**This is a roving project on high clearance 4×4 roads in extremely remote country. Applicants will be screened for extensive backcountry travel experience. Participants will bring their own high clearance vehicle and recovery equipment OR be willing to be a passenger in a SUWA vehicle for the extent of the project.**

The Landscape

The 1.7 million-acre Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is an extraordinary landscape. The monument is world-renowned for its remarkable paleontological discoveries, stunning scenery, and outstanding recreational opportunities. Local communities have benefited with significant increases in tourism, new businesses, population growth, and higher per capita income. Since its designation in 1996, Grand Staircase-Escalante has come to be known as the “Science Monument”—yielding several new species of dinosaur and other paleontological finds and providing habitat for 650 bee species, many that are endemic to the area.

The Monument is geographically divided into three units: the Grand Staircase itself, the Canyons of the Escalante and the Kaiparowits Plateau. The latter is the most remote and least visited, extending for over 50 miles between the town of Escalante and the Arizona Strip and boundaried by the flats of the Escalante River to the east and the Paria River and Cockscomb to the west. One of the few roads that bisect this plateau is the Smoky Mountain Road, traveling through high-elevation pinyon-juniper woodland. Bordered by Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs), this route is in need of signage to inform visitors and encourage responsible recreation.

The Work

This project will focus on natural resource protection and off-road travel and camping compliance. Expect to engage in:

• Installation of educational signage to prevent future incursions;
• Raking, vertical mulching and other surface naturalization strategies;
• Placing heavy stone and downed logs to naturalize the impacted travel area;
• Cleaning and naturalizing fire rings.

All work tools will be provided including gloves, eye protection, and ear-protection.

Project Rating

Moderate – Expect walking or hiking on uneven terrain; work vehicles will likely be nearby or a short walk away. Project work may include mid- to heavy-lifting, various tool use such as raking and shovelling, and potential to carry fencing, signage or natural materials. 

All projects take place outdoors: Please consider your comfortability working in remote landscapes at varying elevations and under variable weather conditions. Our team strives to ensure that all projects provide meaningful work for volunteers of all abilities. Please reach out to the Project Lead if you have questions or concerns.

Volunteers Needed: (6)
Project Lead: Ellie Swanson
Contact: ellie@suwa.org

Itinerary
A general itinerary will be provided to registered volunteers in a Welcome Letter.

•  Thursday, May 15th – Sunday, May 18th

Camping & Meals

As this is a roving project, we will move camp each night and drive 80 miles in one direction over the 4-day project. Specific location of camping site(s) will be determined by the work performed and distance covered each day. Plan on remote dispersed sites with no running water or pit toilets.

SUWA provides dinners during the project dates as well as snacks and drinks during workdays. Volunteers are responsible for all additional meals (breakfast, lunch) during their stay.

Volunteer Responsibilities

Participants are responsible for their own food, water and camping gear as well as transportation to and from the project site(s). Volunteers should plan to be away from camp all day each of the work days. A recommended packlist will be sent along with the project Welcome Letter (4) weeks prior to the start date. If camping gear is a barrier to your attendance, please reach out to the Project Lead to discuss options.

Registration & Acceptance Timeline

A 2025 General Volunteer Application is required for this project.

• Once we have received your application, you will receive a confirmation email within (5) working days of submission.
• We log all applications until (8) weeks prior to the project. At this point, you will first receive an email confirming whether you have been placed on the“project roster” or a “waitlist.” If you are selected for the project roster, you will then complete a Volunteer Agreement.
• At (4) weeks before the project start date, registered and confirmed participants will receive a Welcome Letter with a comprehensive itinerary, including: driving instructions, a Project Map for mobile devices (when applicable), a notification about carpools and/or caravans, and any additional information pertinent to the project.
• Within (2) weeks of the project you will receive a direct call from the Project Lead to answer any additional questions you may have.
• Individuals on the waitlist will be contacted if space opens due to cancellation within (2) weeks of the project start date.

If you have any questions at any point throughout the process, please do not hesitate to contact us here.

APPLY NOW