Over March 6-8, hundreds of partners from across the Four Corners region and beyond joined us in Bluff, Utah for Celebrate Bears Ears, a special weekend of partnership, education, and celebration.
This gathering reinforced BEP’s fundamental belief that protecting this landscape is rooted in collaboration, and that The Land Can’t Wait. The cultural and natural resources of the greater Bears Ears landscape need our protection now – a monumental task that can only be done through long-lasting relationships and on-the-ground partnerships.
“This Bears Ears Celebration was the best yet in my opinion. It was a welcome celebration of the Monument, and reminded us why we love this sacred landscape and must continue to do what we can to protect and preserve it.” - Gregg Sommermeyer
The weekend kicked off on Friday, March 6 with a VIP Fundraiser Dinner at Twin Rocks Cafe, where attendees enjoyed a delicious meal and good conversation. This intimate setting provided a chance to connect with Keynote Speaker Joy Harjo, and bid in a silent auction offering unique experiences on the landscape.
Saturday, March 7 started bright and early, fueled by coffee and pastries from Bluff's own Cow Canyon Coffee. Attendees enjoyed these treats as they filed into the Bluff Community Center, quickly buzzing with a full house for a robust program of presentations, panel discussions, and readings.
The Power of Storytelling
The importance of storytelling and connecting to the landscape through literary work was a major theme for this year’s Celebrate. We were honored to welcome Joy Harjo as the Keynote Speaker, the 23rd US Poet Laureate, and recipient of several awards including the National Books Critic Circle Lifetime Award. Harjo, a member of the Muscogee Nation, shared reflections about the evolution of her visual, literary, and musical creative practice, and treated the audience to readings of poems, including some new work.
Torrey House Press publisher Kirsten Johanna Allen facilitated a discussion about the power of language, with Diné writers Stacie Shannon Denetsosie and Cheyenne Dakota Williams. Denetsosie read from the introduction of the recently published collection Beyond the Glittering World, expressing the importance of uplifting the voices of queer and trans Indigenous writers.
Author and conservationist Heidi Redd shared personal reflections of managing The Nature Conservancy’s Dugout Ranch that informed her recently released book, A Cowgirl’s Conservation Journey.
Later in the day, author Zak Podmore introduced BEP Board Member Vaughn Hadenfelt, who offered words in memoriam of Joe Pachak. Vaughn also read an excerpt from his upcoming story collection Out and Back, inspired by decades of guiding across the Bears Ears region.
On-the-Ground Conservation
Many presentations focused on the successes and challenges of on-the-ground, tangible actions to protect and conserve the landscape. A prevailing theme was the significance of combining Traditional Indigenous Knowledge with western conservation practices, and bringing different partners together to tackle the scale and complexity of conservation needed.
BEP Senior Policy Director Carleton Bowekaty facilitated a panel of Tribal Leaders – Davina Smith-Idjesa from BEP Board of Directors and Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition (Diné) and Octavius Seowtewa of the Zuni Cultural Resource Advisory Team – who spoke about the importance of connecting Tribal youth to their cultural landscape, and the significance of including Traditional Indigenous Knowledge in the co-management of Bears Ears National Monument.
Another panel with Juli Scamardo, Utah State University professor of Watershed Science, and The Nature Conservancy’s Alix Pfennigwerth, Utah Riparian Restoration Project Manager and Kristen Redd, program manager at The Nature Conservancy's Dugout Ranch, discussed how techniques like low-tech process-based restoration are restoring the watersheds across the Bears Ears region.
The Bears Ears Conservation Partnership, a coalition of Tribal, agency, community, and nonprofit partners, is working on the largest watershed restoration project in the Manti-La Sal National Forest. As Alix Pfennigwerth described it, “We all have the same goal. We all want to caretake and heal the landscape and the water.”
Reagan Wytsalucy, Diné professor of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Utah State University, shared about her research into cultivating native peach varieties as part of restoring Indigenous foodways and creating food security. This unique research is guided by her personal connection to the landscape.
“The best part of the Celebrate event for me was how it brought together so many diverse perspectives and voices of Bears Ears. Tribal leaders, Indigenous poets and authors, local community members, nonprofit partners, students, wilderness advocates, ranchers – all together in the same room, talking, sharing, listening to one another. This event was a celebration of the Bears Ears landscape, yes – but for me it was also clearly a celebration of the people - past, present, and future - who have, and continue to, care deeply for this landscape and all the beings that call it home. –Alix Pfennigwerth, Utah Riparian Restoration Project Manager, The Nature Conservancy
Spotlighting Our Evolving Programs
This year’s gathering commemorated the 10th anniversary of Visit With Respect, whose 20 guidelines have become standard signage across the region to encourage respectful visitation on sensitive cultural landscapes. After Program Director Semira Crank introduced a new video about the program (watch the video here!), she presented awards to two outstanding Visit With Respect Ambassadors.
After showing a short film of a day in the life of a Canyon Country Youth Corps crew member (watch it here!), Janet Ross, former executive director of the Canyon Country Discovery Center, offered a heartfelt retrospective of CCYC’s positive impact not only on the conservation of the Four Corners landscape, but the personal and professional growth of crew members.
BEEC After Dark
Around a fire at the Bears Ears Education Center, Michael Rymer of Dark Sky International and author R.E. Burrillo sparked discussions about the cultural, historical, and ecological significance of dark skies. The Education team facilitated telescope viewing and a tour of the dark skies on a clear night.
Photo by R.E. Burrillo
Guided Experiences
On Sunday morning, participants got to learn from the landscape on guided hikes led by Dave Herrero of the Wildlands Conservancy and Janet Lever-Wood.
The BEP team also led guided tours of the new North Campus at the Canyon Country Discovery Center in Monticello, Utah, sharing insights about the education and conservation programs that will be hosted there.
“Celebrate Bears Ears was such an inspiring event. As I ponder ways to enhance CNHA’s influence in the region, expanding and growing existing relationships seems the way to go. I am thrilled with the partnership CNHA is building with BEP. Attending Celebrate Bears Ears made the most sense in creating connections with like minded folks and reaffirming my connection with the land. It’s hard to pinpoint a favorite part of the weekend because all of the presentations were timely and relevant. I very much enjoyed listening to Joy Harjo. Another takeaway from the day was it brought joy to my heart to witness the pride on the faces of the BEP staff throughout the entire day. What a great group of people.” – Sam Wainer, Executive Director of Canyonlands National History Association
Thank you to all of the speakers, volunteers, partners, and participants for making this event so memorable. Mark your calendars for Celebrate Bears Ears in March 2028!