The Discovery Pool research grant program was established by CNHA to encourage and provide funding for research partnerships between qualified scientists and our federal National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and US Forest Service partners in southeastern Utah.

The CNHA Board of Trustees met on January 25 to evaluate grant proposals for Discovery Pool projects for 2024. The projects listed below will receive research grants totaling $159,000. Since Discovery Pool's inception in 2007, CNHA’s Discovery Pool has awarded $950,250 in grants.

Bears Ears Digital Cultural Heritage Initiative

Principal Investigator: Eric J Heller

Agency Affiliation: USFS and BLM

Identifying Resilient Food Webs in a Changing West

Principal Investigator: Moria Robinson

Agency Affiliation: USFS

Assessing Pinyon-Juniper Mortality Across Southeast Utah Group National Parks

Principal Investigator: Seth Munson

Agency Affiliation: NPS

Ecological Interactions between American Pikas and Mountain Goats in the

La Sal Mountains

Principal Investigators: Mallory Sandoval Lambert

Agency Affiliation: USFS

Surveying for the Rare Stonefly, Gaufinia cristata, to Inform Management

Principal Investigator: Scott Hotaling

Agency Affiliation: USFS

Pack Creek Fire Restoration in the Pinyon-Juniper Forest

Principal Investigator: Rebecca Finger-Higgens

Agency Affiliation: USFS

Impacts of Increasing Noise and Bighorn Sheep

Principal Investigator: Joel Berger

Agency Affiliation: BLM and NPS

Congratulations to the principal investigators and their teams! We look forward to the valuable insights and discoveries that will emerge from their dedicated efforts.

To learn more about Discovery Pool, see previous projects, and see how to apply for 2025, visit our website. If you would like to help support our Discovery Pool research grant, you can donate or become a member!

We support the lands you love, and we couldn't do it without you!

The change that you donate in our stores goes a long way. All those pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters help our partners immensely. With your generous cash register round-up donations, here's a few programs CNHA will be funding for this year:

• Canyonlands Mexican Spotted Owl Acoustic Monitoring - This project is part of a collaborative effort with Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park and Glen Canyon National Monument to monitor threatened Mexican Spotted Owl populations.
• Support for government-to-government tribal consultation - This will support various tribal consultation efforts as part of the national park's mandate to maintain government‐to‐government relationships with federally recognized tribal governments.
• Southeast Utah Astrofest - This event is a celebration of the dark skies of Southeast Utah and a chance for education and interpretation programs about preserving this dwindling resource.
• Indigenous voices at Cave Springs - This project will fund the creation of interpretive wayside signs detailing the cultural significance of Cave Spring archaeological site in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park.
• "Leave No Trace" instructor training and videos - This project will produce one video about packrafting within Canyonlands. The film will focus on packrafting skills needed, seasonal expectations, permitting process, required equipment, human waste management, and best practices along routes and at campsites.  

Serving as a Student Conservation Association intern from March 6 to October 29, 2023, has been an incredibly informative and educational experience that has grown my passion for working outdoors. During my time at the Westwater Ranger Station, I was constantly learning new skills related to the duties of a park ranger and I was presented with practical opportunities to use these skills.

A technique I was excited to learn and used frequently throughout my time was driving four-wheel drive vehicles on land-based upland patrols. I then managed the use of four-wheel drive vehicles on BLM-managed lands by learning how to close undesignated illegal trails to prevent further use properly along with how to install effective signage along designated roads and trails. Using these skills, I completed 33 upland patrols throughout the Utah Rims Special Recreation Management area surrounding Westwater, including the Book Cliffs, Dome Plateau, and Bitter Creek areas. 

I also learned valuable river skills, such as rowing rafts and using motors on the Colorado River in Westwater Canyon. With these skills, I participated in 8 river patrols down Westwater Canyon and a 4-day, 3-night patrol on the Green River. While it may seem simple, I appreciated the skills I gained and the lessons I learned through managing the Westwater Boat Ramp and Ranger Station. I grew my communication skills by interacting with Westwater visitors, checking for permit compliance, and educating visitors on Leave No Trace practices to follow while recreating. I learned what it takes to properly maintain the boat ramp and campground facilities at Westwater, such as removing vegetation overgrowth, cleaning campsites, and replacing broken structures in the campground.

Visiting Arches? Timed entry tickets will be required from 7 am to 4 pm daily April 1 through October 31, 2024.

The park will release tickets first-come, first-served on Recreation.gov three (3) months in advance in monthly blocks according to the following schedule:

• January 2 at 8 am MST: April reservations (April 1–30)
• February 1 at 8 am MST: May reservations (May 1–31)
• March 1 at 8 am MST: June reservations (June 1–30)
• April 1 at 8 am MDT: July reservations (July 1–30)
• May 1 at 8 am MDT: August reservations (August 1–31)
• June 1 at 8 am MDT: September reservations (September 1–30)
• July 1 at 8 am MDT: October reservations (October 1–31)

A limited number of tickets will be available one day prior to entry at 7 pm MDT through Recreation.gov. These are expected to sell out quickly and we encourage visitors to plan ahead.



Timed entry tickets are required in addition to your park pass OR entrance fee. You may enter the park before 7 am or after 4 pm without a timed entry ticket.