Biological soil crust and vegetation cover from two previously grazed grasslands within Canyonlands National Park, Utah

These tabular data were compiled to monitor vegetation and biocrust cover two previously grazed grassland located in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. Objectives of this study are to document potential changes in biological soil crust (biocrust) and vegetation cover and species composition over time and with ongoing U.S. National Park Service (NPS) management. These data represent a timeseries of long-term vegetation and biocrust monitoring plots, dating from 1998-2024. These data were collected in Salt Flats and Chesler Park grasslands, Needles District of Canyonlands National Park, Utah. These data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Research Center in coordination with the NPS. Data were collected via field observations twice annually, once in the Spring (April-May) and once in fall (Sept.) starting in 1998 for Chesler Park and 2000 for Salt Flats. These data can be used to monitor long-term trends and changes in vegetation in two previously grazed and currently protected grasslands on the Colorado Plateau and help with monitoring trends in similar dryland ecosystems.