Public Events

Archaeology has long captivated the American public, yet pop culture mythology often obscures the harsh realities, thrilling discoveries, and complex moral decisions that archaeologists confront out in the field. In his forthcoming book American Archaeology: Living History, Stolen Pasts, and Defending the Future (Torrey House Press), journalist and conservation archaeologist R. E. Burrillo illuminates the joys and contradictions of digging into humanity’s past: the history of the practice, its evolution toward science, the influences of nationalism and colonialism, and its ongoing problems with exploitation and misrepresentation.

Join us for this riveting conversation on Saturday, April 18 at 6:30pm at the Bears Ears Education Center (567 W Main St, Bluff, UT 84512). This event is free and open to the public. 

Join us Saturday, May 2 for an evening discussion featuring writer, teacher, and naturalist Robin Patten speaking about her book project, Looking for Alice: Time and Truth in the High Desert of Hope. In Spring 2025, Patten retraced the steps of Alice Eastwood (1859-1953), a self-taught botanist and herbarium curator at the California Academy of Sciences for over 50 years, to write a story of the high desert, two women (Alice and Robin) who traversed that land, and what they found and felt over one hundred and thirty years apart.

This event is free and open to the public, 6pm at the Bears Ears Education Center (567 W Main St, Bluff, UT 84512).

In this presentation, Len Necefer, PhD reflects on years of documenting landscapes and communities, sharing how firsthand experience shapes effective environmental storytelling.

We’re excited to offer another Bears Ears Teacher Workshop! This year’s session covers 3rd-8th grade curriculum over June 17-19, 2026 at the Canyon Country Discovery Center. The registration deadline is May 15. The full cost is $150, and scholarships are available.