Project Profile: Manage Invasive Plants and Re-Seed Degraded Lands to Maintain Healthy Rangelands in Intermountain Region Park Units

Moon rises over Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

NPS / Ryan Gahris

Inflation Reduction Act
Resilience | FY24-28 $2,558,600

The National Park Service (NPS) will improve rangeland conditions and climate resilience across parks in Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. This will include rangeland ecosystem assessments, the monitoring of forage availability and vegetation conditions, the restoration of rangeland infrastructure and grazing allotments, and adding staff capacity in parks. The data collected will enable science-informed decision-making regarding livestock grazing, rangeland management, and actions that will protect parks, restore ecosystems, and respond to climate change.

Why? The NPS is undertaking this project because monitoring and assessment strategies improve long-term rangeland health. The Western U.S. rangelands are vulnerable to climate change impacts such as increases in temperature and frequency and length of droughts. These changes can result in a loss of soil moisture and available water sources. Additionally, forage production and availability in rangelands are declining in the Southwest and the Northern Great Plains.

What Else? Petrified Forest National Park will hire individuals from the adjacent Navajo Nation. Other parks plan to hire Indigenous individuals for monitoring work and infrastructure repair. The project is committed to offering employment and social justice opportunities where possible.

About the Inflation Reduction Act

The Inflation Reduction Act provides the National Park Service with an historic opportunity to address critical ecosystem resilience, restoration, and environmental planning needs. Projects funded in national parks represent broad-scale and impactful resource investments across every corner of our nation—from Alaska to Florida to Maine.