The Land Provides

View of Pikes Peak from Florissant Valley

A Ute Perspective on the Florissant Valley

This is such a rich valley—this whole area is. Coming here into this
valley—it’s so green and lush and who wouldn’t want to be here? This
is a great area, kind of like a cultural grocery store. It is a very unique
place, very special. Ancestral Utes knew the territory way better than I
do. They knew the seasonal rounds and how to survive as they moved
through these areas, the safest way and when to move, and at what
time. We knew how and when to harvest certain plants and hunt
animals in specific areas.

Betsy Chapoose, 2017
Northern Ute Cultural Rights and Protection Director

Many plant species found in the area are used by traditionally associated tribes.