BLM, Dominguez Archaeological Research Group, the Ute Tribe, Southern Ute Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe,  National Park Service, and Forest Service receiving the Governor's Award for the Colorado Aboriginal Wickiup Project.

Colorado Partners in Preservation

The Colorado State Historical Fund supports the BLM’s archaeological partnership program. Non-profit partners and universities use grand funds to conduct work on BLM-administered lands using federal matches between 25-50%. Since 1993, the BLM leveraged $3.6 million for 87 projects, including:

  • Research field schools by Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, University of Nevada, Utah State University, Western Wyoming Community College, Mesa University, University of Wyoming, University of Northern Colorado, University of Kansas, Yale University, and Jagiellonian University (Poland).
  • Stabilization and rehabilitation at Lowry Pueblo, Escalante Pueblo, Tobasco Mine and Mill, Golconda Mine and Boarding House, Animas Forks Townsite, Placer Gulch Boarding House, Hanging Flume and McIntire Ranch.
  • Collections management and education programs at the Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum. • Colorado Aboriginal Wickiup partnership documentation of 278 endangered sites with 635 wooden structures.
  • The Ute Learning Garden partnership with Colorado State University Extension Service and the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah & Ouray Reservation brings tribal elders and youth back to their aboriginal lands to learn about plants and their traditional uses (Secretary’s Partners in Conservation Award in 2012).
  • Southwest Colorado Cultural Site Stewardship Program, sponsored by the San Juan Mountains Association, focuses on monitoring archaeological resources on BLM lands, mostly in Canyon of the Ancients National Monument.

Our non-profit partners and universities include:

  • The Dominguez Anthropological Research Group, established in 2003, is a consortium for anthropological and archaeological research, preservation and education in the Upper Colorado River Basin, leading documentation efforts for the Colorado Aboriginal Wickiup project since its inception.
  • The Colorado State University Colorado Master Gardener Program volunteer network strives to extend knowledge-based education throughout Colorado to foster gardeners and help individuals make informed decisions about plants to protect neighborhood environments.
  • The San Juan Mountains Association is a grassroots volunteer organization whose members promote responsible care of natural and cultural resources through education and hands-on involvement.
  • The University of Northern Colorado hosts field schools in North Park, integrating archaeological studies and ethnographic work with the three Ute Tribes.
  • Western Wyoming Community College has engaged in archaeological research in northwestern Colorado over the last 20 years, sponsoring field schools in the White River Field Office involving research excavations at significant rock art sites and stabilization studies of Fremont granaries.
  • The University of Wyoming Frison Institute funds archaeological research in Wyoming and the Rocky Mountains, dedicating more than 20 years of research on PaleoIndian archaeology in Middle Park.
  • The Museums of Western Colorado is an authorized non-federal facility that holds BLM collections from northwest Colorado and promotes research, outreach and educational opportunities.
  • Hindsdale County Historical Society promotes the protection and preservation of historic mining sites in the region, partnering with the BLM on the stabilization and rehabilitation of historic mining sites along the Alpine Loop.
  • The Colorado Archaeological Society provides a volunteer corps for site documentation and monitoring on BLM lands. Through the Program for Avocational Archaeological Certification, it facilitates avocational public service and assistance in education, government management of cultural resources, research, and the protection of archaeological resources.
  • Colorado Council for Professional Archaeologists
  • History Colorado 

BLM Colorado consults and partners with Native American Tribes across the state including:

  • The Ute Indian Tribe, located on the Uintah and Ouray reservation in the "Uintah Basin" in Northeastern Utah, is the second largest Indian Reservation in the United States and covers over 4.5 million acres.