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. . . Western States Water Council Legal Committee Seattle, Washington July 14,2005 is an important distinction. The positive relationships that have developed with the presiding judge have filtered down to the staff level within the Department of Water Resources and the various special masters. Further, IDWR has also cultivated positive relationships with claimants through communication on a regular basis. The Department invested a lot of effort in going out to the communities to explain the process, its purposes and how it might affect them. That approach continues. The second point is to divide the effort into manageable pieces. Idaho determined that the claims of the federal agencies and the tribes under federal law would be handled in the first instance by the attorney general's office. This effort resulted in the Fort Hall and Nez Perce settlements, and resolution of various claims by the federal government under the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The claims of the Shoshone Paiute Tribe are left. Of the remaining claims that were filed under state law, which included claims by federal agencies, the Department classified them in terms of complexity. Mr. Dreher's determination was to begin with the easy ones first for two reasons. This would help the process of building a relationship with the court, and also help convince the legislature that it could be done. As time progressed, and people saw successful outcomes, the more complex claims were addressed. Mr. Dreher said the third key was to involve claimants informally during the investigation process. Before the department files it's recommendations formally with the court, it sends out preliminary recommendations to the claimants. This is not an invitation for argument, but rather an effort to supply information. As a result, the objection rate for the recommendations that were filed by the Department had dropped from nearly 80 % to typically less than 5 % now. Karl also explained that this drop was due to the state's maximum use of technology, which he described as the fourth key to success in the state of Idaho. Noting that "a picture is worth a thousand words," he described the positive effects of a satellite picture of land under irrigation. The Department has 'also done a great deal to automate and update the database so that the process of decision making becomes transparent. This effort was complicated by a lack of reliable records on land ownership. . The state has endeavored with success to work with the counties to convert the information on land ownership into something IDWR could use for its GIS systems. The Department has continued to make improvements in the use of technology and is aiming to implement an online process for making claims. Ouestionsl Answers: Bill Staudenmaier inquired how much had been expended on the adjudication. Karl explained that he could not speak for the claimants, but the state had spent about $80M. Jack Stults was asked a question about informal visits with individual claimants, where legal counsel was not necessary. Jack explained that the state contacts about 85-90% of all claimants, and works with them on an informal basis while they are developing their report, and if objections to any claims are raised, there is also scheduled informal opportunities to discuss potential resolution. These meetings are attended by water masters that are employees of the court. Our job is to serve as the technical advisors to the court. Karl noted that his agency also works to take the stigma out of the court process. Jack was asked about his statement that the accuracy of the claims are often clarified through the objection process. Jack affirmed that this was the case, and noted an important distinction in Montana, as compared to Idaho. In Montana, the report of the agency does not assume prima facia status, as is the case in Idaho. 7