Southern Arapaho representatives spent a week at Fishers Peak State Park near Trinidad to help guide the park's development and explore ways to share tribal history, cultural knowledge and connections to the land with future visitors.

Arapaho Outreach Specialist Fred Mosqueda and his wife, Mary, a respected Southern Arapaho elder, traveled from Oklahoma for the visit. The engagement continued a series of tribal visits that Fishers Peak State Park Manager Crystal Dreiling began hosting in 2021. Tribal guests explore plants and cultural resources, consider gathering areas for future large group visits, and help park staff understand how tribal histories, traditions and language might one day be shared with visitors.

During the visit, ERO Resources Corporation Botanist Marie Russo located bergamot that Fred and Mary Mosqueda had been searching for in a park meadow. Mary Mosqueda explained its cultural significance to Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff.

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"Women and girls in our tribe historically dried and crushed bergamot to use as a perfume," Mary Mosqueda said. "The plant is part of our history, and sharing how it was used helps keep that knowledge alive."

Fred Mosqueda discussed how certain rocks on the park have historically been selected for sweat lodge use because they hold heat and are less likely to shatter. He also shared tribal names, language and stories that could become part of future interpretation, and met with consultants working on possible interpretive elements for a future visitor center. Among the concepts discussed was a directional marker showing distance and direction from Fishers Peak to the present-day headquarters of tribes with connections to the land. Those concepts remain preliminary.

"It's priceless to be a part of this," Fred Mosqueda said. "In this park, you've got the history, the culture is still here, and you have people who know this area, and they know the grounds."

ERO Resources Corporation Senior Archeologist Jonathan Hedlund and Russo joined the visit to connect cultural knowledge with archaeological sites, landscapes and plants. They document plants of cultural significance, their locations, and other information so tribal guests and future visitors can locate them.

Dreiling described the relationship as an informal partnership she hopes will evolve into a long-term friendship between park staff and tribal communities.

"This will continue indefinitely," Dreiling said. "It's my sincere hope that our partnerships with the tribes will be a major part of the spirit of this park forever."

Park Resource Technician Rachel Bentz said the process gives tribal guests room to decide what they want to teach and share.

"They are welcomed to visit, be inspired, and decide, 'We should teach this, and share a story about that'," Bentz said. "So I think it's really unique for them to be a part of this."

Fred Mosqueda said he hopes future visits include Southern Arapaho children who know through tribal history that their people came from Colorado, though many have never visited the state.

"It would be very special to bring children here," Mosqueda said. "Just to watch them begin to realize that they're walking on land that their forefathers did."

The visit came shortly after Colorado Parks and Wildlife opened nine miles of new trails at Fishers Peak. The group also toured areas near land burned by the Post Fire, a lightning-caused fire that began in August 2026 on the neighboring James M. John State Wildlife Area and burned more than 4,200 acres across the wildlife area and Fishers Peak State Park before firefighters suppressed it.

Areas of the park undergoing development remain closed to the public. Visitors should follow posted signs and remain on designated trails. Park staff offer a standing reminder: at Fishers Peak, the trail is the shortcut. Leaving designated trails can quickly lead visitors into steep, rugged terrain and can result in becoming lost or requiring a search-and-rescue response.

Fishers Peak State Park is open daily from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. A valid Colorado Parks and Wildlife parks pass or Keep Colorado Wild Pass is required for entry. For current park information, trail maps and conditions, visit cpw.state.co.us/state-parks/fishers-peak-state-park.