EXPERTISE

Knowing the origin of being with the understanding for the difference between time immemorial and in the time before humans. Language and survival became the necessary lifeway that is the remnant for our existence today.

• Evolution - Fire, Earth, Water, Plants, and Air are the elements that make life possible. The inference by intelligence provides the adaptive intrinsic survival means for all living things.
• Climate – the region for which a People originated demonstrates the adaptive nature to survive and become of the natural surroundings. It established the interconnected bond between human and nature.
• Tribal History – our histories a deep in tradition along with certain hardship and trauma as lands were taken and Tribal People relocated and forced to reside and no longer live a nomadic and nature dependent lifeway.
• Culture – the continuity from creation to present-day demonstrates and exhibits resilience in survival and it provides the foundation of knowing identity along with customary practices that is an established lifeway.

Water is interconnected throughout a watershed drainage area from the atmosphere to groundwater aquifer. Water is life, as we know it.

• Watershed Delineation – the boundary of a watershed is important to the jurisdictional boundaries that are man-made. Nature provides a boundary, which is physical in nature such as bound between mountain ranges.
• Surface Water – Ground Water – the interconnectedness provides the source from the surface to underground aquifers. The snowpack water equivalency forecasts indicate water availability for all water right entitlement throughout the watershed drainage area.
• Ecological Integrity – the diagram on the below fully describes the important aspects that support a healthy ecosystem. Water supply scheduling should match the natural hydrograph so that the timing provides the greatest benefit to an ecosystem.
• Proper Functioning Condition – the objective to achieve the diagram above involves a stream to contains each attribute that includes physical feature restoration, a scheduled water supply release, and suitable vegetation to complete a healthy stream ecosystem.

The application of western water policy altered landscapes by creating rules, regulations, and laws to govern the use of water. Conforming to management plans, agreements, and contracts exercising for a maximum return benefit embeds the regulatory expectation. Justifiable use stratifies undeniable compliance.

• Beneficial Use – each state established uses that qualify the demand request process for the use of water. Each beneficial use must be accompanied with justifiable data and management programming.
• Duty – the duty includes the acceptable consumptive use of water for a specified use. For example, agriculture includes the crop type, the soil type, annual allowable diversion, and a return flow component.
• Maximum Allowable Diversion – is the annual amount that is needed to supply the entitlement of water. This includes the duty, delivery schedule, and seasonal storage management of a water supply.
• Negotiated Settlement – is an agreement governing the use of a water supply for the parties interested with its secured long-term future use. Use could be agriculture, municipal and industrial, and ecosystem/environmental uses.
• State Process – complying with regulatory requirements including water right change applications for ownership, place of use, and purpose of use need the scientific based data supporting the management use of the water.

The reserved purpose of use of water for an Indian Tribe. It can be construed as a guarantee of water use for the purpose of the reservation or establish tribal land.

• Winters Doctrine – is a Supreme Court decision granting the reserved water right use for Tribes.
• McCarran Amendment – federal legislation that tribal water is under state jurisdiction. This does not concede the vested reserved status of a tribal water right.
• Treaty Rights – treaties are considered the supreme law of the land. The tenets of authority and jurisdiction are utilized to the extent use and protection of tribal resources.
• Water Right Acquisition – facilitated acquisition previously fee-owned water rights and transferred to Tribal ownership and change of place and purpose of use. The willing-seller approach invites interested parties to consider the prospective transaction.
• Water Code – developing a Tribal water code would establish legal supremacy and regulatory control for the management of tribal water rights.

The congressional authorization for Tribes to responsibly organize as a tribal government with tribal sovereign authority to govern said lands, People, and resources.

à Sovereign Jurisdiction – is the established boundary for which a tribe can govern. This includes tribal resources, law and order, and tribal governance acknowledging the provisions of tribal constitution and bylaws as the formal authority establishing tribal governance.

à Trust Responsibility – knowing the tenets of trust and the federal government role with obligations to ensure protection of trust assets. Understanding the critical tenets of federal trust as part of federal-tribal relations.

à Authorization – knowing the principal authority establishing a Tribe, a Tribal government, and a Tribal corporation. The legal authority founding the tribal establishment within a state and within the United States possess sovereign ability to perform service obligation to its People and to the resources under its control.

Scientific technical support mechanism for natural and cultural resource management is necessary as authorities will require technical scope criteria. It is necessary to justify the means for the use of tribal resources for a specified purpose.

à Geographical Information Systems Modulation Interpolation – creates the model for the development of water resources, watershed delineation, and modeling impacts that may be present to a water resource system.

à Surface Water and Stochastic Modeling – forecasting is a primary modeling effort to derive available water resources in the form of precipitation, snowpack, water equivalency, available percentage, and needed predictions for expected water availability. Understanding a probability factor is based upon the years of collected data while applying reasonable and logical assumptions to produce a meaningful outcome.

à Education – it is important that knowledge is shared so that others may utilize their ability to conduct the work necessary to protect their respective water resource. Educating others will be a component to encourage self-reliance and confidence building to complete the task that is before us.

 Extensive experience with implementation of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and developing and maintaining Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (THPO).

à NAGPRA – performed repatriation involving ancestral human remains, associated funerary objects, and items of cultural patrimony. Filed repatriation claims utilizing the regulatory criteria justifying for the rightful disposition of burial collections. Advocated the legal purpose of the NAGPRA law to prevent institution misinformation and disregard. Immoral willful possession is not the rule as traditional custom must be advocated respectfully in accord with the ancestral rule of cultural continuation.

à THPO – filed and assisted with filing TPHO applications to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation compliant with the National Historic Preservation Act. The process to include all historic information involving a Tribe’s intent to preserve its history was lengthy, but it is rewarding to build an understanding with all that a Tribe experiences.

Implemented fish production in accordance with terms and conditions of the Endangered Species Act with fishery recovery primarily with securing an absent water supply while addressing projects that have impacted and propose to impact the recovery of fish species. Understanding fish health and the biota of an ecosystem that contributes to a healthy fishery.

à Genetically Modified Organism – controlling nature has never proven to benefit any organism, especially mankind. Nature needs to take its course supporting the natural function and progression of life.

à Habitat Restoration – streambank restoration is a major contribution to a proper function condition of a stream. Geomorphic features of a sinuous stream provide the insight to assure the necessary measure is applied to restore a stream ecosystem. The elevation grade exhibits the energy change from one stream reach or section to the next reach.

à Natural Selection – nature will select the potential for survival of any species within an ecosystem. Nature has responded in each case wherein it has either been altered to where climatic change occurred. Supporting natural function is our obligation in the order of existence.

à Resource Availability – to schedule a water supply release for instream benefits extends the ability for a natural system to recover. Repairing the physical features of a river system secures the best opportunity for nature to restore itself and stabilize to equilibrium.

Conducted and completed work addressing actions to protect tribal resources in support of environmental systems. Addressing immediate impacts along with long term impacts to lands, water systems, and airsheds. Understanding the environmental landscape has no physical boundaries to contain natural emergencies or catastrophe.

à Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) – conducted review of EIS and Environmental Review documents with the preparation and submittal of formal comments. Wrote EIS and Environmental Review documents contributing to the progress and development of tribal projects.

à Water Quality – assisted with the development of Tribal water quality standards (WQS). Conducted triannual review of Tribal WQS, collected and tested water samples, conducted monthly bioassessments, input data, completed reports, and analyzed and reported the results.

à Wetlands – knowledgeable with the national wetlands inventory criteria. Wetlands are a water-based function providing habitat for waterfowl, amphibians, fish, birds, and animals and are considered a beneficial use of water. Wetlands are also utilized to address degraded water to remove certain pollutions naturally and are considered an organic function of a water system.

à Toxicity – conducted brownfield assessments, identified potential for toxic exposure from historical use areas, contracted for toxic cleanup, and inspected cleaned sites. Address long term toxicity upon lands primarily associated with mining operations.

Manage Tribal lands to assure future generational use has been a traditional understanding since time immemorial. Understanding modern-day societal demands presents placing pressure upon Tribal resources and upon Tribal governments. 

à Agriculture – as a priority beneficial use of water, society cannot exist without agriculture. Efficient use of agriculture resources provides productive operations, increased crop yields, soil enhancement, and proper use of water. Effective irrigation water delivery facilities will maximize achieve meeting annual water right entitlement allocations.

à Irrigation – applying best management practices with the management of irrigation water right entitlement maximizes the use of the annual allocation. Providing conservation technique and efficiency standards promotes 100% use of entitled water rights.

à Range – assuring proper use, rotation, animal unit month calculations, vegetation types, wildfire recovery, range unit capacity, and annual scheduling contribute to effective cattle and livestock production.

à Development – providing an economic and social sustainable community for Tribes is an integral component to a Tribe’s vision and mission. Regional growth impacts Tribal resources, and it must be viewed as inevitable, but sustainable. Coping with local governments and communities is viable.

à Lease – business development commonly seeks open space for growth. Tribal tax structures can present an inviting possibility for Tribes to capitalize. Assuring protective measures upon Tribal lands and resources is paramount.