Welcome to Bears Ears National Monument
Alex
10

When We Became “Welcome to Bears Ears”: A Metamorphosis

One morning, Eric and I woke in the desert from uneasy politics and found we had turned into a large “Welcome to Bears Ears” sign.

For two days, some people treated us like monstrous vermin. Well, nine people did. Nine whites treated us unkindly (spoiler).

Turning into ‘Welcome to Bears Ears’

Making Welcome to Bears Ears Signs
“What better way could we spend Memorial day than by remembering this land’s First Peoples?” [PC: Eric Follett]
Memorial Day weekend, 2017: we found ourselves in Bears Ears National Monument.

Yet, no sign welcomed us. Nearly half a year since President Obama listened to the Inter-Tribal Coalition and designated Bears Ears as a National Monument, yet no evidence of such a monument existed: no signs, no maps, no brochures, no sticker- and magnet- and sweatshirt- and mug-filled gift shop kiosks.

Only more than 100,000 sacred sites scattered across nearly two million acres and a gas station attendant in Hanksville dodging the question with her own: “but where exactly is it you want to go?”

A young ranger at Natural Bridges National Monument scanned her surroundings with darting glances: “We actually can’t tell you anything about that. Since we are our own Monument.” Her voice shrunk to a hush: “But know Bears Ears surrounds us in every direction.”

Eric and I felt a responsibility to Bears Ears taking root. A pressure entangled us, winding to the surface, changing us. What better way could we spend Memorial day than by remembering this land’s First Peoples?

Bears Ears official map
Using the official Bears Ears National Monument Map, we traveled the UT-95 (not on map), the highway connecting Hanksville to Blanding. One day, we were “Welcome to Bears Ears National Monument” at the west entrance just passed the Glen Canyon National Recreational Area, and another day we were “Welcome to Bears Ears National Monument” at the east entrance a few miles from Blanding. [Map: Bears Ears Coalition, Fair Use]

‘Welcome to Bears Ears National Monument’

Welcome to Bears Ears National Monument
Staged so I look cool, this photo doesn’t show how we actually became the sign. We stood close to the highway, and on the backside our sign read, “Happy Memorial Day” for folks leaving Bears Ears. Here we were the welcome sign at the west entrance. [PC: Eric Follett]
Welcome to Bears Ears National Monument east entrance
Eric needs no staging to look cool. This is basically exactly how we looked on the second day at the east entrance.
Welcome to Bears Ears grass roots activism
When no one was around, a sign wished he was reading Kafka, or even better, Leslie Marmon Silko. [PC: Eric Follet]

How People Reacted

As “Welcome to Bears Ears National Monument,” we recorded every single reaction. The following analysis only included those vehicles that in fact reacted in some way to our becoming a sign.

positive and negative reactions to Bears Ears
Positive reactions: 234 | Negative reactions: 9
white diesel truck driving people took issue with a Welcome to Bears Ears National Monument sign
Note: several whites in big diesel trucks offered positive reactions. It just so happens to be that a 100% predictor of a negative reaction included these two traits simultaneously.
Honking at Welcome to Bears Ears sign
Note: each datum did not necessarily occur in isolation. E.g. one angry white man driving the big diesel truck issued an angry long honk, while an angry white man riding shotgun brandished a prominent, unmistakable middle finger.
Hand gestures at Bears Ears National Monument sign
Note: while data overwhelmingly support our becoming “Welcome to Bears Ears,” a clear bias should be acknowledged: we welcomed people to Bears Ears at Bears Ears. Had we become this sign, for instance, at the entrance of the DQ Grill & Chill in Belgrade, Montana, reactions would have varied dramatically (I assume).

Other reactions not included in the above column charts:

  • A solely friendly facial reaction, Total: 12
    • Just a smile (coupled with no other friendly datum): 9
    • A simple, approving nod (coupled with no other friendly datum): 3
  • A friendly exclamation (coupled with no other friendly datum), Total: 2
    • A seemingly friendly mouthed phrase behind an ultimately opaque window: 1
    • “Hang Loose!”: 1
  • A vehicular non-honk reaction, Total: 11
    • A significant slow-down (coupled with another friendly datum): 10
    • A friendly Headlight Wink: 1
    • A significant slow-down of a big diesel truck with a white woman of recent Manifest Destiny descent screaming from shotgun: “NO WE DON’T!”: 1
  • A Going-Out-of-Their-Way Friendly Gesture (And irrefutable evidence that the states of Washington and New Mexico have people who are amazing), Total: 5
    • A stop to chat (mainly to ask National Monument Qs, since we became the singular Bears Ears information for a 1,351,849 acre area), Total: 3
      • A stop to chat & take photos: 2
      • A u-turn to chat & offer business cards: 1
    • A stop by a Washington couple to give us cold beers: 1
    • A family from New Mexico who went to Blanding and back just to buy us Peace Tea: 1

Bears Ears Changed Us For Good

Before becoming a welcome sign, Eric and I had never actively protested. We’d long orbited the hairball, as pleased as punch as two individual satellites could be. Or so we thought. We were two middle-class, white, heterosexual, right-handed boys born and raised in a power structure of wealthy, white, hetero-normative, right-handed men. What on Earth did we have to protest?

Then, as we stood, a large sign welcoming cars and trucks and RVs to Bears Ears, a van carrying First Peoples drove by. They sang out with joy.

Beyond any argument about economy or resources or recreation, at the heart of Bears Ears National Monument lives a place sacred to the First Peoples who created the Inter-Tribal Coalition to protect their home. Considering the irrevocable atrocities we have carried out against them and their home, theirs is a song we should honor above all else.

A cactus flowering in Bears Ears National Monument
A cactus’s implausible home right from the stone. A memorial for the ingenious people who somehow thrived here for thousands of years.

10 responses to “When We Became “Welcome to Bears Ears”: A Metamorphosis”

  1. Terri Martin Avatar

    Hi there. Love this! As an organizer with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, I’ve been part of the large network of people standing and working with the Tribes in support of protecting Bears Ears.
    I love the humor and creativity of your action!
    Keep it up. 🙂

    1. Alex Avatar
      Alex

      Wow, thank you, Terri! And especially thank you for SUWA’s amazing work in helping educate people about Bears Ears. It was through your work with SUWA that I learned about townhall meetings to attend and also about protests. In a large way, this post is indebted to SUWA. Thank you!

      1. Terri Martin Avatar

        Alex — Excellent. Were you at one of the recent Curtis townhalls or one of the earlier meetings held by Stewart or Bishop?
        Are you in Utah then?
        We always like to connect with creative citizen activists.
        If you are willing, send me your regular email so I can put you on my personal list of activists.

        1. Alex Avatar
          Alex

          Yes! I went to the earlier meetings held by Stewart and Bishop, as well as the capitol building when Trump came. Unfortunately, I missed the Curtis townhalls. We have spent most of February trying to raise awareness about the Kilgore Project up in Idaho that will prove disastrous to the northern Rockies’ ecosystems. I’ve made a handful of trips down to Grand Staircase and Bears Ears to learn about the area and talk to locals. I’ve yet to make it to Bluff though, which from the articles online, seems to be a wonderful hub for this conversation.

          I’m living in northern Utah right now, teaching English at UVU. And I would love to connect with you! I’ll send you an email with my personal email in it. Thanks!

          1. Terri Martin Avatar

            Excellent.
            My fellow organizer, Dave Pacheco, is making a presentation tomorrow at UVU which multiple teachers are assigning to their students.
            We are working to organize student voices there on talk to Curtis about the value of public lands, wilderness, Bears Ears.
            Definitely much to talk about!

          2. Alex Avatar
            Alex

            What time is the presentation? I have two students who are doing research projects about Bears Ears, so even if I have to teach during the event, I’d love to let my students know about it!

  2. Travis Hammill Avatar
    Travis Hammill

    Another organizer for SUWA here, and I absolutely love the creativeness you all bring to the push to protect these amazing lands. Yall keep up the good work!

    1. Alex Avatar
      Alex

      Thanks, Travis! It means a lot to receive such kinds words from folks at SUWA! If I had my wish, there’d be a human “Welcome to Bears Ears National Monument” stationed on the borders that the Inter-Tribal Coalition worked out with President Obama until they actually make a permanent sign. I’d be curious what the reception would be now if we returned to protest again. I’ll start seeing about going down there this upcoming Memorial Day.

  3. Liam Avatar
    Liam

    This was great! Thank you for inspiring me to research and write about the area for my semester paper! I loved your class! If there are any protests planned for this summer I would love to know and I have a few friends that would be interested in coming as well!
    Thanks

    1. Alex Avatar
      Alex

      Thanks, Liam! I’m glad we were able to swing it so your backpacking was also your research. I’ll keep you in the loop about any protests we hear about.

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