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Due to historic over grazing, many grasslands on the Colorado Plateau have been converted to degraded plant communities with extensive patches of bare ground and a predominance of annual invasive plants such as cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and Russian thistle (Salsola tragus).� These areas have undergone an ecological state shift, and are associated with processes that prevent their natural recovery, including accelerated rates of soil erosion and overland water flow, depleted native seed banks, and loss of surface soil quality.� In arid regions with highly variable precipitation, drill seeding and other traditional methods of rangeland restoration can exacerbate erosion and often have only marginal success in seeded plant establishment. Our work in Canyonlands and Arches National Parks involves testing and deploying a novel restoration technique that is designed to overcome harsh physical site conditions while minimizing overall site disturbance. �Connectivity Modifiers (ConMods) are 45 cm-long fencing structures that create microsites favorable to seedling establishment by blocking wind, creating shade, and capturing sediment and organic matter.� Previous research in Canyonlands has shown that after four years, 90% of ConMods seeded with native perennial grasses had successful establishment, significantly greater than areas which were seeded without ConMods.� We subsequently initiated a study within four heavily degraded sites to investigate the effects of ConMod density on restoration at the patch scale (e.g. establishment of desired species between ConMods).� Over 2,500 ConMods have been installed as part of this adaptive management effort and restoration success will be monitored over several years.� This research is expected to inform and potentially optimize restoration strategies used by the National Park Service in degraded grasslands, and provide a better understanding of how physical structures can be used to moderate harsh microsites and increase likelihood of seeded plant establishment.