"We have here a fragile environment ..."

Samuel G. Houghton, "A Trace of Desert Waters: the Great Basin Story"

The Great Basin is a land of fierce extremes, sun-baked in July, bitterly cold in January, and everything in between the remainder of the year. It takes a special and hearty kind of animal, plant and human to make this rugged, harsh land home.

Yet the Great Basin is in serious ecological decline. Exotic annual grasses and noxious weeds, introduced during 150 years of settlement, combined with recent serious wildfire seasons, have left much of the Great Basin on the verge of ecological disaster.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is working to reverse the downward ecological spiral of public lands in the Great Basin. The information here will provide you with details about the problems faced in the Great Basin, what has been done to address them, and what the future may hold. The website is a product of the Great Basin Restoration Initiative (GBRI) team.

The GBRI has joined with other regional programs as a member of the Great Basin Consortium. The mission of the consortium is to increase communication and coordination among the partner organizations in order to enhance the effectiveness of their research, management, outreach, and funding activities. Other members of this consortium includes the Great Basin Research & Management Partnership; Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit; Environmental Program; and Landscape Conservation Cooperative.

Join with us. Learn about the Great Basin and what steps need to be taken to restore it. As you do, it’s our hope that your appreciation for this big land – and the desire to restore it – will grow.

Right now may be our last, best chance. Natural processes will take too long. Healing of the Great Basin needs to begin now.