Citizen Scientists Help the Colorado Plateau

Your donation will support the work of citizen scientists dedicated to protecting the Colorado Plateau from the impacts of climate change. With a gift today, you will be supporting solution-oriented, science-driven land management decisions to protect the places you love.

The Issue

The unique ecology and stunning landscapes of the Colorado Plateau will be dramatically impacted by climate change in the near future. Our volunteer citizen scientists help the Trust address the inability of public and tribal land managers – who are responsible for more than 80% of Plateau lands – to effectively respond to this threat. Federal land managers are responsible for conservation efforts that respond to habitat degradation and species loss due to climate change. However, due to severe cutbacks in funding and staffing, land management is not always guided by the best available science. Research and habitat restoration programs have suffered, and agencies are struggling. This is a serious crisis that the Trust is responding to by equipping volunteers with specialized scientific training to be able to document conditions on the ground and collect data that would not exist otherwise. Check out our trainings here.

Our Goals

We want to see solution-oriented, science-based change for the places we love. We want to empower the public with knowledge and skills to be able to directly contribute to land management decisions on the Colorado Plateau and achieve badly needed positive change on public lands. Citizen scientists help us hold agencies accountable for complying with laws and regulations and advocate for new approaches to public lands stewardship.

Our Approach

We engage citizens as trained scientists and give them the tools, expertise, and guidance to accomplish important on-the-ground restoration and monitoring work. We use this information to advocate for land management decisions that allow response to climate change and habitat degradation.    

How do we know all the hard work and dedication is worth it? Our volunteers know their efforts are working because they put their new skills into practice from the get-go. They document what they see on the land and make official comments on important land management policies. They are part of a team working to find solutions to the problems facing the Colorado Plateau, and have a truly effective voice for conservation.

Click here for our 2013 accomplishments.  

Who will your gift support?

Your donation will help support everyday people interested in science and a spirit of service.

People such as…

Dorothy Lamm, one of our Budding Botanist trainees, who now helps train our new Big Deal Botanists.

Lindsay Greger, a high school volunteer and past intern, whose work with the Trust’s Volunteer Program inspired her to attend Warren Wilson College as a biology major focusing on wildlife conservation.

Rachel Esbjornson, a past volunteer who is currently working with the Trust as our Citizen Science Volunteer Coordinator.

Arran Barnum, who attended our first-ever Big Deal Botanist training in 2013, and went on to become one of our 2013 “Volunteers of the Year.”

Citizen science is hands-on work that directly connects people to the Colorado Plateau. We ask a lot from our volunteers, and we know they are up to the challenge. You can help us keep the great work of these and other citizen scientists going. Donate today!