Bears Ears
“If you really want to have an adventure that’s not going to be sexy–it’s gonna be dirty and it’s gonna be rowdy–there’s a place a out here for you,” says Josh Ewing. “It’s the chance to do something where you’re not going to see another climber.”
In the beginning, Josh came to Bears Ears, Utah in search of adventure. But the more time he spent there, the less his relationship with the landscape had to do with first ascents, and the more it had to do with connecting to the current people and ancient cultures who call Bears Ears home. Now, Josh is a leader in the fight to protect the 1.9 million acres of wild, history-rich, red sandstone landscape.
For the first episode of our “Endangered Spaces” series, a series about threatened places and the people who care for them, we take you to Bears Ears National Monument to follow Josh’s transformation from climber to climber-activist.
Explore Bears Ears with our 360° virtual reality tour, and take action to help protect your new National Monument.
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Snowmen by Kai Engel • Grandmaster Blues by MC Cullah • Ambiguous Piano by Bradley Carter • Remedy for Melancholy by Kai Engel • Don’t Point That Gun At Me by Publish the Quest • Low Horizon by Kai Engel • A Language of Its Own by Publish the Quest • Warm of Mechanical Heart by Kai Engel • Destination by Jason Tyler Burton
Tracks provided by Free Music Archive and with permission from the artists.
Hi,
Thank you for this story. I listened it today as I was walking my and admiring the Spring Mountains, Last Chance Mountains, and the NoPahs Mountains that surround my Southern Nevada Valley. As I was walking I thought it would be great if you continued this series with a program on the Save The Red Rock movement in Las Vegas. A mining company wants to build a huge housing development right across the street from Red Rock Canyon Natural Conservation Area. If you have not been to Red Rock Canyon, it is the jewel of Las Vegas. It offers exceptional hiking, rock climbing, and cycling. It is also home to the endangered desert tortoise, desert big horn sheep, a variety of birds, and other species. Currently the Clark County government is leaning towards the development. The development would destroy this beloved area, with pollution, destroying views, and creating gridlock traffic. This is beyond a treasure for Las Vegans, but is also a treasure for Southern Nevadans like myself, and national and international tourist.
Again thank you for such great programs. I often tell people that your pod cast helped save my life. That might sound dramatic but it is pretty much true.
Thanks again and I will make sure to donate this month. I want that song as a ring tone.
As Ever,
Dylan Moellendorf
Desert Rat
World History High School Teacher
this has been on our radar. We are currently researching.
Fitz
Interesting to hear more about Bears Ear and to get a history lesson on what is going on there related to conservation.
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Thanks Dirtbag Diaries for this even-handed re-telling of a crucial story & thank you Josh for fighting the good fight!
Great episode. Would love to hear one about Katahdin Woods & Waters (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katahdin_Woods_and_Waters_National_Monument). Roxanne Quimby, co-founder of Burt’s Beeswax, bought over 3 million acres in northern Maine with the dream of turning it into another National Park. It got, and still is, very contentious, with opposition from groups not wanting to lose access for snowmobiling and hunting, along with the hopes of a long-gone paper industry coming back in the economically depressed town of Millinocket. Quimby’s son, Lucas St. Clair, took on the fight and got it declared a National Monument last year, but Maine’s Gov. LePaige is trying to get it taken away (appealing to some of the same Utah politicians trying to revoke the status for Bear’s Ears).
Howdy! I am a environmental ethics teacher and was looking to use this episode as reading for my students based around Leopold’s land ethic. Do you have a transcript of this episode to download?
Hi Jack, That sounds like a rad class! You know, we wind up making a lot of changes to our final scripts once we get them into audio format, so we don’t actually have a final transcript for this episode. Sorry for the inconvenience, and thanks for your interest!
Jack, how can I get in touch with you to hear more about your lesson plans for Leopold’s Land Ethic? I have some files that I could share, too.
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