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Stormy Days for Bear's Ears


Stormy Days for Bear's Ears

Friends –

There is no place in the world that compares to Southeast Utah with its gorgeous vistas and seductive canyons. Additionally, the archeological inventory of ancient granaries, pictographs, petroglyphs and dwellings that can be found here is humbling. Those same canyons are often filled with precious archeological sites that remind us that we are not the first to love this land. That was the intent behind the proclamation of Grand Staircase Escalante (1996) and Bears Ears National Monuments.


Yet, all of this can be destroyed so easily, which seems to be the political intent at the moment. I have heard of SE Utah now being referred to as Ground Zero for the protection of public lands and preservation of these precious archeological sites. You all surely know why this is happening.

But I do want to point out that there is an additional bit of venom directed at the Bears Ears National Monument. The fact that it is an area of such significance for the Original People who continue to use it for its sacred sites and ceremonial resources is why the formation of an Inter-Tribal Coalition happened. It was their proposal to protect the area and to be part of the ongoing management of it that is so important. That importance was recognized and honored by the presidential proclamation making Bears Ears a National Monument in 2016. But now, it is the power hungry and greed-fueled racism that wants to take it all away.

I will gift this small 8x10 oil painting to someone for a donation to SUWA (Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance). If we unite, we will overcome.

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