Escalante River Basin Initiatives

Escalante River Basin Initiatives—going by the friendly little acronym of ERBI—has been re-energized this year with a new Executive Director, an infusion of funding, and two very focused projects.

Gordon (Boz) Bosworth, the new ERBI director, has stepped into the void left by Tim Clarke’s 2009 departure. He, and his wife, Bobbie Cleave, together have been tirelessly working on ERBI’s two big projects: re-introducing beaver to Boulder Mountain and eliminating Russian olive from private lands within the Escalante drainage.

Gordon (Boz) Bosworth and Bobbie Cleave

BCF hired Boz, but got Bobbie’s assistance at the same time—an incredibly valuable “twofer” opportunity for ERBI. They both come with a wealth of experience and leadership skills.
Boz has a B.S. in Environmental Studies, a minor in Forestry, and a Master’s degree in Environmental Education. As part of his graduate programs, he developed Environmental Ed. programs for both National Outdoor Leadership School and the Forest Service. He taught biology and other sciences in public and private schools for 27 years in Utah and New Mexico, developing a greenhouse program with gardens and a beekeeping project at two of the schools. In Cache County School District, Boz ran an outdoor education program for 25 years, taking “at risk” students into Southern Utah deserts. He worked with Bobbie (his wife of 30 years), as seasonal wilderness rangers for the Forest Service in the High Uintas, Southern Utah, and the Naomi wilderness for 27 years. He also was a river ranger for the BLM and worked at Hovenweep National Monument. He became an EMT in 1981 and was a first responder for the Forest Service. He is easing toward “retirement” in Boulder, working part time on a local ranch, building a new home, and beekeeping with Bobbie.

Bobbie has a B.S. in Forestry/Environmental Education and a Master’s in both Environmental Ed and Psychology. She worked six years fulltime for the Forest Service as a ranger and environmental education coordinator and 27 years seasonally as a wilderness ranger. She’s had previous experience with beaver reintroduction, having worked on that project in Logan Canyon. She recently has taught meditation at Utah State University and has studied in both China and Viet Nam. She and Boz have lived in over 10 states, and in New Zealand, but raised their two children in Logan, Utah.

2010 Focus: Beaver Reintroduction and Invasive Weed Removal

Water is the common thread of both projects:

 

 

 

 

 

Re-introducing beaver on Boulder Mountain returns us to the natural way of keeping more water up on the mountain and slowing its release down the drainage. Click here to read more.

 

Removing invasive weeds through the Escalante watershed reduces impediments to the river's natural flow, aids reestablishment of native vegetation, and eliminates a major competition for the water resource itself. Click here to read more.
Although the emphasis this year is on invasive weed removal and beaver reintroduction, the Boulder Community Alliance and ERBI have a stake in many ongoing issues that affect us locally, regionally, and state wide. This involves our national forests with ATV monitoring, travel management plans, or beaver assessments; policies affecting Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, and the wide spectrum of public/private interface.
Click here to read more.