KUER
Moon House is an archaeological site on Cedar Mesa. It is the only site in Bears Ears National Monument that requires a permit.
This year is shaping up to be one of the busiest ever for visitation in and around Bears Ears National Monument, according to advocates who say tourism is wreaking havoc on the fragile landscape.
Tourism in the area has been increasing for over a decade, said Josh Ewing. He’s the executive director of Friends of Cedar Mesa, a nonprofit group that works to protect archaeological sites in and around Bears Ears.
“With the advent of social media, and in particular photo sites like Instagram, we started seeing visitation increase significantly,” Ewing said “We estimated that there was a huge increase, maybe as much as a 300% increase, just between 2010 and 2015.”
Published April 28, 2021 at 9:21 AM MDT Listen • 5:05
/ A new report from Utah housing advocates shows the state could lose 40% of federally subsidized rentals for older adults by 2045. This story and more in the Wednesday morning news brief.
Wednesday morning, April 28, 2021
State
A new report from Utah housing advocates shows the state could
lose 40% of federally subsidized rentals for older adults by 2045. Otelo Reggy-Beane with the Utah Housing Coalition authored the report. He said subsidized units are being converted into market-rate spaces, and that forcing seniors to relocate can “negatively impact their physical and mental health and increase their likelihood of experiencing homelessness.” Reggy-Beane said many older people rely on fixed incomes, and with current housing prices, that’s not enough to afford market-rate rent. He recommended that state and local governments dedicate funds to preserving senior housing.
Tourists and looters descend on Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument as Biden mulls protections Published 3 hours ago
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Print article BLUFF, Utah - In the sandstone canyon where Vaughn Hadenfeldt once saw the bloody tracks of a mountain lion hauling off a mule deer, there are 1,000-year-old cliff dwellings decorated by rock paintings of bighorn sheep where one can still see the ancient footprint of an infant pressed into the wall. A renowned wilderness guide with decades of experience exploring the Bears Ears area, Hadenfeldt has long argued that this austere landscape teeming with archaeological and cultural treasure in southeastern Utah should be viewed as an outdoor museum. And each time he visits, more of that treasure has been looted.