The Bears Ears Education Center (BEEC) opened its doors in Bluff, UT in September 2016 with the intention of teaching visitors how to respectfully visit the cultural and natural spaces of Bears Ears National Monument. This community-powered space equips hikers, backpackers, paddlers, climbers, and other recreational users with tips on how to visit the public lands of San Juan County and beyond with respect.
The Center has certainly grown since it opened in 2016, now featuring numerous educational indoor and outdoor exhibits, an outdoor classroom and a Native Plants Garden in the side-yard, as well as space to host speakers and other community events…there’s even more in the works!
Keep reading to learn more about all that the BEEC has to offer, check out the BEEC’s website, and make sure to swing by and say hello to our wonderful staff and volunteers next time you are in Bluff!
Visit with Respect
In response to a rapid increase in visitation to the Bears Ears region, Friends of Cedar Mesa developed the Visit with Respect (VWR) campaign to encourage responsible visitation and curb the degradation of the cultural and physical landscape. The VWR campaign provides well-intentioned visitors the resources they need to visit the sensitive landscapes of the Bears Ears region without loving it to death.
The VWR display is one of the most important exhibits we have at the BEEC and is a must-see before setting foot on the landscape.
Visit with Respect Exhibit.
Living Perishables Project
In collaboration with Laurie Webster of the Cedar Mesa Perishables Project, the BEEC will be hosting the Living Perishables Project, an exhibit in which Indigenous makers–including FCM board member Christopher Lewis (pictured to the left)–will display both re-creations of historical archaeological artifacts and original pieces.
This will be an interactive exhibit where visitors can handle these recreations–including a pot, basket, and wooden tools– as well as learn more about the Indigenous makers who created them.
Board Member Christopher Lewis with a basket, part of the Cedar Mesa Perishables Project.
Native Plants Garden
Our BEEC Manager, Sylvia Taylor, has been working hard to grow many of the unique species of plants native to the Bears Ears region, in the side-yard garden. Some of the plants currently growing in the Native Plants Garden are juniper and pinyon trees, yucca, wolfberry, columbine, among many others!
The presence of these native plants in the BEEC garden represents not only the important ecological role they play in the region, but the cultural importance they hold to many of the region’s Tribes and Pueblos.
Yucca flower on the landscape.
We Have a New Outdoor Classroom!
New shade structure in the BEEC side-yard.
This fall, the BEEC expanded outdoors with a new classroom space in the side-yard! Many dedicated volunteers worked alongside our staff and board to build a beautiful shade structure that will serve as an outdoor classroom space for future events and exhibits.
A big thank you to our supporters who made funding and building this structure possible!
Coming soon, in June…Thanks to the Utah Classroom Grant, our BEEC staff and volunteers will be installing an exciting, interactive paleontology and geology exhibit in the shade structure. Make sure to check it out this summer!
Visit with Respect Mural
Have you seen the new mural next-door to the BEEC?
FCM is honored to have collaborated this past fall with renowned Four Corners artist, Venaya Yazzie, to create a permanent art piece that inspires reverence for Bears Ears and embodies indigenous perspectives.
This mural was inspired by the cultural landscape of Bears Ears and a deep desire to ensure visitors respect these lands are reminded to Visit with Respect.
Visit with Respect Mural
Call for Volunteers!
Come join the wonderful team of volunteers at the BEEC!
We still need volunteers to help run the BEEC in June and November. This is a fantastic opportunity to not only support Friends of Cedar Mesa but to greet and educate visitors, as well as to help them plan their trips to Bears Ears.
If you’re interested in volunteering, please contact BEEC Manager Sylvia Taylor for more information!
Upcoming Events at the BEEC
April 22nd, @6pm: R.E. Burrillo on A Short History of Looting and Vandalism in the Northern Southwest.
Join us at the BEEC for a presentation by archaeologist, author, and conservation advocate, R.E. Burrillo.
May 6th, @7pm: Wanda Raschkow on Roads, Corrals, Dams, and Trees: The Civilian Conservation Corps
Join us at the BEEC for a presentation by one FCM’s own Site Stewardship Coordinator, Wanda Raschkow.
We Are Still Accepting Applications for the Stewards VISTA Volunteer Position!
Do you want to get involved in place-based, experiential science and social studies education programming? We are hiring a VISTA volunteer to develop and implement curriculum for both classroom settings and field trips.
Compensation includes: relocation allowance, choice of education award or end of service stipend, childcare assistance (if eligible), health coverage, and training.