Archaeological potential of the grand staircase-escalante National Monument

Executive proclamation 9682 reduces the size of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM), removing protections for at least 2,000 known archaeological sites and an unknown number of undiscovered cultural properties. Because only 10% of the GSENM's 1.9 million acres has been inventoried by archaeologists, fully evaluating the potential consequences of these boundary reductions in the remaining 90%, or 1.71 million acres, requires the use of predictive modeling. Here we report the major findings of a comprehensive predictive modeling program undertaken by the University of Utah Archaeological Center. Methodological and analytical details are available from the authors or in a report issued to the Bureau of Land Management.