The future of Native Peoples is tied to water, and AIP is committing its extension and
outreach efforts to Native water issues. Together with the Water Resources Institute at
Cornell, we have secured federal funds to facilitate community-based water management. We are
networking with the Haudenosaune Environmental Task Force, the Cornell Law School, Project
WET’s “Native Waters,” Cooperative Extension, Great Lakes United, and various state, federal,
and nongovernmental organizations to identify priority water concerns in Indian Country.
Native water themes we frequently hear
— Native Economic development and water quality/quantity
— Great Lakes watershed challenges for resident Native communities
— Interconnections between land claims and water quality
— Native resettlement and water resources
— Water wellness and education (e.g., Project WET and Native Waters)
— Superfund sites, power re-licensing, and Native water health
— Wetland and shoreline protection/restoration on/near Native lands
— Wellhead, watershed, and aquifer management
— Indian sovereignty and transboundary water issues
— Water alliances with non-Native communities
— Native fisheries, food chains, and livelihoods
— Indian Water Law and public policy
— Water in Creation Stories, ceremonies and celebrations
We want A.I.P. water outreach to stimulate new research and teaching at Cornell and to
attract Indian students who committed to water-based welfare and cultural survival. We hope to
recruit and hire new AIP faculty at Cornell with strong water interests (AIP and Cornell’s
Dept. of Natural Resource are jointly seeking a new assistant professor--please refer
candidates to Ms. Kelly Tillotson at 607-255-2822 or klt8@cornell). And we are committed to
water partnerships with Indian communities in New York and elsewhere—where ever water flows.
For Additional Information, please contact:
Charles Geisler
AIP Outreach, Professor Department of Development Sociology
