Progress and Plans: By the numbers

In the midst of the holiday blur of gifts and guests, most of us also have to grapple with numbers, the year-end calculations of taxes to be paid and projects planned or completed. The same holds true for the Desert Preservation Initiative, as the directors looked back at what was accomplished in 2023 and what the group plans to tackle in 2024.

Our mission: Review, Restore, Preserve The driving mission of the Desert Preservation Initiative is to restore native ecosystems using science-based methods to create a sustainable future for the health and beauty of our shared environment.

The small group of residents who began meeting in 2021 with Chuck Warren to build and maintain local trails in Ivins soon shifted their focus to repairing the local habitat, particularly along the trails in Kayenta’s washes, by removing invasive tamarisk. Taking the name, the Kayenta Natural Area Restoration Project, within a year the group applied for and received non-profit 501(c)(3) status as the Desert Preservation Initiative.

During DPI’s first 12-month season for the removal of tamarisk and Russian olive, over 1,700 volunteer hours were invested in cutting, disposing, and killing these invasives on 15 properties. From January to May of 2023, DPI volunteers conducted at least three removal sessions each week. Yet much remains to be done. Even with so many volunteers and donors supporting invasive removal, DPI has removed maybe 20% of the previously surveyed tamarisk within the Ivins community of Kayenta. And, each removal site will require on-going monitoring and treatment of regrowth for at least a year, followed by potential restoration, if needed.

In support of this work, DPI has accomplished the following:

• Educated residents on the need to remove invasives and the procedures employed through articles, brochures and educational walks
• Mapped/recorded all known tamarisk sites in Kayenta
• Met with local and state agencies as appropriate for advice and assistance
• Conducted safety training sessions on the use of herbicide
• Provided copies of the plant databases to the ACC’s Landscaping Committee to coordinate on tamarisk removal and plants approved for restoration
• Developed a plan to create a DPI native plant nursery approved by Terry Marten (presently on hold)
• Developed fund-raising support through partnerships with Gallery 873 and with artisans in the Southern Utah Woodturners
• Cleared invasives from the Kayenta Desert Rose Labyrinth improving trail access and the visitor experience
• Began work on the largest project ever, the 14 properties in the Willow Springs Wash (near/parallel to Wisteria Way)

Looking ahead, the DPI board and members are planning on more safety training for volunteers, and continuing to develop detailed plant databases to identify potential invasives and plants approved for restoration, and providing accurate information to the community about DPI techniques and process.

“It’s been a tremendous year in every way,” says President Chuck Warren, “but we are well aware of the magnitude of what remains to be done.” Key to moving forward, says Warren, is continuing to engage and recruit new volunteers and supporters and building additional sources of revenue, including applying for grants.

“There’s much to do,” he says, “but we are happy with the progress we’ve made so far and excited about the future.”