Nature Trail Invites Discovery and Learning

The Sand Island Recreation Area has long been a destination for rafters and kayakers. It's one of two major launch points for float trips down the San Juan River. It also has one of the most accessible and spectacular rock art panels in the Four Corners. Eight years ago, the BLM upgraded the campground. Now it is also a camping and picnicking destination for many people traveling throughout SE Utah.
Right after campground construction, Plateau Restoration, in partnership witht he BLM established this area as a reclamation project site to restore a healthy bench and riparian habitat along the San Juan River. Now that this major reclamation area hast been completed, the second phase of work has begun. PRI created a self-guided nature education trail for the enjoyment and education fo the tens of thousands of people who visit Sand Island annually. We are spreading the word about the trail to commercial outfitters and the numberous college groupds that use Sand Island as a launch for river trips, so hopefully lots of folk will learn about native habitats and invasive weeds.

Colorado and Northwestern Team Up for Sand Island Success

A wonderful week of service was completed in Bluff, Utah in late March 2005. Students representing The University of Colorado and Northwestern University camped at the Sand Island Recreation Area for a week to help continue our work on the restoration site that was established 7 years ago. Students cut and removed Tamarisk, Russian Olive and Cheat crass, built a fence around a new native plant growing area, transplanted and reclaimed an illegal roadway. Wonderful conversation, great campfire gatherings and a job well done were the highlights of the week.

thanks to Linda Richmond, Summer Schultz, Brad Colin and Mark Meloy of the BLM for their assistance with this project.

New Internship Program Begins

In June our first internship program began. We had a number of outstanding applicants and our final selections were Heather Hosterman, BA U.C. Santa Cruz, Environmental Studies and Politics, Jim Buthman MA N.A.U. Political Science and Wyley Hodgson, BA U.C. Santa Cruz, Environmental Studies and Philosophy. They have been a real help with river programs, grant research, writing articles, fencing projects and recreation impact monitoring. The interns will be shared with Red Rock Forests a local non-profit advocacy group working on Forest Service issues. The internship was designed to expose the students to two different non-profit experiences.