Harvesting Chokecherries for Tribal Communities
About the Chokecherry Collaborative
The Wind River Chokecherry Collaborative is a multi-partner initiative developed at the request and direction of the Northern Arapaho Tribe to help restore access to chokecherries - a traditional food with deep cultural, ceremonial, and nutritional significance.
For generations, Northern Arapaho communities traveled throughout what is now Colorado and Wyoming, harvesting chokecherries from these lands. The Northern Arapaho, who call themselves Hinonoʼeino (“our people”), have ancestral connections throughout Colorado’s Front Range. Today, access to this traditional food source is limited on the Wind River Reservation, and this collaborative effort works to respectfully harvest chokecherries from across the Front Range and return them to Tribal communities.
Community Fruit Rescue is honored to be part of this effort alongside the City of Longmont and Wildlands Restoration Volunteers, in collaboration with the Wyoming Food Bank and Northern Arapaho partners. This initiative is also sponsored by the City of Boulder - Cool Boulder.
This project brings together cultural connection, community involvement, and thoughtful stewardship of local resources. Harvests take place across residential properties and select permitted public land sites where chokecherries are abundant. Harvest efforts are intentionally selective, ensuring that a meaningful portion of the fruit remains available for birds and other wildlife that rely on chokecherries as a seasonal food source.
In 2025, thanks to tree stewards, volunteers, and community partners, the collaborative harvested more than 300 pounds of chokecherries - up from 80 pounds in the first year. After harvest, volunteers gather to clean and prepare the fruit. The majority of the fruit is frozen and provided to the Tribe for culturally significant and traditional food use, while a small portion is processed into chokecherry jelly for distribution through the Wyoming Food Bank and given to Tribal Elders during Native American Heritage Month.
This initiative is about more than harvesting fruit - it is an opportunity for Front Range communities to build relationships, learn about the history and ongoing presence of the Northern Arapaho people, and support a community-led effort to reconnect a traditional food with the communities who have stewarded these lands for generations.
Learn more
Partners & Sponsors
Do you have chokecherries?
Community Fruit Rescue is seeking Tree Stewards in the Boulder, Longmont, Erie, and eastern Boulder County, Colorado areas with abundant chokecherry trees or shrubs who are willing to host a harvest this July in support of Tribal communities on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming.
If you have one or more fruiting chokecherry plants with a significant amount of fruit, we’d love to hear from you! Whether you’d like to host CFR volunteers for a harvest or pick the fruit yourself and donate it, your support will directly benefit this community-led effort.
Get Involved in 2026
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Kick-off Event
WHEN: July 19, 2026 from 5:00-7:30 PM
WHERE: Longmont Museum
(400 Quail Road, Longmont, CO 80501)Kick off the Chokecherry Collaborative efforts for 2026 with an evening at the Longmont Museum to learn about the Collaborative and hear from Northern Arapaho partners about the significance of Chokecherry for cultural ceremonies and food sovereignty.
Registration is kindly requested at this free event to assist with planning purposes. -
Volunteer to Harvest in Boulder
WHEN: Monday, July 20, 2026 from 4:00 - 8:00 PM
WHERE: Boulder, CO (exact location shared following sign-up)
Join CFR for our Boulder-area chokecherry harvests! We’ll kick off the evening at a central location with our Tribal partners, who will share background on this initiative and the cultural significance of chokecherries. We’ll then split into small groups and head out to designated harvest sites throughout Boulder to collect fruit together.
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Volunteer to Harvest in Longmont
WHEN: Wednesday, July 22, 2026 from 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
WHERE: Longmont, CO (exact location shared following sign-up)
Join CFR for our Longmont/East Boulder County area chokecherry harvests! We’ll kick off the evening at a central location with our Tribal partners, who will share background on this initiative and the cultural significance of chokecherries. We’ll then split into small groups and head out to designated harvest sites throughout the area to collect fruit together.
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Volunteer to Sort & Clean Fruit
WHEN: Wednesday, July 22, 2026 OR Thursday, July 23, 2026 from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
WHERE: Wildlands Restoration Volunteers
(2100 Collyer St, Longmont, CO 80501)Join Wildlands Restoration Volunteers and the Chokecherry Collaborative for a morning or afternoon shift cleaning and freezing chokecherries for ceremonial use by Tribal communities.
Register as a volunteer with WRV and sign up for July 22 or July 23.