Feel small amidst the towering, red-rocked cliffs of Zion, be amazed at the lip of the gaping Grand Canyon, or contemplate the ingenuity of the ancestral Pueblo people at Chaco Canyon. These experiences are at your fingertips in America’s Southwest, a region of exquisite beauty as well as stark contrast. You can travel from the peaks of the Rocky Mountains to the vast expanse of the Sonoran desert in this region that also memorializes and protects the stories, sacred sites, and unique heritage of indigenous cultures. Preserving the diverse, culturally-rich, and spectacular parks of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah is the priority of NPCA’s Southwest Regional Office and associated field offices.

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Arches National Park   camera icon © Jf123/Dreamstime.

The Southwest team works avidly with a varied and complex set of stakeholders to champion the region’s national parks. The area’s booming population poses threats to parks through increased tourism and recreation, heightened development pressure, and expanded energy infrastructure. Addressing oil and gas activities, which impact the air quality, viewsheds and night skies of magnificent parks like Arches and Mesa Verde, is one of the priorities of the Southwest office. Another focus for the team is the protection of sites like Canyonlands from the massive, coal-fired power plants that churn out both power and pollution. The staff of the Southwest raise awareness of the impacts that climate change and extreme drought are having on the Colorado River system and the parks and people that depend on this critical waterway. They also work to rally opposition to two ill-conceived developments near the rim of the Grand Canyon, one of the world’s most iconic parks.

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Southwest Regional Office Field Reports

NPCA’s Southwest Regional Office prepares a field report twice a year that focuses on the parks and people of this special part of the country. We also highlight some of…

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In addition to their current work, the Southwest team collaborates with parks and communities on innovative remedies to their traffic congestion issues and fights recent attempts to limit public involvement in park-adjacent oil and gas development. As NPCA celebrates its centennial in 2019, they seek to reinforce community relationships and endeavor to engage a broader base of park supporters.

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Field offices in the Southwest region ›

Protect Chaco Culture from oil and gas drilling!

Chaco Culture National Historical Park preserves five Chacoan "great houses" where people from various clans congregated to trade goods, share ideas and celebrate events a thousand years ago. This area is special, sacred.

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New Mexico's Rock Art

Visit New Mexico's Petroglyph National Monument for a rare opportunity to see centuries-old art emblazoned on the volcanic rocks of this arid landscape. Carved by Native Americans and early Spanish settlers, these enduring images tell a unique story.

Updates on Southwest

Field Offices in the Southwest Region

  • Arizona Field Office

    • Address:
      738 N. Fifth Avenue Suite 222 Tucson, AZ 85705
    • Phone:
      520.603.6430

  • Four Corners Energy Program

    • Address:
      850 Grand Avenue Grand Junction, CO 81501
    • Phone:
      970.250.4300

  • New Mexico Program

    • Address:
      314 S. Guadalupe St., Suite D North Santa Fe, NM 87501
    • Phone:
      505.444.0032

  • Colorado Field Office

    • Address:
      2059 S Columbine St Denver, CO 80210
    • Phone:
      303.947.8013

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