Lasting Impact Through Partnership: The Bears Ears Conservation Partnership
By Charissa Miijessepe-Wilson, Co-Director, Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition
As Niishnabe (Indigenous in Potawatomi) and a caretaker for Earth, my title as a “conservationist” extends far beyond my occupation. It encompasses every aspect of my life – but especially that around relationships and the way we conduct ourselves with each other. What we understand as caretakers is that how we treat each other mirrors how we treat land and our non-human relatives (so-called “resources”). And as present day circumstances reveal, we’re not terribly kind to one another, and we definitely haven’t been kind to Earth. Despite this reality, I haven’t lost hope. In fact, as counterintuitive as it may seem, I have more hope now because uncertainty, peril, and despair are often paired with opportunity, change, and a desire to do something different. Times like these call to us to come together and invite us to really invest into relationships with each other, conduct ourselves “in a good way,” and start earnestly digging into authentic community building. Because my people understood that community carries us on even when all else seemingly fails. It might be hard to conceive what community building looks like in this context, so I’d like to share an example of community building in my role as Co-director of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition (BEITC), an Indigenous-led not-for-profit serving the five Coalition tribes to preserve the Bears Ears cultural landscape.
The Bears Ears Conservation Partnership (BECP) is not just another committee – it’s a dynamic, community-driven initiative dedicated to fostering meaningful, on-the-ground restoration and long-term stewardship through deep collaboration and shared commitment. A collaboration among Tribes, federal/state agencies, NGOs, like Bears Ears Partnership, and local communities, joined together to heal and caretake for the living watersheds across the Bears Ears landscape and the San Juan River corridor. Formed in 2024, this public-private partnership will prioritize Traditional Indigenous Knowledge (TIK) alongside multiple uses, western science, comprehensive planning, strategic fundraising, and sustained capacity to implement this vision over the long-term.
A Vision for Lasting Impact Through Partnership
At its core, BECP is built on the belief that collaboration, framed in the larger context of community building, is the key to meaningful conservation. It seeks to unite voices from various backgrounds, perspectives, and knowledge, to ensure a comprehensive approach in shaping the future of the Bears Ears National Monument (BENM). The partnership’s evolving vision includes: strengthening cross-agency collaboration to create a holistic watershed restoration plan, developing shared knowledge resources that preserve institutional memory and support long-term success, and expanding membership to ensure a diverse range of expertise and perspectives. It’s this emphasis on community and collective power building that makes the BECP in alignment with the values of the BEITC, and the reason we’re invested into the BECP’s success.
Defining Success Together
For BECP, success is not just measured in conservation outcomes but also in the strength of the partnerships built along the way. As stated above, community compels us forward and ensures our longevity, and therefore improves the longevity and health of the landscape. Much like the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, BECP seeks to demonstrate a collective commitment to long-term collaboration, whether formal or informal; tangible conservation impacts that reflect the values and efforts of the community; and a culture of inclusivity and adaptability, ensuring that all voices contribute to addressing current and future challenges.
Action Through Community Engagement
At the heart of BECP’s mission is the recognition that conservation is a community-driven effort. The partnership prioritizes projects that balance ecological health with cultural preservation, with key objectives including ensuring that conservation efforts, like watershed restoration and species management, incorporate the knowledge and perspectives of Tribal communities, fostering open dialogue to build consensus and sustainable action plans, protecting sacred spaces while managing visitor impact and land stewardship, and encouraging knowledge exchange, particularly with Native youth, to deepen cultural connections to the land.
The BEITC is adamant about creating reciprocal relationships with community, meaning it wants to give as much as it takes, if not more. The BECP is a step towards these reciprocal frameworks that work to prop up community and not deflate them.
A Future Built on Collective Commitment
The path forward is about more than conservation — it’s about fostering lasting relationships, ensuring that every initiative is rooted in shared values, and embracing the diverse perspectives that make Bears Ears such a vital and sacred place. Through collective knowledge, mutual respect, and a commitment to action, BECP is not just protecting the land — it is building a legacy of connection, healing, and community-driven stewardship.
Editor’s Note: This piece by Charissa Miijessepe-Wilson, Co-Director of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, was originally published in the 2025 issue of the Bears Ears Partnership Magazine. We are grateful to Bears Ears Partnership for their collaboration and for allowing us to share this reflection on community-driven conservation and the vision behind the Bears Ears Conservation Partnership.
