Southern Ute is partnering with the University of Colorado Boulder and the US Forest Service (USFS) on a new project focusing on the impacts of wildfire management within the Brunot Area. The Southern Ute Forestry Division and Cultural Preservation Department are facilitating this collaboration.  

The USFS in San Juan National Forest uses fuels reduction treatments like prescribed burning and thinning as a wildfire risk reduction strategy. The Southern Ute Forestry Division does similar work on the Southern Ute Reservation. Prescribed burning is a planned fire used to meet management goals, while thinning uses equipment to reduce vegetation density. These actions are often implemented within the Brunot Area, where the Tribe exercises hunting, fishing, and gathering rights. The project will explore the positive and/or negative effects of prescribed burning and thinning on Tribal cultural values, potential opportunities for integrating these values into USFS fuels reduction treatment planning, and Tribal-Agency communication about wildfire management within the Brunot Area.  

There are two opportunities for interested Southern Ute staff and Tribal membership to participate in the study. You can participate in an interview to discuss how fuels reduction treatments may have positive benefits or negatively impact cultural resources (including hunting, fishing, gathering, ceremonies, and other cultural values), and your preferences for collaborating and communicating about fuels reduction treatments and wildfire management. You can also participate in a focus group discussion with Southern Ute staff and USFS staff which will take place during or after a field visit to a recently treated prescribed burn unit in San Juan National Forest. 

You can participate in an interview or focus group if you are an adult (age 18+) and are interested in discussing fuels reduction treatments, cultural resources, or wildfire management more broadly. You do not need to have detailed knowledge of fuels reduction treatments to participate. Tribal membership who participate will be provided an honorarium for their time. Insights gathered by you and others will be used to inform Tribal-Agency communication and collaboration around fuels reduction treatments and wildfire management in the Brunot Area. Interviews will take place between April and July of 2025. Focus groups will be scheduled based on interested participants’ availability.  

If you are interested in participating or learning more about the study, please contact Anna LoPresti (University of Colorado Boulder), Shawn Kelley (SJNF Tribal Relations), or Brian Gideon (Southern Ute Forestry Division) for more information anytime between April 1 and July 1, 2025.  

  

• Anna LoPresti: anna.lopresti@colorado.edu  or 224-234-4148 

• Shawn Kelley: shawn.kelley2@usda.gov or 970-880-0989 

• Brian Gideon: bgideon@southernute-nsn.gov or 970-563-2911