Materials from the 2017 Symposium
on the Settlement of Indian Reserved Water Rights Claims
Great Falls, Montana
August 8-10, 2017
The Western States Water Council and the Native American Rights Fund held their fifteenth biennial Symposium on the Settlement of Indian Reserved Water Rights Claims on August 8-10, 2017 in Great Falls, Montana.
Presentations:
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
WESTERN WATER LAW AND INDIAN RESERVED WATER RIGHTS: A PRIMER
Robert Anderson, Professor, University of Washington School of Law
NEGOTIATION OF INDIAN WATER RIGHTS CLAIMS: THE BASICS
Gathering Background Information and the Role of Technicians in Negotiations
Rod Lewis, Consultant, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP
David Barfield, Chief Engineer, Kansas Department of Agriculture
Christopher Banet, Trust Resources & Protection Manager, Bureau of Indian Affairs
Identifying Parties and Issues and How Negotiations Bind Larger Groups
Maria O’Brian, Attorney, Modrall Sperling
Temet Aguilar, Chairman, Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians
Duane Mecham, Advisor, Office of the Solicitor, Department of the Interior
THE ROLE OF GROUNDWATER IN SETTLEMENTS
OVERVIEW – John Thorson, Federal Water Master, Lummi Decree
Faye Bergan, former Legal Counsel, Montana Reserved Water Rights Compact Commission
Stanley Pollack, Assistant Attorney General, Navajo Nation Department of Justice
Ruth Thayer, Native American Affairs Adviser, Bureau of Reclamation
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
THE ADMINISTRATION’S SETTLEMENT POLICY
Alan Mikkelsen, Acting Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation
Pamela Williams, Director, Secretary’s Indian Water Rights Office
DESCRIPTION OF THE BLACKFEET NATION’S WATER RIGHTS SETTLEMENT
Ryan Smith, Shareholder, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
Samuel Gollis, Trial Attorney, Indian Resources Section, U.S. Department of Justice
Thursday, August 10, 2017
SETTLEMENT LEGISLATION: GETTING BILLS THROUGH CONGRESS
Congressional Outlook for Indian Water Rights Settlements
Matthew Muirragui, Professional Staff, House Natural Resources Committee