Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

Monument Updates

RMP Public Meetings Announcement

Updated News release (published Sept. 8, 2023)
News release (published Aug. 15, 2023)

RMP Update

News release (published Aug. 10, 2023)

RMP Public Notification

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is currently developing a new resource management plan (RMP) for the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) located in portions of Kane County Utah and Garfield County Utah. The Draft RMP and associated environmental assessment (Draft RMP/EIS) includes a range of alternatives that propose closures of areas to recreational target shooting within GSENM to meet public safety needs and protect GSENM objects identified in Proclamation 10286.

In accordance with the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act of 2019 (Dingell Act, Pub. L. 116-9, section 4103) the BLM initiated a public review and comment period for proposed closures of areas within GSENM to recreational target shooting. This comment period will run concurrently with the public review and comment period for the Draft RMP/EIS ending on November 9, 2023. For more information, visit the project planning page https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2020343/510.

Monument Resource Management Plan Update

The Bureau of Land Management today published a Notice of Availability and opened a 90-day public comment period for the Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. For more information on the planning process, visit EplanningUi (blm.gov).

• News release (published Aug. 10, 2023)

Monument Advisory Committee Update

The Bureau of Land Management Paria River District will host a virtual public meeting of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Advisory Committee on:

- Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a public comment period scheduled from 1:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. Registration is required. Please register at http://bit.ly/3ZpBTwe. 

Additional information is available on the Federal Register at https://bit.ly/3G29Xb1.

News release (published Aug. 9, 2023)

Campfire Safety & Fire Restrictions

There are no fire restrictions currently in effect.  Campfire safety is essential to preventing human-caused wildfires. Visit the Smokey Bear website to learn more about safety procedures and tips to properly extinguish campfires.  Fire restriction information can be found at BLM Utah Fire Restrictions. For more information on preventing unwanted human-caused wildfires or the statewide Fire Sense Campaign, visit www.utahfireinfo.gov or on Twitter @UtahWildfire.

Summer Safety

Visit Summer Safety (weather.gov), NOAA's Flooding Fact Sheet and Summer Recreation page. #WeatherReady

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument spans across nearly 1.87 million acres of America's public lands in southern Utah. From its spectacular Grand Staircase of cliffs and terraces, across the rugged Kaiparowits Plateau, to the wonders of the Escalante River Canyons, the Monument’s size, resources, and remote character provide extraordinary opportunities for geologists, paleontologists, archeologists, historians, and biologists in scientific research, education, and exploration.

On Oct. 8, 2021, President Biden issued a presidential proclamation modifying the boundaries for Grand Staircase-Escalante national monument. The Bureau is providing interim guidance regarding management of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This interim monument management direction will provide direction on the stewardship of these lands during the public planning effort, pending approval of a monument management plan and associated environmental impact statement, in compliance with the Presidential Proclamation. The interim guidance memorandum can be viewed on the BLM website.

Before you visit Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, make sure you are prepared with the most up-to-date information about the area by  the district office or GSENM Visitor Center.