Gilmore Scott

Watercolor, acrylic and mix media artist, Montezuma Creek

Gilmore Scott grew up on the Navajo Nation doodling cartoon characters he saw on television. Teachers and peers encouraged him to pursue art as a career. Somewhere along the way he became a public lands forest firefighter and learned to look at the landscape he loves to portray in new ways.

“I definitely stayed away from the genre of what people called Native American or Indigenous art, where the colors are earth tones. The way people portray deserts is kind of bland. I think, boy, you haven’t seen the colors out here in the desert. If you were here in the morning or the late evening the shadows and colors – the blues, the purples, and the reds – just jump out at you. That’s what I really enjoy.”

visitutah.com/sixcorners

http://www.gscott-tru-arts.com

https://www.utahscanyoncountry.com/

Steve Simpson

Owner of Twin Rocks Trading Post and Café in Bluff

Growing up in Bluff for Steve Simpson meant exploring canyons to look for ancient ruins or cooling off in the San Juan River. After a lifetime of wandering the landscape around his childhood home, Simpson still wanders the land looking for, and easily finding, inspiration and wonder.

visitutah.com/sixcorners

https://www.friendsofcedarmesa.org

https://twinrocks.com

http://utahscanyoncountry.com/

“You have to get out into Bears Ears to truly understand it. The spectacular scenery and the amazing natural resources are world class. Bears Ears is 1.35 million acres. It’s very large and very diverse; you really need to experience it but once you have you will understand.”

“The last two or three years, because of Covid, I’ve had a time to really get back out on the landscape. Bears Ears is diverse enough you can experience it on a lot of different levels. Whether it’s a short hike, viewing petroglyphs or getting into the backcountry and hiking for days.”

Willie Grayeyes started herding sheep as a 3-year-old while living on Navajo Mountain. He later rode a donkey for miles to get water for his family. He ended up spending 16 years on the Navajo Nation Council and now serves as chair of the San Juan County Commission.

visitutah.com/sixcorners

https://utahdinebikeyah.org

Utahscanyoncountry.com

Ranching, particularly in the desert, is a tough life. When the ranch she loved came under threat Heidi Redd found a unique way to protect the land she had come to cherish. Long after she has left the ranch for the last time this landscape east of Canyonlands National Park will be protected from development.

“We are all extractive industries, from tourism, to climbers, to cattle, we extract a lot from the landscape, and if we aren’t willing to put more back than we take, that is when trouble happens. We have to be prepared to pay the price of keeping this landscape, not just thinking it is here for us to take over and control and enjoy without payment.”

http://utahscanyoncountry.com/

Dave Bastian traveled to Utah to visit family as a child and always felt a pull to come back. He moved to Utah as an adult to partake in the diversity of outdoor experiences available in the Beehive state. Today, he manages a youth corps program in the Four Corners area as part of a stewardship program.

“I moved to Utah in my 20s. I was blown away with what we had here in terms of access. The ability to go places that are truly public. I realized they were completely open and belonged to us. It was a huge thing. It felt like this whole new world had just opened up to me.”

http://utahscanyoncountry.com/

Steve Young was part of the local volunteer search and rescue team by the age of 13. So it is no surprise he ended up helping people enjoy the outdoors as a guide before moving on to his current job as a National Park Service river ranger on perhaps the most famous whitewater river in the country.

visitutah.com/sixcorners

https://www.nps.gov/cany/index.htm

http://utahscanyoncountry.com/

Vaughn Hadenfeldt developed an interest in archaeology at an early age, so it was not a surprise when he started guiding people to some of the numerous ancient cultural sites in southeastern Utah. He also ended up leading research teams to thoroughly document the locations. Through the years he preached a soft impact on the fragile landscape to protect the precious places he was sharing.

http://utahscanyoncountry.com/

In this first episode of Chapter 2, Matt interviews Nikki Cooley, member of the Navajo Nation; Co-Manager of the Tribal Climate Change Program at the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals.
Nikki Cooley spent her childhood wandering the Southwest desert herding sheep, then took up guiding river trips and now leads efforts to help Native American tribes cope with, and help prevent, climate change.
The draw of the river was so strong, there were times Nikki did her college homework on the water while learning how to be a guide. Hear about her journey and commitment to hard work that built and sustains her powerful connection to the river and place.

http://utahscanyoncountry.com/