May 30, 2008
Great volunteer opportunity in the Paria Canyon!
Bird, plant and science enthusiasts needed for riparian monitoring in the Paria Canyon! Riparian streams in the southwest are at risk and volunteers are needed to help! The Grand Canyon Trust and the BLM have formed a partnership to remove tamarisk and Russian olive trees from 18 miles of the beautiful Paria Canyon wilderness and restore this amazing river ecosystem. The project also involves scientific research to monitor the recovery of native vegetation. Volunteers will assist Trust field staff with the baseline monitoring research for this project to investigate how vegetation recovers following exotic removal and how exotic removal affects channel form and breeding bird populations. Researchers and volunteers will measure vegetation cover, structure, and soil characteristics in each transect. We will also examine channel morphology, form and stability and conduct bird surveys. Due to the scientific nature of the project, priority will be given to volunteers who have bird or plant identification skills, but people with good handwriting, strong backs and a willingness to learn are also needed!
For more information, contact Kate Watters or Travis Wiggins (928) 774-7488
or email: volunteernow@grandcanyontrust.org
View trip details and apply online:
http://www.gcvolunteers.org/volunteer_trips/trip_details.php?tripID=283
Organization: Grand Canyon Trust
Dates: June 7-14 2008
Difficulty: Strenuous
Accommodations: Car camping at the trailhead and backpacking for one week
You provide: Camping gear, hiking gear-see attached pack list for details
Grand Canyon Trust provides: Transportation, meals and permits
Itinerary:
June 7
Pretrip: Saturday - Meet at Trust at 1:30 pm and depart by 2pm for White House Trailhead. Dinner and project orientation.
June 8
Sunday - Bright and early hike to camp 7-10 miles.
June 9
Monday - Hike to camp, set up basecamp and begin with transect, channel and bird monitoring.
June 10
Tuesday - Day hike to transect, channel and bird monitoring locations.
June 11
Wednesday - Move camp 3 miles downstream and then day hike to transect, channel and bird monitoring locations.
June 12
Thursday - Day hike to transect, channel and bird monitoring locations.
June 13
Friday - Finish up work in the area and move camp toward the trailhead.
June 14
Saturday - Hike out to White House trailhead-7 miles. Back in Flagstaff by 5 pm!