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<br />Indian Irrigation Project. Today we are farming 60,000 acres. We <br />contribute $25-30 million dollars to the various municipalities within <br />the states. We permanently employee 350 people. We are learning; we <br />have learned. As I stated earlier, we are willing to sit at the <br />table, discuss, and talk. From 1922 to this day, the Indian people <br />along the river did not move and we are not going to go away. Let's <br />work together and together we will survive. <br />Yesterday, there was also a discussion about being environmental. <br />Certainly, we know what environmental is. That was our lifestyle. <br />We used what we needed, and now we are faced with shortages in various <br />areas. I sit amongst you wondering how could this happen. Why is it <br />that the cities of California, the cities of Nevada are short of <br />water? Why do people do that? Many years ago, we moved and we <br />followed what we needed to exist on. Perhaps, we need to take a look <br />at that, a basic formula of survival. Like I said, we know what <br />environmentalism is, what the issues are. It is not new to us. For <br />the people who are here in the audience representing the interests of <br />the environment, please work with us. If you would look back in <br />Indian history some of the greatest environmentalists are the Anasazi <br />Indians. Look what happened to them. They are extinct because they <br />forgot about themselves. Let's not be in that situation. We can live <br />with the environment. We can live together. <br />In closing, the water certainly is the liquid gold that it has <br />been referred to by various news articles to the Native Americans. <br />In the past we have been undermined, or misrepresented, both by our <br />own legal advisors, and by the federal government for resources that <br />are rightfully ours. At this point in time, as I introduced the young <br />lady before you, we do not intend to make that same mistake. We will <br />come before the states that are interested, the entities within the <br />states, the municipalities, the communities, the farmers, the <br />ranchers, whom have you. You all are an important aspect to the <br />survival of this nation. We are a major contributor, a major key to <br />the existence of this great country of ours. With that, I again <br />reiterate that the tribes along the river are willing, are in the <br />position, and are there to talk. We do not necessarily have to go to <br />courts, and do not necessarily have to put stress on the relationship <br />wi th one another. Certainly, there are disagreements, different <br />methods, and different interests within these ten individual tribes. <br />The bottom line is that we do have rights and the rights that we are <br />talking about address water. <br /> <br />52 <br />