Bears Ears National Monument

Parkwest ended last fall's Desert Safari tour in beautiful Bluff, UT. At that time, the locals were on the edge of their seats wondering if Bears Ears National Monument would be established or not, and pondered both the positive and negative impacts such establishment might mean for their quaint, off-the-beaten-path village.

In December, then President Obama proclaimed the Monument, a 1.3 million-acre chunk of land that includes beautiful landscapes, Native American cultural sites, the Valley of the Gods and Moqui Dugway, and it completely surrounds Natural Bridges National Monument, where we toured by Jeep.

Like most national news in the past 6 months, the designation came with controversy.  Native Americans and conservationists applaud the move; Republican leaders at both the state and national level are considering ways to rescind the designation.  Read more here.