Battle Over Bears Ears, a one-hour documentary produced by PBS Utah, explores the deep connections to place and the vast cultural divides that are fueling the fight over how the Bears Ears Monument is protected and managed. Whose voices are heard, whose are lost, and how do all sides find common ground in this uncommon place?

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About this Film

At its heart, it’s a battle for homeland and sovereignty. Bears Ears, a remote section of land characterized by its distinctive red cliffs and abundance of juniper and sage, is at the center of a fight over who has a say in how Western landscapes are protected and managed. With the stroke of a pen, President Obama designated 1.35 million acres in Utah’s southeastern corner as the Bears Ears National Monument. But Obama’s move also renewed the fight between Westerners and Washington, and furthered the divide between those who live in the monument’s backyard, their elected leaders and those who see preservation as a vital and urgent need.

For many local San Juan County residents, the Bears Ears National Monument represents land that was occupied by their Native American ancestors, or homesteaded by their pioneer forefathers. It’s a land that they’re deeply connected to, land they feel is meant for them to use and manage. Most local monument opponents hold the belief that they — not environmentalists from Salt Lake City, not bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., not backpackers who trek through the canyons once a year — are the best stewards of the place.