Ain't No Mountain High Enough!

On May 16, three volunteers gathered in the parking lot of the Trust ready to head out to the West Side of the Kaibab Plateau to collect data from 50 plots looking for Cheatgrass invasion, native plant species, and Slide Fire affects on the landscape.

Steve had found us a great camping spot tucked away in the beautiful PJ life zone that allowed for great sunset and sunrise viewing. We set up camp, got ourselves oriented, and began our week together training and discussing the process behind monitoring these plots. We soon realized fitting 50 plots into three and a half days may be more than we were ready for, but our volunteers sure showed us!

Each day they worked diligently, with attention to detail and accuracy- each day they took a deep breath with a smile and a sip of their coffee and each day, they worked hard until the plots were visited and completed. It was invigorating. My passion for our work grew and my appreciation for our volunteer communities rose to new heights.

The work we accomplished was amazing. I am honored to have been a part of this project and want to recognize Amy, Cliff, and Val for their energy, hard work, and wonderful attitudes. Let's not forget, however, there were times where we had some downtime to get creative and have some fun- back up singing, marshmallow eating contests, shadow puppets, burrito making showcase, bee charming, nickname giving, around the camp fire chatting, and a lot of laughing.

We hope to see you all again. Please check our website http://www.gcvolunteers.org/ for trip updates and volunteer opportunities in the future. Also, there are some fun pictures posted in our photo gallery http://www.flickr.com/photos/26568582%40N02

Cheers!

Lauren

Spring Planting at North Luepp Family Farm

North Leupp Family Farm Kick-Off Event: April 25, 2009

by Deon Ben

What an exiting way to kick off the spring planting season of 2009. Our adventures started in the parking lot of the Mustang Gas Station in Leupp, AZ as we waited for other volunteers to join our trip. We watched the reservation dogs criss-cross the parking lot as sands of an ancient wash bed dance in the distance. We arrived at North Leupp Family Farm with enough time to set up camp and do moderate cleanup tasks around the farm headquarters. We pitched up our campsite under towering cottonwood trees along side the banks of the Little Colorado River. We began a makeup lift around the farm and concluded our duties as local farmers accommodated us with a traditional Navajo dinner. The dinner consisted of a steamed corn stew, frybread, tossed salad, and a warm comforting campfire. Our evening at the campsite was overwhelmed by the setting sun and the San Francisco Peaks silhouette. By the evening twilight we ended our volunteer work with thirteen volunteers retreating to their tents.

Saturday morning local farmers butchered a Navajo Churro-Sheep for local farmers to enjoy during the day’s festivities. As the wind began to pick-up so did the Kick-Off events. We performed little moderate work as the wind picked up and visibility decreased, and due to the intense wind we concluded our work and headed to the community of Leupp for a traditional lunch serving. Local families once again accommodated us with traditional foods and provided us with a history of the farm, a raffle, and a tribute to Justin Willie. As the Kick-Off celebration came down to the last moments we found ourselves in good spirit with the friendships and bonding we had with our volunteers. We would like to THANK the wonderful volunteers who made this possible through their dedication, positive energy, and hard work. We look forward to working with you again, soon. Be sure to visit our trip photos posted on Flickr, and see our volunteers in action. Also visit our volunteer website to stay updated on up coming volunteer opportunities (http://www.gcvolunteers.org/).

Montana State University Volunteers

Video of MSU volunteers at Kane Ranch, working on their spring break in March 2009.

Montana State University "Breaks Away"

A group of 11 students from Montana State University crammed in a big white van and drove 15 hours to spend a their spring break volunteering for the Grand Canyon Trust. Together we spend five days removing old barbed wire fence from house rock valley and creating a native plant demonstration garden at our Kane Ranch Headquarters. Removing the old fence improved the landscape as antelope habitat. It also made us proud that the wide open spaces of house rock valley look a little more natural now that 5 miles of fence have been removed.
In the evenings volunteers took turns cooking the rest of the group dinner. We were all excited to be dining on local, grass fed beef raised on the land where we were working. While some of the group cooked, others strummed the guitar, and still others flipped through books on regional topics such as regional plants, stories of the Arizona Strip, and photos from the flooded Glen Canyon. These books sparked interesting consversations about the southwest, the environment, and the work ahead of conservationists and volunteers.
In addition to being great workers, this group of students from Montana State University were just great people all around. I am confident that the landscape was as positively moved as i was by the end of the week. Thanks to all who donated their time this last spring break to volunteering with us and making a difference on the Colorado Plateau.

An Alternative Way To Give Back

Good afternoon and welcome back to a hearty season of restoration, data collection, and volunteering! The beginning of March was quite a gift for me and the Kaibab Plateau. Joining us for the very first volunteer trip of the season was Northeastern University from Boston. Heather, their fearless leader, and I had been planning this trip for quite a long time now and then the day finally arrived.


Why is this group so special? They joined us on an alternative spring break tour- each individual student signed up for this service trip without knowing the other participants, donating their time off of school to travel and give back to a place they have never even been before. This was not a trip to the white mountains or the crystal blue waters of Cancun. In fact, they found out how very different the landscape was in comparison the many places on the east coast including their home city of Boston.

The sun was strong and beat down on our working bodies each day with authority. The wind was gusting at sometimes over 50 mph. The dust filled their tents each day and the cool nights chilled their tired selves. The arid climate dried out their skin and lips. But, this amazing group of volunteers proceeded on throughout the week with smiles, enthusiasm, and a motivation to work hard...And it wasn't so bad. The smell of coffee greeted the waking volunteers each morning and the sandwich spread was something to brag about. The evenings were filled with games, laughter, chocolate, and even a presentation from Chris Parish of the Peregrine Fund. The work each day proved to be meaningful and significant.

So here's to Northeastern University- For being brave and stepping out their comfort zones- Here's to the sharing of ideas from physical therapy to advertising angles. Here's to new friends and curious students. Here's to the grand connection with a landscape rich in diversity and new stewards of restoration.

Northeastern, I'll leave you with a recipe hint as promised. Happy camping, exploring, and cooking! Veganaise, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, thyme, and basil...the perfect dressing for an organic, locally flavored veggie pasta salad. Bon apetite!

For more information on volunteer opportunities visit our website http://www.gctvolunteers.org and to see more photos of this trip visit our flickr account http://www.flickr.com/

My Years at the Trust by Jan Shaffer

Many years ago, my husband and I were rafting down the Colorado River on a natural history trip, enthralled with the history of the earth and the beauty of the Grand Canyon. In many of our hikes and talks with the professors and scientists on the adventure, we were told about a great organization that is helping to preserve the truth and environment of the Colorado Plateau – the Grand Canyon Trust.
At that time in our lives, we were living in Phoenix, so all we could really do to help the Trust was to donate money to assist them with their grand efforts. After my husband died and I retired from my job in 2000, I moved to the dream house we had bought in Flagstaff. That first year, while reading our local paper on an early summer day, I saw an article asking for volunteers to work on projects with the Trust. I jumped on the opportunity and immediately joined a wonderful group of people who were working hard outdoors on so many interesting projects. I learned a lot more about the environment and history of this beautiful land from the Volunteer Program Coordinators. Over the years as I got older, the outdoor projects got harder for me to be part of, so I applied my office skills and began volunteering in the office and, yes, I got lots of work! The wonderful people at the Trust have filled my dreams of being part of the protecting and restoring of the canyon country of the Colorado Plateau.

Jan has been volunteering twice weekly at the Trust for seven years now, and is considered part of the staff. We truly appreciate all that she does.