Post by @caroline.gleich

Today @Patagonia went to court to defend Bears Ears, and they did not go alone. A’Nuche, a nonprofit led by members of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and the Conservation Lands Foundation filed alongside them in federal court in Washington. Bears Ears is the ancestral homeland of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe, the Ute Indian Tribe, and the Pueblo of Zuni. Those five tribes spent years fighting to get this monument designated in the first place. They are the reason it exists. Deena Ute of A’Nuche put it plainly: it’s easy to destroy, but hard to get back. In July, the President cut 91 percent of Bears Ears. That is more than 1.2 million acres. Companies have already staked mining claims on land that was protected a few weeks ago. The lawsuit argues that the Antiquities Act lets a president create a monument, not shrink one. I have been a Patagonia ambassador for years, and I have never been prouder to wear the logo. A lot of companies are keeping their heads down right now. Patagonia is standing up. Bears Ears is sacred to the tribes who have called it home for thousands of years, and it belongs to every one of us. Thank you to A’Nuche, the Conservation Lands Foundation, and Patagonia for taking this fight to court. @conservationlands