Over a dozen volunteers from Friends of Gold Butte came together to pick up trash uncovered by the ongoing restoration at Pakoon Springs in the Grand Canyon- Parashant National Monument, AZ.

Kathleen Harcksen, Arizona Strip Project Manager, led the way pointing out the names of the mountains and cliffs on the Arizona horizon. Arriving at Pakoon, Kathleen showed pictures of the old ranch site and the springs before the restoration project began. There were over 40 old cars, three outbuildings, and tons of garbage on the site. Although, much of the restoration work has been completed, more efforts are planned to finish the spring site and re-introduce native plants and frogs.

The purpose of the restoration is to enhance the native, and the pre-development riparian habitat features of Pakoon Springs. In the future, the area will provide an outdoor venue for natural and cultural resource education, spring restoration interpretation, and recreation on the Grand Canyon – Parashant National Monument.

After a few hours of hard work, the volunteers enjoyed lunch and a short hike. Friends of Gold Butte looks forward to partnering with the Arizona BLM in the future. The next volunteer project will be on Earthday, Saturday, April 23.