Another wonderful video. Thank you. I really appreciate the fact that you take the time to express how important it is to respect these amazing historic artifacts. Staying out and only taking photographs ensures these places can be enjoyed by future generations (and studied by future archeololgists & investigators).
My list of places to visit in Utah is growing and growing in size, this is going to take me years of trips to come here and explore. loving all the information in your excellently produced video's. I bet those ruins would be awesome to photograph in the winter in snow.
First off, I love your photos. Love this part of the country and have been boating, hiking, mtn. biking, and of course driving along the bicentennial highway since it opened. Not only are the Indian ruins interesting, but also I enjoy finding totally untouched uranium mining camps or what appear to be untouched camps. I was mtn biking west of the Dirty Devil about 30 years ago and came to what appeared to be an untouched camp. I guesstimated it to about 1950 as there were pumps and generators with Sears Allstate Tires for one. I had to laugh there were two segregated trash piles. One was a 5-6 foot high mountain of oval key opened cans I guess of sardines, tuna or hash? Next to it was a much larger pile, about 9-10’ high of beer cans double punched by a can opener. At about minute 11 where you were descending rt 95 west before you turned off. I hit a deer walking along the shoulder heading east. He tried to run to the other side and his nose hit my mirror and the passenger window. Since my car is used by police and taxis, auto parts stores carry the mirror glass and it was good as new. I wondered where that road you turned off on went. I couldn’t take it in my car. I don’t think I would take it in your truck even. My bike? Maybe next summer. Anyway i really enjoyed your video.
Beautiful area. The ruins were particularly special. I'd love to see them up close, but hesitate to contribute to the "popularity/must see" effect on this sacred land. "Haven't we done enough?", is an inescapable feeling.
How did you find that ruin at the 13 min. mark? I've been looking for it as well. Which map did you use to locate it and which road is it off of? It looks like it's up above Arch canyon somewhere. I'm not sure how you could pm me. Thanks for the cool video and thanks if you can point me in the right direction.
The "raw untamed land" seems to have survived being "unprotected." You failed to mention what additional oversight a National Monument has over a federally designated wilderness area.
Great video! I've explored that area a bit and we are going out there again in a few weeks. I sure would like to figure out which ruin that is up on that cliff. I recognized a few of those places. Good stuff!
Great vids. I've watched 6 in a row so far. Just curious what app you use to track your route that's viewed as a satellite view? I'm leaving Indy for Moab in a few days. Plan on spending at least 3 weeks in Utah. That looks like a neat way to share my route!
The specific app I'm using right now is GaiaGPS. Before that it was BackCountry Navigator. But Google Earth allows you to import any KML or GPX file to create the path on their map, so most GPS units and apps work. As for making the video in google Earth, first you "Record a Tour" using the button on the toolbar. Then export it using the "Movie Maker" in the Tools section. The only difficulty is getting it to flow properly from one waypoint to another, and avoid weird rendering glitches you can't control.
The original name of the "Bears Ears" Monument proposal was Dine Bikeyah or Navajo Land. It was a plan hatched by a few at the behest of Senator Bennett to gain control of a large portion of San Juan County. Despite the diversity of the 1.9 million acres in the proposal and that some of the areas were 100 miles from the Bears Ears they decided to name the proposal after the one well documented Navajo settlement north of the river. Utah Dine Bikeyah's original proposal was that all 1.9 million acres be handed over to them to control in full. This outlandish attempt to grab the land is even more ludicrous when you consider that despite their name being "Utah Navajo Land" they were not elected by Utah Navajos like my family, nor did they get permission from Utah Navajos to say they represent us. What they did was use their political connections to go to Window Rock and promise politicians increased revenues if their proposal succeeds. Ultimately those who wanted control turned to a Monument proposal and turned down wilderness protections, and other concessions that did not include their power over the land.
Actually the Monument proposal goes WAYYYY further back than you think. The original Escalante Monument proposal dates to 1936 by Harold Ickes (not the Navajo) and would unify Canyonlands, Lake Powell, Capitol Reef, Natural Bridges, and half of the Grand Staircase Escalante. For the modern Bears Ears the Utah Navajo chapters voted 163 in support of Bears Ears, 3 opposed with Aneth refusing to vote. The Dine Bikeyah proposal was pretty grand in scale (similar to the eastern half of the 1936 proposal ironically) the Bears Ears as created was much more similar in size to the conservative Utah Public Lands Initiative Boundaries and preserved all existing wilderness designations. www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/national-monuments/utah/bears-ears/1936-proposed-map utahdinebikeyah.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UDB-BENM-with-Chapters-Resolutions-map-2Nov2017.pdf www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/documents/files/maps%20comparison.pdf
So Amazing! It's great to get a backstory on your photos! I recognized House On Fire, as I have been there, but the others, no I have not been to yet. Do the other ruins you show have a name? I'd not be brave enough to drive up Posey Road! You are brave! (You probably don't think so, seems like you are quite used to this!)
Yeah, sorry. Sometimes when referring to all tribes together it's easier to have one over-arching term. "Native American" is a good common generalization, but then there are some of us who were born on this land and call it our OUR native home land too (even if it wasn't our ancestors). Believe it or not I feel a spiritual connection to the land I was born on as well. I like in Australia natives on the land go by "Traditional Owners." Even if the land they're on is now government land it acknowledges that their people come from it and were managing the land first. All without a term excluding other people who now call the same land home.
It's a little misleading to say that certain areas are unprotected now that they are no longer part of Bears Ears National Monument. All of that land is still public land and is either under the care of the Forest Service or the BLM. Obviously the status is a little different, but to say it's unprotected means the Forest Service and the BLM are not doing their job.
Except for what was SOLD FEE SIMPLE some as little as $3 per acre, some to foreign extractive industries, all in the “dark of night” and not by prescribed “surplus property” disposition law. CRIMINAL ACTIVITY. 😡🤬
Thank you for bringing this up. The BLM does a ton to preserve and protect this area. The internet has ruined this country, not a government agency. This video is more detrimental to this country than anything a government agency has done or not done. When special places are published all over the internet they become overrun and ruined. If you want to preserve this country quit talking about it and enjoy it privately.
For the record, I think there are way too many wilderness area and national monument designations handed out these days. These lands belong to Americans - all Americans - and every time these designations are made, especially the wilderness areas, that means no road access or camp grounds and very limited trails. A small number of back country type hikers benefit, but average Americans , especially with families, can't access the very lands and parks they own and pay for.
Wilderness Areas don't take away access, if anybody puts up a gate blocking you from access report it! Unless there is a wildfire or something and the firefighters have closed the area, that's legit (been there done that). I think you're confusing access to Wilderness (which is your right and you're entitled to) with roads to every place you want to go (which is definitely not an entitlement). Any family can goto the wilderness, but their SUV can't. In fact even in places where cars and ATVs are allowed they're still required to stay on the trails and roads. I want to goto the peak of Mount Whitney but with the injuries I got in Iraq it's probably never going to happen no matter how hard I work at it. But I certainly don't fee I'm entitled to have a road paved upto the top because I should have EASY access to the lands and parks I pay for. But I still have access to the peak if I want to try (I would definitely die), just like I still have access to all Wilderness Areas (many of with are remote enough I would also die). Just like all families have access to Wilderness (my parents started taking me into the wilderness before I was even in school).
Explore Southwest I think he was referring to places that already have roads that later become wilderness areas. I agree that there should be some true wilderness areas set aside, but wilderness designations shouldn't be used as land grabs to take over new areas that already have roads in them. In other words, we don't always need new roads, but we should be able to use roads that are already there. And I obviously disagree with people like Bobby Redford who want to completely shut down and erase every road in the Uintas, but think it's fine to strip a mountain of trees and build a ski resort.
StereoSpace I've spent my whole life in Utah, and I think you're absolutely correct. And the older I get, the more I agree. We have 5 National Parks, 29+ State Parks, dozens of Monuments, several Recreation Areas (that follow most of the NP rules without the entrance fee), dozens of Wilderness areas, hundreds of Wilderness Study Areas, and various other escalated land designation areas. To put it as mildly as I can, I think we have ENOUGH! People whine about having Bears Ears and Grand Staircase reduced, and I just have to shake my head. Have those folks ever been to Utah?! You can't hardly point in any direction without some elevated land status boundary there. And any BLM or Forest Service land is already protected and criminal activities patrolled. No further escalation status is necessary. And if the BLM does sell mineral rights to a mining company, there are rules for them too. Go up north of Vernal by Steinaker SP and look at all the reclamed mining grounds. Or the same reclamation near Helper, Utah. Those mining companies replanted native shrubs and trees, and made the mining area as pretty as ever after they finished mining. It's now against the law to mine, or prospect, or leave a watershed without reclamating it afterwards. These "scare tactic" groups like the Sierra Club and SUWA want you to think that the land is in dire shape, and in eminent danger of becoming a landfill. Nothing could be further from the truth! Utah does not need elevated federal land status to be managed correctly.
@@utahwanderlust700 In 2011 Utah wanted to shut down some state parks because they couldn't afford to keep the open so why do they think they can run more lands like Bear's Ears and Grand Staircase.They let off the hook the Boy Scout Leader who toppled the Hoo Doo in Goblin Valley State Park and they think they can protect the thousands of acres of National Monuments?
George Muller Sorry, you are badly misinformed on every thing you said! State Parks are not cash strapped. They were handed over to the DNR to manage a few years ago. The DNR is actually on State payroll and gets money from several different sources besides entry fees. They are also currently looking at making two new SP's. And the GSNM and BENM are on BLM ground and have always been administered by the BLM. In fact, the GSNM was actually the first monument put under their management. The State has no jurisdiction over either monument. It is the responsibility of the BLM patrol officers to protect Monuments. State Parks are patrolled and protected by State DNR officers. Lastly, the men responsible for toppling the goblin pleaded guilty and were fined. They also recieved hundreds of death threats which probably made the judge go lighter on their sentences.
Yet the previous administration decided to drastically REDUCE Bear’s Ears and grand staircase by something like 85%. That reduction included SELLING THE LAND fee simple for as little as $3 per acre, most deals done in secrecy. I’ve been to Bear’s Ears and the DIRT from there is worth FAR MORE than $3 for a pickup truck load.😡🤬
I know this land better than most, and I care about it deeply. With that said, the last thing this land needs is swarms of tourists. You say that tourists don't go off marked trails, which is true for 99% of them, but just the 1% can really mess things up. Cows don't climb into ruins, take selfies with them, and slowly degrade and destroy them. If being "unprotected" is so bad, how did this land last hundreds of years of being "unprotected" in its pristine state? Nothing will take away the sacredness of this land like swarms of vain instagrammers geotagging every little ruin and sharing it with the world. At least I own private property covered with ruins that I can protect from the onslaught of selfish attention seekers that is sure to come. Sigh... Also, even "regular" BLM and FS lands have to go through large environmental and archaeological impact statements before any kind of mining or change in grazing plan. Not that anybody is trying to mine or drill on this land anyway...
It's interesting you mention Cows because I've seen ruins in the Grand Staircase trampled by cows. There are Pictographs there and in Sego Canyon that are being worn away from wet cows rubbing against them when they crowd into overhangs to escape the rain. Many ruins simply don't exist anymore because of cows trampling the area. You can see this at White Pocket and up on Dome Mesa, overhangs that sheltered Indians and later cows have rocks from ruins, broken pottery shards, and corn cob remains but everything is scattered randomly from hoofs walking all over the place. That's why all the best preserved ruins are the ones up high enough grazing animals can't get to them. Fact of the matter is that the ruins have seen MASSIVE wear in the decades of being unprotected and it's accelerating in the last couple decades now that more people are discovering them. That is exactly why they need protection. Bears Ears saw the most damage to it's archaeology between the 90's and 2000's. Before it was a Monument, and before "Instagramers" even existed. The idea that if we just "ignore it" people won't go there is patently false. Visitation was increasing before the Monument designation; it's a "Chicken and the egg" situation. Increased visitation is what led to the need of the Monument, not vice-versa.
It is true that cows damage ruins, inadvertently, and I obviously don't want that to happen, but at least the sites aren't targeted by cows... We definitely need to make sure that areas with high concentrations of fragile ruins are fenced off, which I know they often are, but also often aren't. Even badgers and other burrowing animals can harm ruins, and there obviously isn't anything we can do about that. I just can't imagine why anyone who actually loves this land would want to see it covered in often careless tourists. We obviously have differing opinions but both care for the land. Let's just hope that whatever decisions are made by our leaders are the best ones and that the land is properly cared for.
@@Wade-lk4yo I understand you argument for fencing to protect sensitive sites. That is why the BLM and Forest Service along with the five indigenous nations along with all that government tax support is needed. I have wandered around Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and I look forward to being able to explore Bears Ears and Grand Staircase but I have no interest is going where the lands are not protected. That also means that my tourist dollars are not coming there too.
Nice video, and being a Utah resident and outdoorsman, I can appreciate the beauty Utah has to offer. And by the way, I am one of those evil conservatives. Having said that keep in mind the Federal Government owns 63% of Utah (and 80% of our next-door neighbor Nevada). And, Utah has essentially little to say in its use. Except for public parks authorized by elected representatives of the people, there is absolutely no justification for the government to own any lands, aside from the lands authorized by Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17 of the U.S. Constitution. The federal government could shed enormous expense and reduce the size of the government by returning some land back to the states. State governments would then have enormous resources to convert to revenue to fund budget deficits and provide tax relief for private citizens and small businesses. The states are far better stewards of the land within their borders than the federal government could ever be. The people who live in Utah know Utah far better than bureaucrats in Washington. The people who live in Utah are entitled to their own land and resources, just as the people of New Jersey are entitled to theirs. JMHO
You keep saying "return the land" or "their own land". That's the misconception, it was NEVER State land, it was always Federal land. You actually already know this, just think back through how the west was won. It was purchased or exchanged by the US. A big chunk was part of the Louisiana Purchase, Utah specifically was ceded to the US by Mexico at the end of the Spanish American war. So it was US land as a territory before the state even existed. Then Utah became a state and there is a very important line in the Utah State constitution: "The people inhabiting this State do affirm and declare that they forever disclaim all right and title to the unappropriated public lands lying within the boundaries hereof, and to all lands lying within said limits owned or held by any Indian or Indian tribes, and that until the title thereto shall have been extinguished by the United States, the same shall be and remain subject to the disposition of the United States..." Because land has value no entity, government or private is going to just give land away. Money needs to change hands the land has to be bought or traded for something of value. If you want a good example of this look into the land exchange done in 1998 in the Grand Staircase Monument to exchange SITLA land inside the monument for federal land outside of the monument so the monument could be one piece and not look like swiss cheese. le.utah.gov/xcode/ArticleIII/Article_III.html?v=UC_AIII_1800010118000101
@@exploresouthwest well said! Problem is, as you said, it is FEDERAL LAND, treasure owned by THE CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES. Utah residents should consider themselves lucky to be able to USE the land, and it should be PROTECTED FROM EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES FOREVER. Some of the recent SALES collected as LITTLE AS $3 per acre (some to foreign extractive industries) in transactions that were, by and large, illegal by federal “surplus” disposition laws and standards. This was criminal, and there was NOTHING “conservative” about it. It is the antithesis of true conservatism. I’ve walked Bear’s Ears. A PICKUP TRUCK LOAD of DIRT AND ROCKS from there is worth far more than a lousy three bucks. SUCH a “deal maker”.😡🤬
@@hgj2019 Wow! The people that live their should be happy the federal government allows them to exist? How colonizer of you. Pretty soon you're going to say they should all be moved to "camps" or reservations...
@@dontbeaduffer you have clearly never experienced the joy of public land. I suppose it is possible that you are not a US citizen, in which case there is an excuse for your cluelessness. Either that or you are a moron, especially due to that smart-a$$crack about “moving the people to camps”. As far as reservations are concerned, there are thousands of acres of reservation land. Oh, and BTW, your use of THEIR in the first sentence was moronically incorrect. Should have been “the people who live THERE”. AND, ILL be a duffer if I want, I challenge YOU to “dontbeadumbass”.
@@hgj2019 1. It speaks volumes that you gloss over your colonizer mentality to point out an autocorrect blip. 2. I am no stranger to Cedar Mesa. 3. Dig your hole a little deeper.
“Local” is every US citizen. This is federal land, “owned” by us all. If you’re going to let “locals” determine what happens to it let be the local tribes the land was stolen from to begin with. The recent criminal land sales (yes, SALES) were done illegally, some under ”cover of darkness”, some to FOREIGN EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES, some as little as $3 per acre. DIRT AND ROCKS from this area is worth more than $3 a pickup truck load. 😡🤬
@H Gj stolen? you do know the indigenous tribes were nomadic living in the dirt pillaging from other tribes. There was no intellectual society. That’s why they were called savages. You should study history. Your lack of education shows🤔
@@lostagain2992 you are clearly a complete moron who is TRULY “lost again”. You have no clue regarding the complexity of indigenous society in the land now known as the United States. Ever walked the grounds of New Echota, the first Cherokee nation home in Georgia? What about Chaco Canyon in NM or any of the multiple other sites displaying the clearly advanced indigenous societies in the western states? You yourself have stated that you are not only lost once, but apparently you are now “lost again” and you feel the intellectual capacity to question another persons, let ALONE the entirety of indigenous society? You are the type of moron who brings new, highly elevated meaning to the term. Get out and read a few books. You might “find” out how truly stoopid you are. Truly a blithering idiot.
You are wrong about BLM. They do conduct scoping and public comments. NPS is not Wilderness. Wilderness is a separate designation. BLM mandate is for controlled use and resource development. You have barely touched it
Ummm...they didn’t on the land sakes in Grand Staircase Escalante / Bear’s Ears land sales. Most were done in anything BUT federal “surplus property” disposition, law, rules, and regulations. The SALE of land in this area, OUR (US citizen’s) land did not even approach a legal process. It was, in fact, a criminal theft of OUR land.
Perhaps you should restrict it from the homeless people from L. A.THAT WILL COME TO BOONDOCK FOR MONTHS ON END AND CRAP EVEREHERE THEN LEAVE THIER CAMPSITE TRASH EVERYWHERE..?
The first part I totally understand, not everybody has been out traveling these lands over the last 40 years watching them change and their highs and lows. It's easy to get caught up in the modern social media political machine. You'd be surprised how middle of the road I am between protection and development. But with Bears Ears I recorded this when I was excited it finally became a monument (it's needed it since the 90's when the looters went ham), but then I edited it just after it had it's protection stripped. It was kind of a shocker to see something fixed then broken again for no reason other than that pesky "politicial revenge" climate we have now. The second part of you comment makes no sense; I'm one of the most self loathing people in the world. I appreciate people saying positive things in these comments but I'm so socially awkward that I feel like I should be saying "I'm sorry" to them in return... I do try to be a bit more upbeat and energetic to make it "TH-cam-ish" and I guess I'm doing a decent job pretending if you think I'm a narcissist. But believe me I'm as shocked as anybody that there aren't more people here down voting simply because of my persona (not even starting on the political disagreement)... I'm the first to admit I'm not a charismatic screen presence.
Why does everything have to be so dramatized seriously I’m going to go explore Bears ears and I’ve been on lots of BLM There’s enough negative in the world without making everything political. Certainly would’ve enjoyed this film a lot more if it wasn’t politicized it took a lot of beauty away from the film
Are you not aware that the previous administration reduced federally protected land in Bear’s Ears/Grand Escalante by EIGHTY FIVE PERCENT? SOME land SOLD for as little as THREE DOLLARS AN ACRE? It IS POLITICAL, but those sales were CRIMINAL.
Great video. It burns me up to think that this ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY WITH THE STROKE OF A PEN CAN ENDANGER ALL THAT BEAUTIFUL LAND. IT'S A DISGRACE WHAT THEY ARE DOING IN THE NAME OF BIG BUSINESS. :( This president doesn't give a S%^T about the history or the significance of this country. smh. Sorry for the rant.
You probably think that some commie like Bernie Sanders would be more appropriate and caring. Love these freedoms while they last. Your generation will take it all down.
It’s the filthy left wing commies that hate this country and anyone who doesn’t think like they do that don’t give a shit. You will be lucky to even be able to visit a national park when this scum you love gets done with their brand of governing. But hey.........if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor. Morons.
Jimmy Pics It was a stroke of a pen from a cheating, lying, lowlife, cowardly adulterer that made the first Monument here in the first place! Good old Billy White Stain didn't even have the courage to come here himself when he signed the Grand Staircase away. Had to do it from Arizona, the coward. Maybe that's because he knew he was doing something we Utahns wouldn't like. Or maybe it was because he knew he was overstepping the bounds of the intended powers of designating a "special place" in the first place.
Well, my question might be, if the Bear's Ears NM was so specially protected and just wonderful beyond belief, how did it get to be so wonderful with just the signing of a Presidential decree? I infer you are implying that 'it's just BLM management now'. But was it not BLM management prior to the miraculous elevation to exalted the holy National Monument designation? If the BLM was so bad at management before, how was it then so wonderful as a monument, and now "unprotected"? I'm guessing the same management with existing regulations, like NEPA et al. You might have noticed that National Parks are some of the un-pristine, most regulated (your camping spot at 1:55?) and crowded areas in the country. Just a comment on the belief system that locking up areas and signing them, one come one all is not necessarily the best alternative for wilderness experiences. Jim, retired forester, USDA FS, who loves Cedar Mesa as many do. At 11:56 you are driving up a track, highly erosive, with the label 'protected'. Would you not think that driving in this area is detrimental to the 'protectied' status? Oh, forgot, like the video's scenes.
The entire Bear's Ears is one of the best historical areas in the U.S. Thank you for your respect and honor of these important sites.
Another wonderful video. Thank you. I really appreciate the fact that you take the time to express how important it is to respect these amazing historic artifacts. Staying out and only taking photographs ensures these places can be enjoyed by future generations (and studied by future archeololgists & investigators).
Me n my daughter went to this area last year .awesome area just beautiful
My list of places to visit in Utah is growing and growing in size, this is going to take me years of trips to come here and explore. loving all the information in your excellently produced video's. I bet those ruins would be awesome to photograph in the winter in snow.
I think my list of things to do in the area is now bigger than I can ever do in my lifetime too.
You make the best off-road travelogues I have ever watched. Very well-done, Sir.
Thanks so much. It's a bit of work to get it done in my free time but it means a lot if somebody is watching them.
Your videos and commentary are superb. Thank you for posting such marvelous videos of my favorite countryside!
A fantastic document of a priceless landscape. I wish I had known of this place when I was in the south-west a few years ago.
First off, I love your photos. Love this part of the country and have been boating, hiking, mtn. biking, and of course driving along the bicentennial highway since it opened. Not only are the Indian ruins interesting, but also I enjoy finding totally untouched uranium mining camps or what appear to be untouched camps. I was mtn biking west of the Dirty Devil about 30 years ago and came to what appeared to be an untouched camp. I guesstimated it to about 1950 as there were pumps and generators with Sears Allstate Tires for one. I had to laugh there were two segregated trash piles. One was a 5-6 foot high mountain of oval key opened cans I guess of sardines, tuna or hash? Next to it was a much larger pile, about 9-10’ high of beer cans double punched by a can opener. At about minute 11 where you were descending rt 95 west before you turned off. I hit a deer walking along the shoulder heading east. He tried to run to the other side and his nose hit my mirror and the passenger window. Since my car is used by police and taxis, auto parts stores carry the mirror glass and it was good as new. I wondered where that road you turned off on went. I couldn’t take it in my car. I don’t think I would take it in your truck even. My bike? Maybe next summer. Anyway i really enjoyed your video.
Beautiful area. The ruins were particularly special. I'd love to see them up close, but hesitate to contribute to the "popularity/must see" effect on this sacred land. "Haven't we done enough?", is an inescapable feeling.
Thank you! I totally enjoyed this video! Well done!
Very cool! I'm heading down there next month.
How did you find that ruin at the 13 min. mark? I've been looking for it as well. Which map did you use to locate it and which road is it off of? It looks like it's up above Arch canyon somewhere. I'm not sure how you could pm me. Thanks for the cool video and thanks if you can point me in the right direction.
The "raw untamed land" seems to have survived being "unprotected." You failed to mention what additional oversight a National Monument has over a federally designated wilderness area.
Great video! I've explored that area a bit and we are going out there again in a few weeks. I sure would like to figure out which ruin that is up on that cliff. I recognized a few of those places. Good stuff!
Great vids. I've watched 6 in a row so far. Just curious what app you use to track your route that's viewed as a satellite view? I'm leaving Indy for Moab in a few days. Plan on spending at least 3 weeks in Utah. That looks like a neat way to share my route!
The specific app I'm using right now is GaiaGPS. Before that it was BackCountry Navigator. But Google Earth allows you to import any KML or GPX file to create the path on their map, so most GPS units and apps work.
As for making the video in google Earth, first you "Record a Tour" using the button on the toolbar. Then export it using the "Movie Maker" in the Tools section. The only difficulty is getting it to flow properly from one waypoint to another, and avoid weird rendering glitches you can't control.
Beautiful, never heard about this area.
I like your videos.Very interresting.I want to visit Utah in September 2019.Good to have all this info.
Nicely done. You wouldn't happen to have a map of your route? I'm looking to explore the area this spring. Thanks.
The original name of the "Bears Ears" Monument proposal was Dine Bikeyah or Navajo Land. It was a plan hatched by a few at the behest of Senator Bennett to gain control of a large portion of San Juan County. Despite the diversity of the 1.9 million acres in the proposal and that some of the areas were 100 miles from the Bears Ears they decided to name the proposal after the one well documented Navajo settlement north of the river. Utah Dine Bikeyah's original proposal was that all 1.9 million acres be handed over to them to control in full. This outlandish attempt to grab the land is even more ludicrous when you consider that despite their name being "Utah Navajo Land" they were not elected by Utah Navajos like my family, nor did they get permission from Utah Navajos to say they represent us. What they did was use their political connections to go to Window Rock and promise politicians increased revenues if their proposal succeeds. Ultimately those who wanted control turned to a Monument proposal and turned down wilderness protections, and other concessions that did not include their power over the land.
Actually the Monument proposal goes WAYYYY further back than you think. The original Escalante Monument proposal dates to 1936 by Harold Ickes (not the Navajo) and would unify Canyonlands, Lake Powell, Capitol Reef, Natural Bridges, and half of the Grand Staircase Escalante.
For the modern Bears Ears the Utah Navajo chapters voted 163 in support of Bears Ears, 3 opposed with Aneth refusing to vote. The Dine Bikeyah proposal was pretty grand in scale (similar to the eastern half of the 1936 proposal ironically) the Bears Ears as created was much more similar in size to the conservative Utah Public Lands Initiative Boundaries and preserved all existing wilderness designations.
www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/national-monuments/utah/bears-ears/1936-proposed-map
utahdinebikeyah.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UDB-BENM-with-Chapters-Resolutions-map-2Nov2017.pdf
www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/documents/files/maps%20comparison.pdf
Interesting! Thanks for sharing.
Another to add to my todo list and a thumbs up
So Amazing! It's great to get a backstory on your photos! I recognized House On Fire, as I have been there, but the others, no I have not been to yet. Do the other ruins you show have a name? I'd not be brave enough to drive up Posey Road! You are brave! (You probably don't think so, seems like you are quite used to this!)
Another great video! Never been to this area before, but will have to add it to the list of places to visit!
Tribes living in the area; Navajos, Pueblos, Ute, Ute Mountains, and Zuni. We rather be called by our Tribal Names instead of, "Indians."
Yeah, sorry. Sometimes when referring to all tribes together it's easier to have one over-arching term. "Native American" is a good common generalization, but then there are some of us who were born on this land and call it our OUR native home land too (even if it wasn't our ancestors). Believe it or not I feel a spiritual connection to the land I was born on as well.
I like in Australia natives on the land go by "Traditional Owners." Even if the land they're on is now government land it acknowledges that their people come from it and were managing the land first. All without a term excluding other people who now call the same land home.
The last part is at the house of fire right?
It's actually a nearby ruin called Tower Ruin (not to be confused with the ruin of the same name in Canyonlands).
It's a little misleading to say that certain areas are unprotected now that they are no longer part of Bears Ears National Monument. All of that land is still public land and is either under the care of the Forest Service or the BLM. Obviously the status is a little different, but to say it's unprotected means the Forest Service and the BLM are not doing their job.
Except for what was SOLD FEE SIMPLE some as little as $3 per acre, some to foreign extractive industries, all in the “dark of night” and not by prescribed “surplus property” disposition law. CRIMINAL ACTIVITY. 😡🤬
Indeed, BLM does a poor job protecting these public lands. They resist protection at every turn. BLM = Bureau of Livestock and Mining.
Thank you for bringing this up. The BLM does a ton to preserve and protect this area. The internet has ruined this country, not a government agency. This video is more detrimental to this country than anything a government agency has done or not done. When special places are published all over the internet they become overrun and ruined. If you want to preserve this country quit talking about it and enjoy it privately.
For the record, I think there are way too many wilderness area and national monument designations handed out these days. These lands belong to Americans - all Americans - and every time these designations are made, especially the wilderness areas, that means no road access or camp grounds and very limited trails.
A small number of back country type hikers benefit, but average Americans , especially with families, can't access the very lands and parks they own and pay for.
Wilderness Areas don't take away access, if anybody puts up a gate blocking you from access report it! Unless there is a wildfire or something and the firefighters have closed the area, that's legit (been there done that).
I think you're confusing access to Wilderness (which is your right and you're entitled to) with roads to every place you want to go (which is definitely not an entitlement). Any family can goto the wilderness, but their SUV can't. In fact even in places where cars and ATVs are allowed they're still required to stay on the trails and roads. I want to goto the peak of Mount Whitney but with the injuries I got in Iraq it's probably never going to happen no matter how hard I work at it. But I certainly don't fee I'm entitled to have a road paved upto the top because I should have EASY access to the lands and parks I pay for.
But I still have access to the peak if I want to try (I would definitely die), just like I still have access to all Wilderness Areas (many of with are remote enough I would also die). Just like all families have access to Wilderness (my parents started taking me into the wilderness before I was even in school).
Explore Southwest I think he was referring to places that already have roads that later become wilderness areas. I agree that there should be some true wilderness areas set aside, but wilderness designations shouldn't be used as land grabs to take over new areas that already have roads in them. In other words, we don't always need new roads, but we should be able to use roads that are already there. And I obviously disagree with people like Bobby Redford who want to completely shut down and erase every road in the Uintas, but think it's fine to strip a mountain of trees and build a ski resort.
StereoSpace I've spent my whole life in Utah, and I think you're absolutely correct. And the older I get, the more I agree. We have 5 National Parks, 29+ State Parks, dozens of Monuments, several Recreation Areas (that follow most of the NP rules without the entrance fee), dozens of Wilderness areas, hundreds of Wilderness Study Areas, and various other escalated land designation areas. To put it as mildly as I can, I think we have ENOUGH!
People whine about having Bears Ears and Grand Staircase reduced, and I just have to shake my head. Have those folks ever been to Utah?! You can't hardly point in any direction without some elevated land status boundary there. And any BLM or Forest Service land is already protected and criminal activities patrolled. No further escalation status is necessary.
And if the BLM does sell mineral rights to a mining company, there are rules for them too. Go up north of Vernal by Steinaker SP and look at all the reclamed mining grounds. Or the same reclamation near Helper, Utah. Those mining companies replanted native shrubs and trees, and made the mining area as pretty as ever after they finished mining. It's now against the law to mine, or prospect, or leave a watershed without reclamating it afterwards. These "scare tactic" groups like the Sierra Club and SUWA want you to think that the land is in dire shape, and in eminent danger of becoming a landfill. Nothing could be further from the truth! Utah does not need elevated federal land status to be managed correctly.
@@utahwanderlust700 In 2011 Utah wanted to shut down some state parks because they couldn't afford to keep the open so why do they think they can run more lands like Bear's Ears and Grand Staircase.They let off the hook the Boy Scout Leader who toppled the Hoo Doo in Goblin Valley State Park and they think they can protect the thousands of acres of National Monuments?
George Muller Sorry, you are badly misinformed on every thing you said! State Parks are not cash strapped. They were handed over to the DNR to manage a few years ago. The DNR is actually on State payroll and gets money from several different sources besides entry fees. They are also currently looking at making two new SP's.
And the GSNM and BENM are on BLM ground and have always been administered by the BLM. In fact, the GSNM was actually the first monument put under their management. The State has no jurisdiction over either monument. It is the responsibility of the BLM patrol officers to protect Monuments. State Parks are patrolled and protected by State DNR officers.
Lastly, the men responsible for toppling the goblin pleaded guilty and were fined. They also recieved hundreds of death threats which probably made the judge go lighter on their sentences.
These are remarkably beautiful places. I hate to see development. We need to preserve these places.
It pains me to see all that oil drilling in such a beautiful area, damn you orange man!
To be honest, I think this should be protected for history and beauty
Yet the previous administration decided to drastically REDUCE Bear’s Ears and grand staircase by something like 85%. That reduction included SELLING THE LAND fee simple for as little as $3 per acre, most deals done in secrecy. I’ve been to Bear’s Ears and the DIRT from there is worth FAR MORE than $3 for a pickup truck load.😡🤬
I know this land better than most, and I care about it deeply. With that said, the last thing this land needs is swarms of tourists. You say that tourists don't go off marked trails, which is true for 99% of them, but just the 1% can really mess things up. Cows don't climb into ruins, take selfies with them, and slowly degrade and destroy them. If being "unprotected" is so bad, how did this land last hundreds of years of being "unprotected" in its pristine state? Nothing will take away the sacredness of this land like swarms of vain instagrammers geotagging every little ruin and sharing it with the world. At least I own private property covered with ruins that I can protect from the onslaught of selfish attention seekers that is sure to come. Sigh...
Also, even "regular" BLM and FS lands have to go through large environmental and archaeological impact statements before any kind of mining or change in grazing plan. Not that anybody is trying to mine or drill on this land anyway...
It's interesting you mention Cows because I've seen ruins in the Grand Staircase trampled by cows. There are Pictographs there and in Sego Canyon that are being worn away from wet cows rubbing against them when they crowd into overhangs to escape the rain. Many ruins simply don't exist anymore because of cows trampling the area. You can see this at White Pocket and up on Dome Mesa, overhangs that sheltered Indians and later cows have rocks from ruins, broken pottery shards, and corn cob remains but everything is scattered randomly from hoofs walking all over the place. That's why all the best preserved ruins are the ones up high enough grazing animals can't get to them.
Fact of the matter is that the ruins have seen MASSIVE wear in the decades of being unprotected and it's accelerating in the last couple decades now that more people are discovering them. That is exactly why they need protection. Bears Ears saw the most damage to it's archaeology between the 90's and 2000's. Before it was a Monument, and before "Instagramers" even existed.
The idea that if we just "ignore it" people won't go there is patently false. Visitation was increasing before the Monument designation; it's a "Chicken and the egg" situation. Increased visitation is what led to the need of the Monument, not vice-versa.
It is true that cows damage ruins, inadvertently, and I obviously don't want that to happen, but at least the sites aren't targeted by cows... We definitely need to make sure that areas with high concentrations of fragile ruins are fenced off, which I know they often are, but also often aren't. Even badgers and other burrowing animals can harm ruins, and there obviously isn't anything we can do about that. I just can't imagine why anyone who actually loves this land would want to see it covered in often careless tourists. We obviously have differing opinions but both care for the land. Let's just hope that whatever decisions are made by our leaders are the best ones and that the land is properly cared for.
Wade Bozeman Right on Wade.
@@Wade-lk4yo I understand you argument for fencing to protect sensitive sites. That is why the BLM and Forest Service along with the five indigenous nations along with all that government tax support is needed. I have wandered around Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and I look forward to being able to explore Bears Ears and Grand Staircase but I have no interest is going where the lands are not protected. That also means that my tourist dollars are not coming there too.
@@exploresouthwest If you are actually worried about people "discovering" these places, why are you broadcasting them for monetary gain?
Nice video, and being a Utah resident and outdoorsman, I can appreciate the beauty Utah has to offer. And by the way, I am one of those evil conservatives. Having said that keep in mind the Federal Government owns 63% of Utah (and 80% of our next-door neighbor Nevada). And, Utah has essentially little to say in its use. Except for public parks authorized by elected representatives of the people, there is absolutely no justification for the government to own any lands, aside from the lands authorized by Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17 of the U.S. Constitution. The federal government could shed enormous expense and reduce the size of the government by returning some land back to the states. State governments would then have enormous resources to convert to revenue to fund budget deficits and provide tax relief for private citizens and small businesses. The states are far better stewards of the land within their borders than the federal government could ever be. The people who live in Utah know Utah far better than bureaucrats in Washington. The people who live in Utah are entitled to their own land and resources, just as the people of New Jersey are entitled to theirs. JMHO
You keep saying "return the land" or "their own land". That's the misconception, it was NEVER State land, it was always Federal land.
You actually already know this, just think back through how the west was won. It was purchased or exchanged by the US. A big chunk was part of the Louisiana Purchase, Utah specifically was ceded to the US by Mexico at the end of the Spanish American war. So it was US land as a territory before the state even existed. Then Utah became a state and there is a very important line in the Utah State constitution:
"The people inhabiting this State do affirm and declare that they forever disclaim all right and title to the unappropriated public lands lying within the boundaries hereof, and to all lands lying within said limits owned or held by any Indian or Indian tribes, and that until the title thereto shall have been extinguished by the United States, the same shall be and remain subject to the disposition of the United States..."
Because land has value no entity, government or private is going to just give land away. Money needs to change hands the land has to be bought or traded for something of value. If you want a good example of this look into the land exchange done in 1998 in the Grand Staircase Monument to exchange SITLA land inside the monument for federal land outside of the monument so the monument could be one piece and not look like swiss cheese.
le.utah.gov/xcode/ArticleIII/Article_III.html?v=UC_AIII_1800010118000101
@@exploresouthwest well said! Problem is, as you said, it is FEDERAL LAND, treasure owned by THE CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES. Utah residents should consider themselves lucky to be able to USE the land, and it should be PROTECTED FROM EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES FOREVER.
Some of the recent SALES collected as LITTLE AS $3 per acre (some to foreign extractive industries) in transactions that were, by and large, illegal by federal “surplus” disposition laws and standards. This was criminal, and there was NOTHING “conservative” about it. It is the antithesis of true conservatism.
I’ve walked Bear’s Ears. A PICKUP TRUCK LOAD of DIRT AND ROCKS from there is worth far more than a lousy three bucks. SUCH a “deal maker”.😡🤬
@@hgj2019 Wow! The people that live their should be happy the federal government allows them to exist? How colonizer of you. Pretty soon you're going to say they should all be moved to "camps" or reservations...
@@dontbeaduffer you have clearly never experienced the joy of public land. I suppose it is possible that you are not a US citizen, in which case there is an excuse for your cluelessness. Either that or you are a moron, especially due to that smart-a$$crack about “moving the people to camps”. As far as reservations are concerned, there are thousands of acres of reservation land. Oh, and BTW, your use of THEIR in the first sentence was moronically incorrect. Should have been “the people who live THERE”. AND, ILL be a duffer if I want, I challenge YOU to “dontbeadumbass”.
@@hgj2019 1. It speaks volumes that you gloss over your colonizer mentality to point out an autocorrect blip. 2. I am no stranger to Cedar Mesa. 3. Dig your hole a little deeper.
The locals probably know best.
“Local” is every US citizen. This is federal land, “owned” by us all. If you’re going to let “locals” determine what happens to it let be the local tribes the land was stolen from to begin with. The recent criminal land sales (yes, SALES) were done illegally, some under ”cover of darkness”, some to FOREIGN EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES, some as little as $3 per acre. DIRT AND ROCKS from this area is worth more than $3 a pickup truck load. 😡🤬
@@hgj2019 Owned by us all but let local tribes control? Misnomer right? Foreign Extractive Industries... sounds like democrats in bed with China.
@@lostagain2992 HA! Your lord and master Conald is the one who did this. Make no mistake about it. Open your eyes.
@H Gj stolen? you do know the indigenous tribes were nomadic living in the dirt pillaging from other tribes. There was no intellectual society. That’s why they were called savages. You should study history. Your lack of education shows🤔
@@lostagain2992 you are clearly a complete moron who is TRULY “lost again”. You have no clue regarding the complexity of indigenous society in the land now known as the United States. Ever walked the grounds of New Echota, the first Cherokee nation home in Georgia? What about Chaco Canyon in NM or any of the multiple other sites displaying the clearly advanced indigenous societies in the western states? You yourself have stated that you are not only lost once, but apparently you are now “lost again” and you feel the intellectual capacity to question another persons, let ALONE the entirety of indigenous society?
You are the type of moron who brings new, highly elevated meaning to the term.
Get out and read a few books. You might “find” out how truly stoopid you are. Truly a blithering idiot.
Nobody wants to hear you whine about some land being open to more uses.
You are wrong about BLM. They do conduct scoping and public comments. NPS is not Wilderness. Wilderness is a separate designation. BLM mandate is for controlled use and resource development. You have barely touched it
Ummm...they didn’t on the land sakes in Grand Staircase Escalante / Bear’s Ears land sales. Most were done in anything BUT federal “surplus property” disposition, law, rules, and regulations. The SALE of land in this area, OUR (US citizen’s) land did not even approach a legal process. It was, in fact, a criminal theft of OUR land.
Perhaps you should restrict it from the homeless people from L. A.THAT WILL COME TO BOONDOCK FOR MONTHS ON END AND CRAP EVEREHERE THEN LEAVE THIER CAMPSITE TRASH EVERYWHERE..?
Man if you liked that so much you'll love some of the videos I have coming.
Keep watching!
This is so hard to watch with non stop political agenda and narcissistic comments
The first part I totally understand, not everybody has been out traveling these lands over the last 40 years watching them change and their highs and lows. It's easy to get caught up in the modern social media political machine. You'd be surprised how middle of the road I am between protection and development. But with Bears Ears I recorded this when I was excited it finally became a monument (it's needed it since the 90's when the looters went ham), but then I edited it just after it had it's protection stripped. It was kind of a shocker to see something fixed then broken again for no reason other than that pesky "politicial revenge" climate we have now.
The second part of you comment makes no sense; I'm one of the most self loathing people in the world. I appreciate people saying positive things in these comments but I'm so socially awkward that I feel like I should be saying "I'm sorry" to them in return... I do try to be a bit more upbeat and energetic to make it "TH-cam-ish" and I guess I'm doing a decent job pretending if you think I'm a narcissist. But believe me I'm as shocked as anybody that there aren't more people here down voting simply because of my persona (not even starting on the political disagreement)...
I'm the first to admit I'm not a charismatic screen presence.
Why does everything have to be so dramatized seriously I’m going to go explore Bears ears and I’ve been on lots of BLM There’s enough negative in the world without making everything political. Certainly would’ve enjoyed this film a lot more if it wasn’t politicized it took a lot of beauty away from the film
Are you not aware that the previous administration reduced federally protected land in Bear’s Ears/Grand Escalante by EIGHTY FIVE PERCENT? SOME land SOLD for as little as THREE DOLLARS AN ACRE? It IS POLITICAL, but those sales were CRIMINAL.
The cattle and other animals belong there. You, sir, do not.
Great video. It burns me up to think that this ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY WITH THE STROKE OF A PEN CAN ENDANGER ALL THAT BEAUTIFUL LAND. IT'S A DISGRACE WHAT THEY ARE DOING IN THE NAME OF BIG BUSINESS. :( This president doesn't give a S%^T about the history or the significance of this country. smh. Sorry for the rant.
You probably think that some commie like Bernie Sanders would be more appropriate and caring. Love these freedoms while they last. Your generation will take it all down.
It’s the filthy left wing commies that hate this country and anyone who doesn’t think like they do that don’t give a shit. You will be lucky to even be able to visit a national park when this scum you love gets done with their brand of governing. But hey.........if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor. Morons.
Jimmy Pics It was a stroke of a pen from a cheating, lying, lowlife, cowardly adulterer that made the first Monument here in the first place! Good old Billy White Stain didn't even have the courage to come here himself when he signed the Grand Staircase away. Had to do it from Arizona, the coward. Maybe that's because he knew he was doing something we Utahns wouldn't like. Or maybe it was because he knew he was overstepping the bounds of the intended powers of designating a "special place" in the first place.
Well, my question might be, if the Bear's Ears NM was so specially protected and just wonderful beyond belief, how did it get to be so wonderful with just the signing of a Presidential decree? I infer you are implying that 'it's just BLM management now'. But was it not BLM management prior to the miraculous elevation to exalted the holy National Monument designation? If the BLM was so bad at management before, how was it then so wonderful as a monument, and now "unprotected"? I'm guessing the same management with existing regulations, like NEPA et al. You might have noticed that National Parks are some of the un-pristine, most regulated (your camping spot at 1:55?) and crowded areas in the country. Just a comment on the belief system that locking up areas and signing them, one come one all is not necessarily the best alternative for wilderness experiences. Jim, retired forester, USDA FS, who loves Cedar Mesa as many do. At 11:56 you are driving up a track, highly erosive, with the label 'protected'. Would you not think that driving in this area is detrimental to the 'protectied' status?
Oh, forgot, like the video's scenes.
Lost interest watching after you honking at the cow and starting a video angry. No need to take your frustration out on the cow. Unsubscribed.