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Introduction (Back to Landscapes Program Index)
In order to maintain the unique biodiversity of the Colorado Plateau in the context of prolonged drought conditions, global climate change and habitat fragmenting development, it is essential to conserve and restore fragile living systems. These current stressors on wild plant and animal species and their consequent adaptation, migration, evolution or extinction deeply affect human communities. The recent surge in extractive industries on southern Utah public lands impacts both natural resources and human quality of life. Natural Resources are often undervalued and destroyed without thought or remorse because we do not give value to living systems or essential ecosystem services except for what we can take away from these finite sources.
In southern Utah we are undertaking exciting program work in the forests, on rivers, in canyons and communities to care for the lands that give life to us and our fellow wild creatures.
Mary O’Brien, the Trust’s Utah Forests Program manager is identifying, documenting and formally establishing reference areas for seven key habitat types found in southern Utah’s three national forests. Reference areas move the bar higher, to establish model habitat preservation and restoration goals that we hope to have state and federal land management agencies strive toward. Mary is also working to re-establish thriving beaver populations. Beavers are a keystone species for restoring healthy streams and wetlands and enhancing the resilience of the forests in the face of climate change. She also advocates for baseline studies and measurement of aspen, willow and cottonwood, three species providing critical support for an unusually high number of native animal and plant species. Mary is leading a collaboration addressing impacts on two cattle allotments on Fishlake National Forest, using science to propose solutions that we hope will have broad implications for grazing management practices throughout southern Utah.
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David Smuin, the Trust’s Utah Watersheds manager and lead for our new Energy Development program, is partnering with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources in stream habitat restoration projects in conjunction with the Blue Ribbon Fisheries program. He is supporting the efforts of UDWR in restoring Bonneville cutthroat trout and habitat waters in the Upper Sevier River Watershed. Similar work to protect Colorado River cutthroat trout is being done on the Fremont River watershed. David advocates for a change in focus from piecemeal conventional energy development to a planned regional approach which incorporates cumulative impact analysis of development, as well as renewable and sustainable alternatives.
Eleanor Bliss, our executive assistant and lead on the Tamarisk Coalition project gracefully supports our directors and public programs while tracking the impacts of Diorhabda Elongata, the Tamarisk beetle, on the river banks of the Colorado. Eleanor is our representative on the Southeast Utah Tamarisk Partnership group. She worked on the preparation of SEUTP’s management plan and is now working with the Utah delegation and Governor Huntsman to secure appropriations for Public Law 109-320 the Salt Cedar and Russian Olive Control Demonstration Act. Since we are in the central position for biocontrol of this invasive species, with the tamarisk beetle dramatically impacting tamarisk trees in southeast Utah, Eleanor is researching ways of transforming dead tamarisk biomass into useful products that could benefit local businesses. She is also working on native species revegetation plans. |
