Instructional Leadership, emphasis: K-12 School Leadership (MEd)
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Projects

Making an impact

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The Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CPCESU) is making an impact all over the Southwest. Learn more about our current projects and how to get involved as a member.

Project spotlights

These spotlights feature completed and in-progress CPCESU projects to showcase some of the great work that has been accomplished by our partners. If you would like to submit a project to spotlight, please contact us.

Ethnographic Overview and Assessment of African American Homesteading in Lanfair Valley, California

Conducted with applied anthropologist Ginny Bengston of Applied Cultural Ecology, LLC, this project focuses on early 20th-century African American homesteaders in the Mojave Desert (now Mojave National Preserve) and their role in the broader westward migration of African Americans. Supported by the National Park Service Cultural Anthropology program and initiatives from the Obama-era Civil Rights era, the project aims to amplify minority narratives often overlooked in public history, addressing perceptions surrounding homesteading, westward migration, and post-emancipation African American experiences.

 

Learn more about the ethnographic overview

Mitigate Endangered Bird Habitat Prior Tamarisk Defoliation by the Northern Tamarisk Beetle Project Award

The Arboretum at Flagstaff, in collaboration with Grand Canyon National Park and Mariposa Consulting, is restoring two sites along the Colorado River: Cardenas and the Grand Canyon Youth (GCY) Camp. Their efforts include removing invasive tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) and pepperweed (Lepidium latifolium) at Cardenas, replacing them with native cottonwoods and willows. Monitoring and repeat photography will assess restoration effectiveness, benefiting the habitat of the endangered Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) and enhancing the overall natural environment.

 

Learn more about the bird habitat

Large Mammal Responses to Wildfire and Landscape-scale Forest Restoration in Jemez Mountains, New Mexico

Decades of fire suppression, logging, and overgrazing have altered Southwestern forests, leading to denser small-diameter trees and higher fuel loads. This has had a detrimental effect on biodiversity, wildlife habitat quality, and increased wildfire severity. As a response, forest restoration projects aim to restore historical forest structure, plant species composition, and fire patterns, necessitating well-designed plans based on scientific data, including monitoring and adaptive management. With numerous large-scale projects ongoing and anticipated, it is crucial for state and federal agencies to understand wildlife responses to these treatments to inform effective management and contribute to future restoration efforts.

 

Learn more about the Jemez Mountains

Colorado Plateau Dark Sky Cooperative

The Colorado Dark Sky Cooperative, launched in 2013 and ongoing, aims to preserve pristine dark skies over the Colorado Plateau’s national parks, monuments, and communities by reducing light pollution. Recognized for its efforts to link communities, tribes, businesses, and government agencies, the cooperative strives to celebrate celestial views, minimize outdoor lighting impacts, and restore natural darkness across the region, setting a precedent in protecting this invaluable resource.

 

Learn more about the Dark Sky Cooperative

Historic Structure Report, Mission San José Convento

The report on the NPS-managed convento structures of Mission San José in San Antonio, TX, provides a comprehensive assessment of their condition and proposes treatment recommendations. Mission San José holds significant local, state, and federal historic designations, and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Site—the only one in Texas and one of 23 in the US. Using advanced photogrammetry software and color-coded mapping protocols from ICOMOS, UTSA researchers are conducting the most detailed survey to date, documenting every visible crack, deteriorating brick, and biogrowth. Laboratory analysis of site samples is ongoing to determine the geological composition of stones and other materials in the convento. UTSA’s report, following NPS standards, will analyze the structure’s construction history, assess its historical importance, and establish preservation goals to guide future treatment plans.

 

Learn more about the convento

How to get involved

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Get your project off the ground

The Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit offers financial support and technical guidance for research and educational projects focused on natural and cultural resources across the Colorado Plateau.

Planning a new project

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