Exploring the Peak to Peak: A Qualitative Study on Public Land Use

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation research was to understand what the stories and experiences of individuals from the Peak to Peak region in Colorado are regarding public land use and the ideologies that help to structure them. This qualitative case study was situated in a postcolonial Indigenous research paradigm that is dedicated to decolonizing research methodologies and acknowledges that the research takes place on unceded Ute and Arapaho Nations lands. This study reveals the complexity of opinions about public lands in the Peak to Peak by providing the history and the present-day experiences of the community. Utilizing an intuitive logic model for analysis, this study found that the ideologies of utilitarianism, recreationalism, aesthetics, and the Public Trust Doctrine inform public land use for both individuals and communities, impacting future generations’ use of public land. Public land use is complex because it involves our fundamental relationship with place, our communities, our sense of belonging, and our connection to the experiences that shape our land use.