A bipartisan bill that would give members of Colorado’s two federally recognized tribes free access to state parks cleared its first hurdle Monday, when the House Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources Committee voted unanimously to advance the legislation to the Appropriations Committee.
House Bill 25-1163 has four primary sponsors, two in each chamber: Rep. Katie Stewart, a Durango Democrat; Rep. Rick Taggart, a Grand Junction Republican; Sen. Dylan Roberts, an Avon Democrat; and Sen. Cleave Simpson, an Alamosa Republican. It has the backing of Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which manages state parks, as well as the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute tribes.
The bill would enable enrolled members of the two tribes to gain access to Colorado’s 43 state parks free of charge when they present a tribal identification. Daily park entrance fees range from $10 to $12, and annual passes range from $29 to $120.
The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe has about 2,100 enrolled members; the Southern Ute Indian Tribe has about 1,500 enrolled members.
Both tribes have deep ancestral ties to the land in Colorado, and the bill is an effort to improve access for tribal members to that land.
“Today, it is critical that our tribal youth and elders be able to access and visit these sites and traditional areas to ensure that our cultural practices are carried going forward into future generations,” Southern Ute Indian Tribe Vice Chair Marvin Pinnecoose told lawmakers during the hearing Monday.
Ute Mountain Ute Chairman Manuel Heart testified in favor of the bill as well, noting that the Utes have no migration story and have been on the land in this region since time immemorial.
Although the actual scale of the bill’s application is limited – the Legislature’s fiscal note estimates Ute tribal members purchase 1,770 passes annually and the bill will cut Colorado Parks and Wildlife revenue by $39,400 – its impacts are profound, Stewart told the committee.
Conversations around the legislation have been happening for some time, Stewart said in an interview with The Durango Herald. And although it’s not a top priority for the tribes, it is hopefully a straightforward commitment that the state can easily deliver on. Colorado Parks and Wildlife is an enterprise agency and operates on the revenue it generates, meaning the bill’s small fiscal impact will not be reflected in the statewide budget.
“It's certainly something that the state can offer and deliver on, budgetarily and really honor the commitment that the Utes have to the lands that reside within the boundaries of Colorado,” she said.
The only resistance Stewart has encountered has been from tribes outside the state who have ties to Colorado lands as well. Stewart and Taggart have both recognized that the bill is a starting point.
Free Access to State Parks for Colorado Ute Tribes is Stewart’s second bill to advance from a committee of reference since the House District 59 representative began her first term in office last month.
rschafir@durangoherald.com
