The Western Slope Institute is located in the socio-ecological system that contains Durango, CO and the Animas River Watershed.  This region lies at the interface of the Colorado Plateau and Rocky Mountain bioregions.

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A Land Acknowledgment is a formal statement that respects, honors, and recognizes Indigenous Peoples as the traditional stewards of this land and the ongoing relationship between Indigenous Peoples and the land.

 

The Western Slope Land Acknowledgement:  

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"We acknowledge that the land The Western Slope Institute is in relationship with is the ancestral territory of the Nuuchiu (Ute) people who were forcibly removed by the United States Government. We also acknowledge that this land is connected to the communal and ceremonial spaces of the Jicarilla Abache (Apache), Pueblos of New Mexico, Hopi Sinom (Hopi), and Diné (Navajo) Nations. It is important to acknowledge this setting because the narratives of the lands in this region have long been told from dominant perspectives, without full recognition of the original land stewards who continue to inhabit and connect with this land. We would like to pay our respects to their elders, past and present in hopes of building mutual respect and understanding."