Transboundary Indigenous Waters Program:
Linking Law, Culture, and Policy through Education and Knowledge
1st Annual Joint Conference and Symposium on Native Water Law, Sovereignty, and
Cultural Survival
"Native Water Law and Public Policy: Critical Issues in the Great Lakes and St.
Lawrence Watersheds"
Co-Sponsored by: the New York State Water Resources Institute (WRRI), the American Indian
Program at Cornell University, and Cornell Law School's Journal of Law and Public Policy (JLPP)
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York 14853
This exciting two day event hosted by the Cornell Law School, the American Indian Program, and
WRRI seeks to bring attention to critical water issues facing American Indian communities and their
neighbors in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Watersheds. We hope to create a vitally needed new
and ongoing forum for dialogues about water issues and for the building and sharing of strategies
for restoring water quality, quantity, and the deeper meanings of water survival.
Among the important issues to be addressed are:
The overlaps and lessons to be learned between Eastern and Western Native struggles for and management of water resources
Understanding how federal and local Indian laws and jurisdictions interface with federal and state water laws
Recognizing the scarcity of water resources and the Eastern mirage of water abundance
Growing metropolitan water demands and competition over water rights
Competition over fisheries and other aquatic and marine resources
Destruction of wetlands and aquatic habitats
The pressures of hydroelectric power and irrigation
Regulating and preventing pollution
Transboundary management of water resources
Tribal sovereignty and intertribal coalition-building in water management
Environmental education, ecological literacy, and the law
The cultural significance of water and challenges in the law and management of water
Description: This two day event will begin with a day devoted to Native
education, law, and water and the lessons and struggles of Native communities in dealing with
Great Lakes/St. Lawrence watershed issues. Speakers and participants will include Native water
practitioners, planners, and activists from across the continent and particularly from the Great
Lakes/St. Lawrence Basin. The second day, as part of the annual Cornell Law School Symposium will
focus primarily on contemporary legal issues and strategies in Native water rights and management
and will feature nationally recognized academic leaders and legal practitioners as speakers and
guests.
Intended outcomes of the event and the Transboundary Indigenous Waters Program:
Participants will gain a broader and deeper understanding of the cultural,
political/legal, economic, and environmental significance of water for Native
communities
Participants will learn from and share experiences and strategies for water education,
management, and legal/political maneuvering
Participants will make connections and build coalitions for more fruitful and
satisfying transboundary water resources management and dispute resolution
This sharing of information, communication, and collaboration will translate into
greater understanding and empower Native communities and their neighbors to reclaim and
maintain healthy watersheds and communities.
Questions and further information: Please contact
Kathy Halbig (Onondaga)
Administrative Assistant
Contact Information:
450 Caldwell Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853
t. 607.255.5991
f. 607.255.6246
Administrative Assistant