The wind-blown dust that settles over Moab, Blanding and the greater Four Corners region isn’t just a nuisance — it’s a serious economic and public health threat. And much of what we know about how to manage it comes from the scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Southwest Biological Science Center (SBSC) in Moab.
Now, that work — and the foundation it provides for responsible land and water use across Utah — is at risk of disappearing.
The White House has proposed eliminating the entire Ecosystems Mission Area of the USGS in its 2026 budget. This includes the SBSC, a powerhouse of dryland research that directly informs how we manage dust, drought and land restoration across the desert Southwest. For Utah, especially in southeastern parts of the state, this cut would represent a serious setback with real consequences for local economies and public health.
Here’s why: As the Great Salt Lake shrinks and southern Utah teeters near megadrought, dust storms have become more frequent and more hazardous. These dust events don’t just obscure the horizon — they carry fine particulate matter that affects air quality, agriculture and even snowpack melt in the nearby mountains, which feeds our rivers and irrigation systems. The SBSC has been leading long-term studies on soil stability, vegetation recovery and erosion control — data that land managers, ranchers and local governments rely on to reduce dust and protect livelihoods.
By mandate, the science done by the SBSC is in-service to the public. SBSC scientists have worked with Bureau of Land Management offices, state agencies and tribal nations to identify which land restoration strategies are effective in ecosystems of southeastern Utah and the greater Colorado Plateau. This helps federal and state governments invest in smarter land treatments, reduces wildfire risks and keeps public lands open to multiple land uses.
Tourism is one of the region’s economic lifelines. Visitors coming to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks support livelihoods in southeast Utah. But degraded landscapes — caused by unmanaged dust, invasive species or drought-worsened erosion — don’t just look bad. They close roads, obscure views, create health risks and hurt local economies built on recreation. SBSC scientists work closely with National Park land managers to provide science that can help mitigate these issues, ensuring the National Parks remain open and safe for visitors.
In fact, researchers at the SBSC in Moab were one of the first to treat biological soil crust, or “living soil,” as its own discipline. They launched the modern study of cryptogamic crusts and explained how these fragile soil communities of cyanobacteria, lichens and mosses hold the desert soil together and prevent erosion. They didn’t stop at lab benches: SBSC scientists coined the outreach slogan “Don’t Bust the Crust,” and partnered with land‑management agencies, Jeep safari organizers and local schools to include that message on trailheads, outreach materials, visitor‑center films and kids’ curricula across the Southwest. Those campaigns are now standard practice across the region, giving land users a simple rule of thumb that prevents countless tons of dust from ever taking flight.
SBSC research also has close ties to working lands. Ranchers in San Juan and Grand Counties depend on grazing allotments spread across a complex mix of federal, state and tribal lands. Scientists at the SBSC collaborate directly with these ranchers, providing essential research that helps them graze in ways that keeps the land healthy and productive over the long term. As invasive grasses spread and drought conditions worsen, this science is more important than ever — testing new practices and guiding adaptive strategies that work in today’s changing environment.
The loss of this science doesn’t just mean fewer data points. It means fewer tools to protect water supplies, fewer insights to guide wildfire mitigation and fewer answers when local communities ask how to adapt to change.
The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area brings something state agencies and universities can’t: consistency, scale and a long-term view. Their work spans decades and state lines, creating a comprehensive picture of Utah and the Colorado Plateau that no one else is equipped to maintain. Walking away from that is like throwing away the only map we’ve got in a growing storm.
The people of Utah are resourceful, resilient and deeply connected to their land. They deserve access to the best available science to guide their decisions — not to be left without the tools they need to protect their future. Utah’s congressmen should restore funding for the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area and the Moab office of the Southwest Biological Science Center. This would make clear that rural Utah matters, that our economies matter and that dust doesn’t stop at county lines.
The science coming out of the Southwest Biological Science Center isn’t abstract. It’s the science of the future — for our health, our jobs and our future generations.
(Kristina Young) Kristina Young, PhD, is an ecosystem ecologist and former biological science technician with the USGS Southwest Biological Science Center.
Kristina Young, PhD, is an ecosystem ecologist and former biological science technician with the USGS Southwest Biological Science Center. She lives in Moab.
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