Last January, our Stewardship Program entered its tenth year of projects and programming with a hearty dinner celebration. No tributes or fanfare; we simply gathered to look back (and across the table) for the inspiration we all needed in that moment as we prepared for the year ahead.
It is now mid-December and our team is as busy as ever, meeting with agency staff in Bears Ears National Monument, the West Desert, Moab’s canyon country, and Grand Staircase-Escalante—and that is just this week. Despite the government shutdown, which led to the deferment of a handful of our scheduled projects until next year and—most unfortunate—the job insecurity and in some cases firing of public servants in Utah’s federal land management agency offices, we persevere. Stewardship Program staffers Talitha McGuire and Ellie Swanson continue to bring greater efficiency and empathy to our work—work which has always been, at its core, an act of cooperation in service of a shared cause: the protection of the outstanding wilderness at the heart of the Colorado Plateau.
When a longtime supporter and volunteer of our program walked into my office recently to gift me a copy of SUWA’s Fall 1991 Redrock Wilderness newsletter, I recognized it as a gesture of care, a conversation starter (some things change, some do not), and a welcome reminder that the work we do is dynamic, essential, demanding and, above all, enduring.
Adapting to Erosion
When the shutdown hit, our staff quickly pivoted, remaining on the ground throughout the fall to review recent work sites and develop proposals for future projects. Despite the political setbacks, we brought more volunteers out on the land this year than last.
In 2025, we facilitated 23 projects for 215 volunteers over 74 project days. We contributed 3,358 volunteer hours to our agency partners (plus a near equivalent number of planning hours), accomplishing the following:
- Naturalization of 245,207 square feet of wilderness and wilderness-quality lands
- Management of 36 nonpermitted routes/access points and 38 miles of surface disturbance
- Installation (or removal) of 7,321 feet of boundary fence and 127 signs
- Remediation of 82 dispersed campsites
- Removal of 7,030 pounds of trash from public lands
In addition, we monitored wild river corridors, surveyed cultural sites, planted or managed multiple tracts of native vegetation covering thousands of square feet, and cleaned graffiti from sandstone walls deep in the redrock canyons.
A Decade on the Ground
Over the past decade, our Stewardship Program has logged some impressive statistics. These figures represent our commitment to safeguarding Utah’s natural beauty with tough, hands-on work.
Beyond the Numbers
I choose to believe in stewardship as that which heals, and I’m not just speaking of the land. We are more than the tools in our hands. We are eager students, advocates, and change-makers.
Ten years of stewardship has afforded those of us here at SUWA the special opportunity to observe young people from diverse backgrounds discover their passion for wild places. Our partnerships with universities, state colleges, after-school groups, fellow nonprofits, and others, afford an exchange of service and ideas that build the Protect Wild Utah movement. In early spring, we worked alongside SUWA’s Organizing Team to host students from West LA College in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. We provided service-learning opportunities and educational talks as catalysts for personal connection and ongoing engagement. In September, during Latino Conservation Week, we invited our agency partners to support an educational weekend of community and camping in the mountains outside of Moab, led by our organizers and the exceptional leaders they are cultivating.
We will continue to collaborate with colleges and universities (in Utah and beyond!) to ensure access to our program for students and community members via supported trips and scholarships. Learn more on our website and by reaching out to us at scholar@suwa.org.
Planning for 2026
For now, as the solstice approaches and the shadows grow long, it is back to the basics: the wall calendar, the desk, the road, and the land itself. Our team is focused on creating what we hope will be one of the highlights of your year in 2026. Come late winter, we will release our spring/early summer 2026 Stewardship Project Calendar. In the meantime, take a moment to apply here and be among the first to learn what we will have on offer next year.
Ten years is a conversation. Ten years is a marker in the sand. Ten years is enough to secure protections, piecemeal yet profound and lasting. Ten years is a starting point. This is to say: we are here for the long haul, and we invite you to share in our stewardship. No experience is necessary. All are welcome.
As always, never hesitate to reach out directly at volunteer@suwa.org. Let’s keep the conversation vibrant and the momentum collective. Thank you for your stewardship.
Jeremy Lynch
Stewardship Director
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
