What if the key to solving today’s climate change challenges has been practiced for generations? Despite being undermined for years, traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) repeatedly emerges as a promising solution to climate change and proposes a way to heal our relationship with nature. TEK is rooted through generational experience of learning how to live in balance with nature. In Eagle County, the Ute people continue to demonstrate this through seasonal gathering, fire stewardship, and sustainable land use. As we face a changing climate, combining TEK with modern science could lead to more effective and lasting solutions.
What is TEK?
TEK is the generational wisdom gained from living in reciprocity with the land that guides everyday practices like when to harvest, how to care for wildlife, and how to use plants sustainably. At the core is reciprocity: the land provides for you, so you have a responsibility to care for it in return. This manifests in simple but powerful ways. Hunters ensure healthy animal populations through only hunting what they need and using all of the animal for food and ceremonial purposes. Seasonal harvesting is not just about timing; it also involves rotating harvest areas so nothing is overused, and ensuring the plant population can regenerate.
Ute Illustration. 📷 Photo licensed from Adobe Stock.
TEK in Eagle County
The Ute people’s TEK is reflected in specific local practices. The back bowls of Vail Mountain were intentionally burned to clear underbrush, allow space for new plant growth, and improve habitat for hunting. Water is seen as a living system in TEK, and “marker trees” have been found that are bent over to point towards water sources. This knowledge also extends into ethnobotany. The Ute have reciprocal relationships with a variety of plants for food, medicine, and cultural practices. For example, you may have seen a tall plant with clusters of white flowers while out hiking. This could be valerian, and the root was used as a sedative for relaxation and sleep. Or you might have passed a small blue flower, blue flax. The Ute used the strong fibers for rope and clothing. In return, the Ute people show respect by using the whole plant and caring for its habitat.
Integration with Modern Science
With a rapidly changing climate, TEK and modern science are increasingly being used together in real-world applications. The Ute STEM project brings together Ute TEK and modern science to make an educational framework for kids through fieldwork and exhibits. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has also been integrating TEK into research. Farther from home in Alaska, whale researchers found that knowledge from the Inupiat people on whale biology, movement, and environmental changes drastically improved their population studies. By further integrating TEK into wildfire planning, habitat restoration, and water resource management, communities can draw on generations of lived knowledge and experience alongside scientific innovation.
As our world continues to change, TEK offers practical tools and ethical, long-term approaches to environmental stewardship. Communities that bring TEK and modern science together are better equipped to respond to today’s unique environmental challenges. Incorporating TEK is more than just an environmental strategy: it provides a pathway towards community resilience, deeper ecological understanding, and a more sustainable future.
Piper Cobak is a Lead Naturalist at Walking Mountains.
Sources:
https://www.historycolorado.org/ute-stem
Ute Ethnobotanical Learning Garden
Indigenous land-use reduced catastrophic wildfires on the Fish Lake Plateau
https://ed.cde.state.co.us/clde/titlevi/ute-nations
https://tek.forestry.oregonstate.edu/what-tek
https://www.fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/TEK-Fact-Sheet.pdf
