October 2019

​In late 2016, President Barack Obama designated 1.35 million acres of undeveloped public lands in southeastern Utah as Bears Ears National Monument.  On December 4, 2017, President Donald Trump shrank the monument by 85 percent, an action that was immediately challenged in lawsuits that could take years to resolve.
 
To learn more about this national debate over the future of public lands, join Rebecca  Robinson and Stephen Strom as they share stories and photographs from their book “Voices from Bears Ears:  Seeking Common Ground on Sacred Land.” The program will take place in the community room at Sedona Public Library on Friday, October 4, at 3:30 p.m. The program is free and open to the public. 
 
Bears Ears is a land rich in human history and unsurpassed in natural beauty. In “Voices from Bears Ears:  Seeking Common Ground on Sacred Land,” Robinson and Strom feature stories of 20 individuals and interviews with more than 70 people, capturing the passions of those who fought to protect Bears Ears and those who opposed the monument as a federal "land grab" that threatened to rob them of their future.
 
The book shares stories of those who celebrate a growing movement by Indigenous peoples to protect ancestral lands and culture, and those who speak devotedly about their Mormon heritage. What unites these individuals is a reverence for a homeland that defines their cultural and spiritual identity.  
 
Journalist Rebecca Robinson lives in Portland, Oregon. Her work has been widely published and she has received numerous awards for her work in print, radio, and online media.  “Voices from Bears Ears” is her first book.
 
Photographer Stephen E. Strom received his PhD in astronomy from Harvard University in 1964.  Strom’s photographic work is held in several permanent collections, including the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson.  His photography has been featured in numerous books, including his recent work “Bears Ears:  Views from a Sacred Land.”
 
The Library is partnering with The Literate Lizard bookstore to provide books for sale in the community room immediately following the program. Ms. Robinson and Mr. Strom will be available to answer questions and sign books.
 
This program is part of Sedona Public Library’s environmental stewardship series grant, a project supported by the Arizona State Library, Archives & Public Records, a division of the Secretary of State, with federal funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
 
For more information about this program or other programs that we offer at Sedona Public Library, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, please stop by or call the Library at 928-282-7714. You may also access the Library’s website at www.sedonalibrary.org to view the events calendar or to make an online donation.