The City of Boulder has four agreements with 13 federally recognized American Indian Tribal Nations. These agreements were developed during previous consultations during the late 1990s and the early-to-mid 2000s. Broadly, these agreements recognize tribes and the city had common interests, including:

  • Preserving open space and cultural resources on city land.
  • Providing opportunities for ceremonial practices on city open space.
  • Notifying tribes if Native American cultural resources are inadvertently discovered on Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) land.  

The four agreements the city currently has with American Indian Tribal Nations are:

  • 1999 Memorandum of Understanding-A: The City of Boulder and American Indian Tribes agreed to create a spiritual and moral partnership for the protection of open space.
  • 1999 Memorandum of Understanding-B: The City of Boulder and American Indian Tribes agreed to obtain approval for a city-administered utility easement for an area at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and provide for a tribal monitor during then-proposed, ground-disturbing work. The city also agreed to provide reasonable fire protection services for permitted tribal cultural use of a protected area at NIST during fire bans.
  • 2002 Memorandum of Understanding: The City of Boulder and 13 Native American governments agreed to numerous provisions, which included: ​
    • That Tribal representatives would agree to provide cultural-resource evaluation and advice in support of open space acquisitions.
      • That Tribal representatives and the city agree to ongoing consultation about cultural resources on city Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) land.
      • That the City of Boulder agrees to, subject to annual appropriations, to host an annual consultation with the representatives in Boulder to facilitate an ongoing consultation contemplated by the agreement.
      • That members of the signatory tribes need no prior permission for pedestrian use of OSMP land.
      • That permitted ceremonies on OSMP land requiring fire and/or the building of a temporary structure, such as a sweat lodge or tipi, do require permission from the city and notice of such an event 30 days in advance of it occurring.
      • That bicycle and pedestrian trails, parking lots, plowing or cultivation or any mineral extraction, to the extent of city mineral ownership, on the city's Jewel Mountain property shall be reviewed by the Tribes prior to authorization by the city.
      • That inadvertent discovery of American Indian Resources on OSMP land, including funerary objects and human remains, shall be reported to the Tribes and protected by the city until they can be reviewed by Tribal Nations.