Parashant Partnership Arizona 1 million acres The Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument in northern Arizona is a remote and undeveloped land- scape and includes some of the most scenic and wildest places in America. The monument was set aside in 2000 by presidential proclamation to protect the unique and rich biological, geological, paleontological and cultural resources in the area. The primary purpose for the man- Both Native Americans and more recent European Americans have lived agement of this monument is to ensure that the objects and raised families and built communities in this vast, wild and scenic landscape. In spite of its apparent austerity, the Parashant sustains those of interest identified in the proclamation that set aside who have settled here. the monument are protected. Above: landscape, petroglyphs, schoolhouse at Mt. Trumbull © Scott Jones Restoring fire regimes is key to the restoration of the The landscape, with elevations ranging from the banks of the Colorado River to the peaks of Mount Logan and Mount Trumbull, also supports Parashant National Monument landscape. The absence a rich diversity of wildlife, including (below) the federally-listed Mojave of fire in ponderosa forests has resulted in tree densities desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) and California condor (Gymnogyps almost 20 times those of a century and a half ago; these californianus). tortoise © NPS; condor © Michael Quinn/NPS forests have moved from high-frequency, low-intensity fires toward a condition in which the potential for un- naturally high intensity fire is substantial—and likely to increase as the climate changes. In the Great Basin re- gion, young pinyon-juniper stands are encroaching into the sagebrush and grasslands because lingering effects of past management practices have tipped the competi- tive balance between the species towards the trees. In the grasslands, non-native species such as cheatgrass and medusahead outcompete native perennials follow- ing wildfire, and then alter the fire cycle after achieving dominance, making it virtually impossible for native shrubs and grasses to recover unaided. Draft Vision Statement Partners in this landscape are coming together to learn The vision of the Parashant Partnership is to provide from current projects, develop management tools, and a framework that facilitates collaborative dialogue inform future management actions so that fire and from which sustainable care for and restoration of the other natural and human processes can coexist and remote, unspoiled and rugged character of the Grand the landscape can be restored to ecological health and Canyon-Parashant National Monument is maintained, resiliency. Partners and stakeholders from the Para- ensuring its use and enjoyment for present and future shant National Monument, which is co-managed by the generations consistent with the monument proclama- Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service, tion. conducted their first FLN-sponsored field workshop in late 2010. At that workshop, and others held since, Draft Mission Statement participants have gone into the field together and held The mission of the Parashant Partnership is to provide symposia that bring together scientific expertise, practi- a foundation of trust and mutual respect among stake- cal experience and deep cultural knowledge of the area; holders in order to redefine relationships, share knowl- these workshops are serving to develop knowledge of edge and learning, and help inform and provide coun- the conditions and characteristics of the Monument in sel to proactively drive the decision-making process the context of the surrounding landscape, with particu- involving ecological restoration in the Grand Canyon- lar attention to the land’s future and resilience. Parashant National Monument. statements drafted July 2011 Contact: Windy Greer [email protected] (928) 523-8129 Cedar City Landscape Partners Utah Arizona Game & Fish Department Nevada St. George Bar 10 Ranch Kanab Bureau of Land Management Colorado City —Arizona State Office Mesquite Grand Canyon-Parashant Bureau of Land Management National Monument —Arizona Strip District Mount Office Trumbull Grand Canyon Citizens for Dixie’s Future National Park Friends of Gold Butte Lake Mead Supai North Rim Friends of the Arizona Strip Grand Canyon Trust Boulder City Tusayan Grand Canyon Wildlands Council Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument Arizona (Bureau of Land Management & National Park Service) Kingman Kaibab Band of Paiute map © 2011 Liz Rank /TNC Indians Mojave Sportsman Club National Park Service—Lake Mead National Park Service— Mojave Desert Monitoring and Inventory Northern Arizona University At the October 2011 workshop, partners traveled to the Pakoon Basin to observe and discuss plant —Ecological Restoration communities and the effects of various restora- Institute tion treatments. The trip was cut short by the rare and beautiful occurrence of thunderstorms roll- Shivwits Band of Paiute ing across the desert. © Richard Spotts/BLM Indians Sierra Club—Grand Canyon Chapter The Nature Conservancy Plants of the Mojave ecoregion evolved under a The Wilderness Society fire regime with low fire frequency and small size wildfires. Cheatgrass is a challenge and USDA Forest Service—Rocky threat in the region, as it fills the interstitial Mountain Research spaces, creating a continuous fuel bed through which fire can spread. This is changing the fire Station regime to one of high frequency, large size fires to which native plants are poorly adapted. U.S. Geological Survey—Las © Elaine York/TNC Vegas Field Station v. 1 Mar 12.