San Miguel County commissioners heard a proposal to transfer leadership of an intergovernmental Indigenous speaker working group from Art Good Times to Maria Stark and expressed support for continued county backing at their Aug. 6 meeting.

Maria Stark told commissioners she accepted the leadership role after discussions with Art Good Times and outlined near-term priorities: coordinating travel and lodging for tribal speakers to attend four intergovernmental meetings per year, exploring additional funding sources, and considering expanded programming such as broader support for Indigenous Peoples' Day events, an expanded free ski-day offering and a potential annual youth San Miguel County summit.

Stark said the position has a small existing budget and that Telluride (Telski) currently provides a modest budget for a Ute Ski Day. Commissioners confirmed the county contributes about $4,000 for Ute Ski Day lodging and support and that the county maintains a $4,000 standing line item for youth reconciliation work.

Why it matters

The working group is a forum for intergovernmental engagement that brings tribal leaders and community representatives into county discussions. Commissioners said maintaining and possibly expanding the modest funding and logistical support helps sustain those relationships and opportunities for youth and community outreach.

Board response and next steps

Commissioners thanked Art Good Times for creating the position and welcomed Stark as the new lead. They suggested staff and Stark exchange contact information to ensure access to existing budget lines and to explore additional funding through county, foundation or partner contributions. Stark also mentioned a possible visit to the Ute Mountain Ute community and a charter school there that teaches indigenous language; commissioners asked staff to coordinate as appropriate.

Ending

No formal vote was required; commissioners publicly endorsed Stark's leadership and asked staff to work with her on budget access and logistics for intergovernmental meetings and proposed activities.