The Babylon Fire has created a $100,000 funding interruption for our Canyon Country Youth Corps (CCYC). BEP has resolved to keep our crews paid during this prolonged project interruption. Please Donate to help bridge this funding shortfall while CCYC continues working!

Ever wonder how the southwest Native style of clothing and jewelry attire originated? Learn more at this presentation with Diné artist and cultural preservationist Venaya Yazzie on Friday, September 4 at 7pm at the Bears Ears Education Center.

Meet Molly Harrison, our very first Partnership and Tribal Engagement Coordinator! Molly will help to grow the Bears Ears Conservation Partnership (BECP) - a broad collaboration of Tribes, Federal Land Managers, NGO’s and others restoring the lands and water of the Bears Ears Region.

Bluff, Utah has some of the darkest skies in the county – and we want to share them with you! Join us August 13 at 9pm at the Bluff Community Center to experience the stunning dark skies this region is known for. BEP staff will provide telescopes and point out the celestial objects of the season.

Announcing our first presentation of the fall season: George Rhee will share a physical scientist’s perspective of the Colorado River and Colorado Basin, drawing on his research as professor of Physics & Astronomy at the Univ of Nevada-Las Vegas. Aug 13 at 6pm at the Bears Ears Education Center

Bears Ears Education Center is honored to display the exhibit “Ute Mountain Ute Perspectives on Conserving the Dolores River Canyons” for the month of August, in partnership with Dolores River Boating Advocates and Ute Mountain Ute artists.

Are you passionate about mentoring the next generation of leaders in conservation? We are #hiring a Field Coordinator for our Canyon Country Youth Corps (CCYC)! This is a full-time position between Feb and Nov, with immediate start.

Bears Ears Partnership would like to extend our deep gratitude to the brave fire teams working to slow the progress of the Babylon Fire in Bears Ears National Monument. We send our wishes for safety to all who live and work in the region.

Head to our website to read our new blog by BEEC Manager Kirsten, who organized these markets for the community. She reflects on the value of providing this kind of platform for Indigenous artisans. bearsearspartnership.org/newsblog/bea...

In late April, the Bears Ears Education Center (BEEC) in Bluff hosted our first-ever Indigenous Artisan Market, with a second market in May, offering a valuable platform for Indigenous artists to connect with each other and the wider community and share and sell their intentional creations.

Join us on June 18 at 7pm for a special reading and book signing with Vaughn Hadenfeldt, founding member of Bears Ears Partnership (formerly Friends of Cedar Mesa) and renowned guide and adventurer. Free and open to the public at the Bears Ears Education Center, 567 W Main St, Bluff, UT 84512.

The CCYC Summer Crews start work on June 1st, and will receive comprehensive training before working to protect cultural and ecological sites throughout the Bears Ears region.

CCYC provides opportunities for young adults to get hands-on experience in land conservation and stewardship projects across the Bears Ears region, in collaboration with land management agencies.

There was a large emphasis on trailwork, with new tread cut to provide access to the historic Posey Trail over Comb Ridge, and structures added to maintain the integrity of Honaker Trail above the San Juan River.

Leaders practiced their chainsaw skills by clearing non-native species at Sand Island at the southern end of our service region and constructed fencing at Creek Pasture Campground in Indian Creek.

The Canyon Country Youth Corps Crew Leader development season has wrapped up! Leaders received hands-on training opportunities and completed tangible conservation projects across the Bears Ears landscape.

Evening programming runs 9:30-11:30pm: Friday, June 5 at Needles District, Canyonlands National Park Visitor Center Saturday, June 6 at Natural Bridges National Monument Visitor Center

BEP is delighted to be part of the Annual Southeast Utah AstroFest! This festival is an amazing opportunity to experience the stunning dark skies this region is known for, learn from astronomy presentations, and participate in family friendly activities.

Check out our website for more stargazing opportunities! bearsearspartnership.org/events

We’re hosting monthly Star Parties around the Bears Ears region - join us and learn how to identify constellations and dark sky objects, protect our dark skies, and connect with fellow dark sky enthusiasts.

Our next Star Party in Monticello is Thursday, June 17 at 9:30pm, at 1117 N Main St, 84535, hosted in partnership with Project Archaeology. BEP Staff will point out celestial features. You can also learn how to operate this and other telescopes by becoming a Dark Sky Ambassador.

We installed and calibrated this new telescope last month in our observatory at Canyon Country Discovery Center, our Monticello campus and are looking forward to putting it to use. Huge thanks to expert Scott Tucker (Starizona) for coming in from Tucson to help us set up this exciting new tool.

Our Dark Sky Program just got a big upgrade. Say hello to the Celestron CGX-L 1400 - our new telescope featuring a 14” aperture, hyperstar lens, and high-definition camera.

Patten retraced Eastwood’s steps across the landscape, returning to Eastwood’s route in the hot summer months, on or near the same date as Eastwood collected plants, to compare what Eastwood found with what is growing now – offering creative insight into how these landscapes have changed over time.

We recently hosted writer, teacher, and naturalist Robin Patten for an engaging presentation at the Bears Ears Education Center. Patten shared about her latest book project Looking for Alice: Time and Truth in the High Desert of Hope.

Today is Endangered Species Day. The Bears Ears region is home to several species listed as endangered or otherwise threatened, including the California condor, the Mexican spotted owl, and the greenback cutthroat trout.

Thank you to everyone who participated. Will we see you at another star party this season? Join us for the Annual Southeast Utah AstroFest June 5-6, on June 11 in Bluff, or on June 17 in Monticello. Check our website for more details.

Temperatures were mild, the campground was full and bustling, and attendance was high. Our Education Team brought telescopes, lasers, and charisma for the occasion.

Goosenecks State Park was designated an International Dark Sky Place in 2021 – and we could see why. The incredibly unobstructed horizon of the location gives us some of the grandest and most accessible views of the night sky in Bears Ears.

Brilliantly illuminated clouds at sunset gave way to almost entirely clear skies for our first 2026 Goosenecks State Park Star Party with Utah State Parks.