Bears Ears Partnership
“Protect and preserve the cultural and natural resources of Cedar Mesa.”
The work
What they do
Stewardship, education, and advocacy for Bears Ears area and Cedar Mesa in southeast Utah. Site monitoring, education, and Leave No Trace promotion on BLM lands.
Every year they sign one sentence and file it with the federal government: “THE BEARS EARS PARTNERSHIP WORKS TO PROTECT AND BUILD RESPECT FOR THE CULTURAL AND NATURAL LANDSCAPES OF THE GREATER BEARS EARS REGION.”
Where the money went, FY2024
The work, and what it cost
Guarding the water
$1.8MBEARS EARS PARTNERSHIP CARRIES OUT IMPACTFUL WORK TO PROTECT THE GREATER BEARS EARS REGION IN SOUTHEASTERN UTAH THROUGH A MULTI-FACETED APPROACH TO CONSERVATION, WHICH INCLUDES PAIRING ON-THE-GROUND FIELDWORK, EDUCATION,...
Including $152,478 granted onward, most of it $152,478 to Four Corners School Of Outdoor Educ.
Read it as they filed it
BEARS EARS PARTNERSHIP CARRIES OUT IMPACTFUL WORK TO PROTECT THE GREATER BEARS EARS REGION IN SOUTHEASTERN UTAH THROUGH A MULTI-FACETED APPROACH TO CONSERVATION, WHICH INCLUDES PAIRING ON-THE-GROUND FIELDWORK, EDUCATION, AND ADVOCACY. WE SUPPORT AND CONTRIBUTE TO SMART LOCAL, CONSERVATION EFFORTS, RESEARCH EFFORTS, AND VOLUNTEER SERVICE ACTIVITIES IN THE REGION AS WELL AS SUPPORT TRIBAL PARTNERS WORKING TO PROTECT THEIR ANCESTRAL LANDS. IN 2024, BEARS EARS PARTNERSHIP SAFELY CONTINUED PUBLIC LANDS STEWARDSHIP EFFORTS IN THE REGION, INCLUDING CARRYING OUT CONSERVATION EFFORTS AT HIGHLY VISITED CULTURAL SITES IN SOUTHEASTERN UTAH SUCH AS STRUCTURAL CONSERVATION, TRAIL WORK, FENCING, PLACEMENT OF EDUCATIONAL SIGNAGE, AND MORE. THE ORGANIZATION ALSO CARRIED OUT RESEARCH, INCLUDING RECORDING MULTIPLE ROCK IMAGERY SITES TO ASSIST LAND MANAGERS BY ADDING TO THE OFFICIAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORD OF THE REGION. BEARS EARS PARTNERSHIP OWNS AND MANAGES THE BEARS EARS EDUCATION CENTER AND CONTINUED OUR PROGRAM AND ADVOCACY WORK, FOCUSED ON VIRTUAL OUTREACH EFFORTS. DURING PEAK SEASON, BEARS EARS EDUCATION CENTER PROVIDES CRITICAL VISITOR INFORMATION TO OVER 150 VISITORS A DAY. OUR EDUCATION PROGRAM PROVIDES FIELD TRIPS FOR LOCAL SCHOOLS IN SAN JUAN COUNTY, UTAH, A FREE-FOR-PARTICIPANTS SUMMER CAMP, THREE-DAY, TWO-NIGHT RIVER TRIP ALONG THE SAN JUAN RIVER, CLASSROOM PRESENTATIONS AND COMMUNITY STAR PARTIES PROMOTING THE DARK SKY RESOURCES OF THE REGION. BEARS EARS PARTNERSHIP PROVIDES FREE COMMUNITY LECTURES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR VOLUNTEERS THROUGHOUT THE SEASON. OUR ORGANIZATION SHARED VISIT WITH RESPECT MESSAGING AND BEARS EARS NATIONAL MONUMENT INFORMATION WITH MORE THAN 20,000 POTENTIAL VISITORS THROUGH OUR WEBSITE, BEARSEARSPARTNERSHIP.ORG. BEARS EARS PARTNERSHIP ALSO LAUNCHED PUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGNS TO ENCOURAGE VISITORS TO PAY THE PROPER BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT FEES, CRITICAL IN THE EFFORT TO INCREASE RESOURCES, AND TO PACK OUT HUMAN WASTE, A GROWING PROBLEM IN THE REGION. ADDITIONALLY, BEARS EARS PARTNERSHIP LED A MOVEMENT TO ORGANIZE A COHORT OF NONPROFIT AND INDIGENOUS LEADERS DEDICATED TO PRESERVING A CULTURALLY RICH LANDSCAPE LOCATED EAST OF BEARS EARS IN SAN JUAN COUNTY, UT.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2024, signed under penalty of perjury.
Follow the dollar
83 cents of every dollar goes to the work
That ratio is a good sign, not a scorecard. Plenty of great groups run leaner and lumpier. What matters is the extremes, and Bears Ears Partnership is nowhere near one.
Backed on the record by Wilburforce Foundation, latest filing FY24.
$1,834,979 programs, $257,459 management, $115,879 fundraising. Form 990, FY2024.
The people
Who does the work
Succeeds David Nimkin in the officer table.
Honesty note: leadership comes from each year’s federal filing, so it can run a year behind. This one caught a changing of the guard in the act: the FY2024 officer table lists David Nimkin, the return itself is signed by Joe Neuhof. Orgs that claim their page can update it same-day. Work at Bears Ears Partnership? Claim this page.
Those 101 volunteers are people who decided this ground was theirs to defend. If Bears Ears Partnership is fighting for your place too, the matchmaker will find your way in.
Make it 102The filings
12 years of filings
12 years of filings
Total revenue by fiscal year, as filed. Point at the line for any year.
| Year | Revenue |
|---|---|
| 2014 | $100,684 |
| 2015 | $240,087 |
| 2015 | $100,684 |
| 2016 | $181,636 |
| 2017 | $738,899 |
| 2018 | $1,436,938 |
| 2019 | $1,239,833 |
| 2020 | $947,133 |
| 2021 | $1,055,373 |
| 2022 | $1,386,280 |
| 2023 | $1,930,461 |
| 2024 | $3,561,345 |
From $101K in 2014 to $3.6M in FY24, across 12 public filings. The 2024 peak of $3.6M reads like one-time gifts, so trust the line, not the peak.
Their ground
The places they defend
See every threatened place on one map, and who stands for each.
The Utah congressional delegation averages 3 of 100 on public lands. See the full scorecard
Ways in
How to help
83 cents of your dollar goes straight to the work above.
Give on their site ↗Show upVolunteer with themFind their volunteer door on their own site.
Find it on their site ↗SpeakComment and callOpen comment windows and call scripts for fights like these, ready to send.
Public Lands Action NetworkFollowFollow the monumentsBears Ears and Grand Staircase, tracked as they move. Alerts when it matters.
Monument WatchStand with Bears Ears Partnership
16 years on the ground, 101 volunteers, 83 cents of every dollar on the line. That is who is holding it. There is room for one more.