Moab, the gateway to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks; the future gateway to Greater Canyonlands National Monument.
Geology
Age of oldest visible rock formation: 320 million years
Age of newest visible rock formation: 1.6 million years
Highest elevation: 11,368 ft.
Lowest Elevation: 3,790 ft.
Hydrology
Johnson Creek, Abajo Mountains. © Tim Peterson
Number of rivers: 4 (Colorado, Green, Dirty Devil, San Rafael)
The total mileage of all rivers within the proposed Monument boundary: 281
Navigable river miles, year-round: 187 miles (Colorado and Green Rivers)
Navigable river miles, seasonal runs: 94 miles (San Rafael and Dirty Devil Rivers)
The highest recorded annual flow of Colorado and Green Rivers: 22.2 million acre-feet, 1984.
The lowest recorded annual flow of Colorado and Green Rivers: 3.8 million acre-feet, 2002.
Number of streams (including washes and seasonal or intermittent streams): 882
Number of perennial streams: 15
The total mileage of perennial streams: 144
Number of seeps and springs: 133
Annual rainfall/snowfall for the region: 8.56 inches
Biology
Number of Federally-listed Threatened and Endangered species: 28
Number of State Listed Sensitive Species: 27
The overall number of species in the region (plant, animal, avian, fish): 960
Percentage of all known plant types in the Colorado Plateau Ecoregion found within the Monument: 57%
Number of other “Globally Important Bird Areas,” identified by the National Audubon Society in Utah, besides the area within Greater Canyonlands: 1
Cultural/Human History and Occupation
Number of Archaeological sites per square mile: 24 (San Juan County)
Scope of documented human use in the region: 12,000 years
Oldest rock art discovered: 8,700 years old (oldest in Utah)
Oldest unfired clay artifacts: 7,400 B.C. (oldest on Colorado Plateau)
Number of Mountains sacred to the Navajo Culture in the region: 2, Dzil Diloi (the Abajo Peaks) and Shash Jaa (the Bears Ears)
Date of oldest known Navajo Hogan in the region: 1620, in White Canyon
Number of tribes with ties to the region: 12 (Navajo, Hopi, Ute, Piute, Nambé Pueblo, Pojoaque Pueblo, San Ildefonso Pueblo, Ohkay Owingeh (formerly known as San Juan Pueblo), Santa Clara Pueblo, Tesuque Pueblo, Zuni, Paiute, Apache)
Number of outlaw hideouts: 1, Robber’s Roost, used by Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch as a stop along the infamous Outlaw Trail
Number of historic trails skirting the region: 3 (2 branches of the Old Spanish trail and the Hole in the Rock Trail skirted Greater Canyonlands, which was too rough and rugged to be passable by primitive goods transport, but well suited to horses and foot travel)
Date of first known Anglo mapping: 1869, John Wesley Powell Expedition, down the Green and Colorado Rivers
Date of first Anglo settlement: 1880, Hole in the Rock Expedition from Escalante to Bluff
Number of gateway communities: 5 (Moab, pop: 5,100, Green River, pop: 950, Hanksville, pop: 215, Blanding, pop: 3,400, Monticello, pop: 2,000)
Tourism and Economics
Number of recorded visits to Utah’s National Parks in 2012: 6.6 million
Number of recorded visits to Utah’s National Monuments, recreation areas, and historic site in 2012: 5.1 million
Number of recorded visits to Utah’s state parks in 2012: 5.1 million
Amount spent by National Park visitors in San Juan County in 2012: $150 million.
Number of jobs supported by that visitation: 1,910
Amount spent by National Park visitors in Grand County in 2013: $141.2 million
Number of jobs supported by that visitation: 2,044
Amount of consumer spending generated by outdoor recreation in Utah each year: $12 billion
Amount of Utah state and local tax revenue generated per year by outdoor recreation: $856 million
Number of jobs supported in Utah by the outdoor recreation economy: 122,000
Wages and salaries generated by outdoor recreation in Utah each year: $3.6 billion
Percentage of jobs in Utah supported by the tourism industry, directly or indirectly: 10%
Number of jobs supported by the outdoor recreation industry, nationally: 6.1 million
Number of jobs supported by the oil and gas industry, nationally: 2.2 million