MY STORY:

• Bears Ears under threat of destruction after drastic reduction in size

MY BLOG:

I could say that my story started when I first traveled to Peru with my dad. He is a health and safety auditor for mines all over the world. When I was with him I saw massive environmental damage being done. At the time I just internalized it. However, when I heard about the reduction to Bears Ears, I immediately thought of a similar thing happening to Peru. This piqued my interest in the conservation effort of Bears Ears National Monument. 

Two of my sources came about because of my research into the area. I reached out to both organizations for their input on the topic. My third interviewee was Daniel Tso. I met Tso through my grandma. She lived very close to the Four Corners National Park and Tso was a friend of a friend of hers. I met him at a gathering near Four Corners about a year and a half ago. Recently, I thought he would be a perfect person to interview regarding the harms of industrialization of sacred lands. 

The biggest moral dilemma I faced was bias. I wanted to create a story that outlines the entire political happening of Bears Ears National Monument. However, it was very hard to find facts and quotes that were not slanted one way or the other. Many times, I had to break down the information and then interpret it myself.

At first, I was overwhelmed by the information. There was a ton of it and it all said a million different things. I decided to focus on the political argument going on around the Monument as that seemed to be what most people were interested in. I decided to do a sort of back and forth between the two arguments as there is truth in both sides. I started simple with a hard news lead. Once I got past the initial information I began to lay out the controversy in a more spelled out manner.  

One thing I was surprised about was the validity of arguments for reduction to the monument. I still believe we should favor the environment over the economy. However, the benefits that these operations bring are undisputable. Power and electricity are provided to many more homes than before. Mines and other operations bring jobs and work to the local economies. There is an honest and good argument as to how the reduction can help thousands of people. 

I found myself questioning my predispositions toward this monument controversy. My ideals were challenged. I wanted to translate that for everybody to read and experience. Like many issues nowadays, there is often truth in every argument, it is just a matter of bringing it out.

ABOUT ME: 

Tanner Faust grew up in Johnstown, Colorado, a small farming community in the front range of the Rocky Mountains. Before moving to Salt Lake City to attend the University of Utah, he took an interest in business. He started to create small businesses in his small town selling anything from painting services to programming help. 

After moving to Salt Lake, Tanner took an interest in entrepreneurship. He pitched business ideas all over campus to different organizations. Some were sponsored by the U, such as GetSeeded, while others were private and nationwide. 

Tanner also took an interest in marketing. After leaving the business school due to a distaste in its degree, he transferred to the Department of Communication. Strategic communication provided him with a more sound degree in the topics that interested him. 

He began to create marketing campaigns for fellow entrepreneurs in Utah and back home in Colorado. This was the beginning of his professional career. He always found passion in helping others create their dream while also creating the dream for himself.