimated cost:
Status:
$15,000 - $25,000.
New proposal (2001)
Contact:
Need:
Jeff Chynoweth, Monument Wildlife Biologist, (435) 644-4314
Assessing the Effects of Range Condition within pinon-Juniper Habitats on Avian
Communities During the Breeding Season
Issue:
Although pinon-juniper comprises two-thirds of the habitat available on Grand
Staircase-Escalante National Monument, there have been no studies of pinonjuniper habitats and their avian communities within the Monument. The study would
provide information on current range condition, both biotically (including past and
current livestock use) and abiotically, within pinon-juniper, and how this condition is
effecting avian diversity, abundance, habitat needs, including microhabitat needs for
nesting, and nesting success. Vegetative structural, spacial and species
diversity’s effects on forage availability, primarily invertebrates, would also be
analyzed relative to avian community structure and nesting success. The
information would be used to make management recommendations and identify
potential restoration needs. The study would be conducted over a three year period.
Application:
The information would benefit all offices within the Colorado Plateau eco-region.
Category:
Research - pinon-juniper, avian populations.
Scope:
Regional.
Potential partners:
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument would provide staff support. There
is the possibility of partnering with Utah Partners in Flight.
Estimated cost:
$15,000 - $25,000 for the first year, and $10,000 - $15,000 for each of the next two
years.
Status:
New proposal (2110).
Contact:
Need:
Issue:
Jeff Chynoweth, Monument Wildlife Biologist, (435) 644 - 4314.
Assigning an Economic Value to Common Goods on Public Lands
Lack of information on the economic value of common goods (e.g., functioning
riparian areas, healthy rangelands) on public lands, to adequately address the issue
of socioeconomics in environmental compliance documents. Assigning an economic
value to common goods on public lands ensures a more robust analysis of
socioeconomic issues within environmental compliance documents. Currently, data
only exist to assign a dollar value to resource extraction/mining, agriculture and
forestry on public lands and not for determining the economic impact of these
activities on natural resources not captured by the market. As a result, the true
costs and/or benefits of actions are not being realized. If the BLM is to adequately
manage resources to “meet the needs of present and future generations,―
the economic value of common goods should be determined.
Application:
The net effect of failing to determine the economic value of common goods on
public lands is undesirable. The general inability to assess economically the
contribution of proposed actions toward the degradation, preservation, or restoration
of common goods, places BLM in the position of making land-use management
decisions under uncertainty. Information on the economic value of common goods
would benefit natural resource management throughout the west. Within the
Colorado Plateau, where population growth and subsequent increased demands on
public lands are occurring, this information would prove even more beneficial.
Category:
Research - socio-economic.
Scope:
Regional.
Potential partners:
USGS, NAU
Estimated cost:
$25,000 - 50,000.
Status:
New proposal (2001).
Contact:
Steve Kandell, GSENM, 435-644-4333