|
Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument
Park History
- Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument was designated by Presidential Proclamation 7265 on January 11, 2000, under the authority of the Antiquities Act of 1906.
- The monument is in Mohave County, Arizona and the headquarters are in Saint George, Utah.
- Parashant is a Co-Managed Area under a Service First agreement by both National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management personnel. The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 and the NPS Organic Act both apply within the monument. There is a joint General Management Plan and Resource Management Plan with associated Record of Decision by both agencies.
- Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument was named to incorporate both the historical reference to the Southern Paiute Tribes and a geographical reference to the Grand Canyon.
Purpose
The Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service cooperatively protect undeveloped, wild, and remote northwestern Arizona landscapes and their resources, while providing opportunities for solitude, primitive recreation, scientific research, and historic and traditional uses.
Resources
- Vast open undisturbed spaces: The monument was established to protect the region’s wild and undeveloped characteristics, including colorful vistas, rugged canyons, lava-capped strata, spectacular escarpments, clean air, internationally recognized night skies, natural sounds, and designated and proposed wilderness.
- Geological record: Spanning 1.7 billion years, the exposed rock layers, karst features, and caves at Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument provide a distinctly identifiable view of the geologic boundaries of the Colorado Plateau and Basin and Range regions, including a robust fossil record, as well as evidence of the interaction between volcanic processes and native cultural communities.
- Continuum of human use of the monument: The human legacy of the Arizona Strip is found in the archeological and historical sites that remain within the monument, beginning more than 13,000 years ago.
- Ecological Diversity: The monument is at the intersection of two physiographic ecoregions: the Mojave Desert and Colorado Plateau, where stark, arid desert biomes meet complex high elevation plateaus.
- Cooperative management of the monument: Collaborative management through the Service First authority allows each agency to lend expertise and resources to efforts that best protect resources and visitors across administrative boundaries.
- Scientific Research: The monument is a model of scientifically based ecological restoration, research, and investigative studies that guide the restoration of healthy native ecosystems, establishment of natural fire regimes, and protection of cultural landscapes.
Statistics
- Interior Region: Lower Colorado Basin Region 8
- Size: 1,048,321 acres (812,581 BLM, 208,449 NPS, 23,206 Arizona State Land, 4,085 Private)
- Staffing: 20 permanent staff (13 NPS and 7 BLM), 0 temporary staff, 20 FTE
- Annual Visitation: 91,000
- Budget: $1,637,000 NPS/$728,752 BLM
- Deferred Maintenance: $2,338,573
- Economic Benefits to Communities: As a co-managed area, economic benefit statistics for PARA are not analyzed.
Interested Agencies & Organizations
Kaibab Band of Southern Paiute Indians, Moapa Band of Southern Paiute Indians, Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, Bureau of Land Management Arizona Strip District Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Forest Service, State of Arizona, Arizona Historic Preservation Office, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Mohave County, Arizona, Saint George Chamber of Commerce, Great Basin Institute, off-highway vehicle clubs, private property owners within the Monument, Southern Utah University and Utah Tech University (as well as other Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Universities/CESUs), Four Corners Air Quality Group, and the Western Regional Air Partnership.
Congressional Districts
- Arizona Senators: Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), Mark Kelly (D-AZ)
- Arizona Representative: Paul Gosar (R-AZ-04)
- Utah Senators: Mike Lee (R-UT), Mitt Romney (R-UT)
- Utah Representative: Celeste Maloy (R-UT-02)
Contacts
- NPS Superintendent: Ben Roberts, 775-293-2164, ben_roberts@nps.gov
- BLM Monument Manager: Brandon Boshell, 435-688-3202, bboshell@blm.gov
- NPS Public Information Officer: Jeff Axel, 435-773-0178, jeff_axel@nps.gov
|
