[SustainableTompkins] Conference and Symposium on Native Water Law, Sovereignty, and Cultural Survival

[Tony Del Plato]

http://www.aip.cornell.edu/tiwp/ 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)
November 17-18, 2006

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.

 *To Register:* There are no registration or participation fees. Daytime
meals and snacks will be provided free of charge at the conference and
symposium. A limited number of scholarships will be available to assist
participants with travel and lodging costs. These subsidies will be
administered on a "first come, first served" basis and preference will be
given to students, elders, and Native community members and activists.
Please fill out the attached registration form to let us know that you will
be attending and what, if any, special needs and accommodations you would
like to request.

*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

klh37 at cornell.edu


We look forward to seeing you there!
Sincerely,

TIWP Staff and Organizers

------------------------------

 AIP <http://aip.cornell.edu> | Contact <aipoffice at cornell.edu> | Cornell
University <http://www.cornell.edu>

(c) American Indian Program - Cornell University <http://www.aip.cornell.edu>
450 Caldwell Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853
t. 607.255.6587
f. 607.255.6246



-- 
"In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a
revolutionary act."
George Orwell