Southern Ute, Ute Mountain Ute leaders join state officials at Mancos State Park to celebrate park access bill

John Livingston
Southwest Region Public Information Officer
970-759-9590 / [email protected]
@CPW_SW

Sept. 3, 2025

MANCOS, Colo. – Leadership from the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and Ute Mountain Ute Tribe joined the Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera, state legislators, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) for a special ceremony Wednesday, Sept. 3 at Mancos State Park in southwest Colorado.

The gathering was to celebrate the passage of HB 25-1163, Free Access to State Parks for Colorado Ute Tribes. The bi-partisan bill gives members of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and Ute Mountain Ute Tribe free access to Colorado’s 43 state parks. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed the bill into law May 29, and it went into effect Aug. 5.

“Increasing access to our public lands is so important and this new law gives Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Tribal members the ability to access them for free. I was thrilled to sign this legislation and look forward to seeing Tribal members enjoying our beautiful state parks,” said Governor Jared Polis.  

“It was an honor to stand alongside the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe to celebrate this important step,” said Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera. “This law is more than free entry to our state parks. It’s about honoring the Tribes’ deep connection to these ancestral lands and ensuring future generations can continue to strengthen that bond. Today’s ceremony at Mancos State Park shows what’s possible when we work to honor government-to-government relationships, grounded in respect and shared stewardship.” 

Wednesday’s ceremony opened with an invocation from Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Chairman Manuel Heart. That was followed by remarks from Southern Ute Indian Tribal Vice Chairman Marvin Pinnecoose and DNR Executive Director Dan Gibbs.

“We were honored to work with both the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Tribes on legislation to provide free access to our Colorado State Parks system,” said Gibbs. “The legislation and the ceremony today is a first step in advancing a reparative action by waiving the entrance fee to all Colorado state parks for enrolled Tribal members of the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Tribes, to support ancestral lands reconnection and formally recognize the profound cultural and spiritual connections to the land that have been preserved through Ute traditional knowledge, oral histories and language for generations.”

Bill sponsors included Rep. Katie Stewart, D-Durango, and Sen. Cleave Simpson, R-Alamosa. Both were in attendance and celebrated the partnership between the state and the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Nations.

“Long before Colorado was a state, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe were stewards of the land now known as our state parks,” said Rep. Stewart. “This bill ensures that enrolled members of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe can receive free entry to Colorado's state parks. From Mancos State Park in southwest Colorado, to Golden Gate State Park in the foothills, this bill is the first step in an ongoing process by the state to honor the commitment and uphold the ancestral land reconnection for the oldest continuous residents of our state.”

 "The Ute Tribes are Colorado’s original and longest-standing residents, with no migratory story – this land has always been their home. HB25-1163 honors that legacy by establishing concrete mechanisms for intergovernmental collaboration, including mandated outreach by the Division of Parks and Wildlife, engagement with tribal governments and Indigenous communities, and formal reporting during SMART Act hearings,” said Senate Minority Leader Simpson. “This bill ensures tribal voices are not only heard but embedded in the stewardship of Colorado’s public lands."

State and tribal leaders also shared a meal with a food blessing from Vice Chairman Pinnecoose and the SUIT Youth Government Council.

Attendees then had the opportunity to enjoy the amenities at Mancos State Park, including the trail system and volleyball pit. CPW also provided fishing poles.

Colorado and CPW remain committed to enhancing and maintaining relationships with Tribes and recognize the deep cultural, spiritual, ancestral and historical ties to Colorado, including lands that are now designated as state parks.

“Ahead of the legislative session, we also created an EngageCPW page to listen to and learn from the broader American Indian and Indigenous community about state park matters,” said CPW Director Jeff Davis. “The bill was amended to memorialize the commitment made by CPW to continue outreach to and engagement with Tribal Governments, American Indian communities, and Indigenous communities on these matters going forward.”

Key components of the new law

State statute 33-12-103 allows enrolled members of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe to enter state parks managed by CPW without paying an entrance fee when they present a current tribal identification card with an intact photo.

Colorado seeks to reduce barriers for enrolled members of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe in accessing their ancestral lands and sacred sites located within Colorado's state parks.

The Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe are the only two federally recognized Tribes with jurisdiction in Colorado. The Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s reservation is located in southwest Colorado and includes lands in La Plata County and Archuleta County. The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe’s reservation is located in the Four Corners and includes lands in Montezuma County and La Plata County.

Pursuant to the Brunot Agreement of 1874, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe retain hunting, fishing, and gathering rights outside of their respective reservations. The area where the Tribes retain these rights includes lands that are now state parks and are managed through intergovernmental agreements between the state and the Tribes.