More than 700 archaeologists have signed a letter urging President Obama to protect the Bears Ears region in southeastern Utah.
A coalition of five tribal nations has proposed a 1.9 million-acre national monument to protect Bears Ears. The nations are the Hopi, Navajo, Ute Mountain Ute, Uintah and Ouray Ute, and Zuni.
“All these groups continue to see this area as important because: one, ancestors are buried there; two, it’s part of their history; three, they may visit the area to visit shrines, special places, and to collect medicinal herbs and plants that are important in religious ceremonies,” said Bill Lipe, a professor emeritus at Washington State University.
Lipe has researched the archaeology of southeastern Utah for more than 50 years, and is one of more than 700 archaeologists who signed a letter urging Obama to protect Bears Ears. It’s home to more than 100,000 archaeological sites, many which hold cultural significance for tribes.