21st Century Conservation Service Corps
Called to Action Along the Colorado River
Invasive Species Monitoring IN Cataract Canyon
In the October 2015, RRAFT will team with the Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC) Ancestral Lands program to help the National Park Service with a week-long GIS monitoring project. This trip will focus on the banks along Cataract Canyon to map areas of problematic non-native plants such as Russian Olive, Russian Knapweed, Camelthorn, Ravenna Grass, Giant Reed, and Perennial Pepperweed. Mapping areas of invasive weeds with technology such as a GIS system helps to better focus conservation efforts for their removal in the future. We are able to implement this project with a generous grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation! Through SCC's Ancestral Lands program, under-served youth from Native American tribes will be joining us on the river to complete the mapping work.
Tech Specs:
Type of work: GIS mapping and documenting
Dates: October 19-28, 2015
Trip Length: 8 days
Difficulty Rating: Difficult
Region: Southern Utah
Overnight camping on the river?: Yes
River Class: III-IV
Project Supporter: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Partners: Southwest Conservation Corps Ancestral Lands Program, Conservation Legacy, and the National Park Service.
Learn more about our difficulty ratings and the river classification system.