The Ute tribe live on the 7,700-acre Farm & Ranch Enterprise, once a thriving source of corn and hay, is now experiencing drastic reductions in production due to limited water availability from the McPhee Reservoir in southwestern Colorado as the drought worsens. Historically, the Ute Mountain Ute exchanged these for junior rights to water from the Dolores River, making them more vulnerable during droughts. Tribe held senior water rights from Lake Nighthorse, a reservoir built to meet Native American water claims, dating back to 1868 and in a 1988 settlement, they exchanged these for junior rights to water from the Dolores River, making them more vulnerable during droughts. However, the people of the Ute tribe lack the infrastructure and pipelines to access it, despite having the rights to the water there and the deal promising to bring infrastructure improvements as well. In 2021, this has resulted in an 80% cut in water deliveries, forcing the tribe to abandon planting on over half of their farmland and lay off many farm workers, deeply affecting the local economy, and highlighting the ongoing issues with water rights and infrastructure development for Indigenous communities.

With the onset of the drought and the increasing of severity, the tribe were forced to implement certain adaptive strategies, ranging from investing in value-added processing of corn products at their Bow & Arrow Brand mill, shifting away from water-intensive crops like alfalfa and exploring regenerative agriculture and exploring regenerative agriculture. The Ute tribal leader at the time, Chairman Manuel Heart, has also mentioned that while they’ve made efforts to modernize their agricultural enterprise and water infrastructure, the federal government must do more to help tribes implement their water rights and build resilience amid the West’s intensifying drought. To adapt to the intensifying climate change, they need the tools, funding and as well as legal recognition to exercise their sovereignty and protect their resources.

The Bison are and have always been a keystone species within North American grassland ecosystems. They are an integral part of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), a broader environmental agenda that integrates traditions into contemporary ecological science. Bisons are known for their grazing patterns, wallowing behavior, and migratory movements which help maintain ecological diversity and soil health. Hence, the reintroduction of bison also meant that the Blackfeet Nation will have improved rangeland management, enhanced biodiversity and most importantly–-a native species restored.

Ultimately, the Ute tribe in the Ute mountain manifests as a microcosm of a broader crisis. Across the West, Indigenous nations are on the frontlines of climate change, disproportionately affected by environmental degradation though being the least to its causes. Historically, their exclusion from decision-making processes around water and land use, that they initially have rights to, continues to shape their present struggles. Yet, despite these challenges, the Ute people are not passive victims—they are organizing, innovating, and advocating, striving to reclaim not only their water but their future. Their story is not just one of loss, but of resilience.