The Issue:

Despite their deep ancestral ties to the land, Indigenous nations have historically been excluded from federal decision-making around the management of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This exclusion has led to inadequate protection of both cultural resources and ecologically significant areas like spring-fed habitats and pinyon-juniper forests that support over 85% of Utah’s native species. In recent years, political efforts to downsize the monument and open the region to extractive industries have placed these landscapes—and the communities and economies that depend on them—at serious risk. Without a unified structure for Tribes to advocate for the protection of biodiversity and traditional knowledge, these lands remain vulnerable to mismanagement and exploitation.

 Grant Award Use:

The ATCF grant will fund intertribal convenings, facilitation services, Tribal advisor honoraria, and technical support to help solidify the Grand Staircase-Escalante Inter-Tribal Coalition’s governance structure. These meetings will foster consensus on shared conservation priorities, create a formal charter, and advance collaborative land stewardship planning. The funding will also help the coalition elevate Indigenous perspectives through a media toolkit and enable the development of long-term strategies to guide federal conservation decisions, protect biodiversity, and mitigate climate impacts across the monument.

 What Would a Successful Project Result In?

A successful project would result in a unified, legally recognized Tribal coalition actively co-stewarding GSENM, ensuring lasting protections for critical habitats and cultural sites. It would institutionalize Indigenous leadership in land management and contribute to climate resilience, ecosystem restoration, and a more inclusive, community-rooted conservation model.