Trees Water & People

grant award: $299,965; year awarded: 2022

Climate-change-driven drought, extreme heat and reduced winter moisture in Southwest Colorado is exacerbating anthropogenic stressors. On Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Lands, these stressors include impaired hydrology, invasive species domination, desertification and overgrazing, resulting in severely degraded native plant communities. A lack of resilient plant communities impacts Tribal livelihoods, cultural preservation, critical ecosystem services and cultural resource availability. The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and Trees, Water & People will actively convert degraded riparian areas to climate-resilient native upland plant communities, demonstrating replicable techniques including innovative seeding practices, integration of Traditional Knowledge, use of local, low-tech materials, and novel invasive species treatment. These new uplands will serve as a strategic conservation buffer to protect the remaining riparian corridor.