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<br />1137How will Indians use their water?
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<br />GUEST E88&
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<br />Iry)c:annc:En.lc:n
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<br />A, plUt of ifs federal uusr re,pollsibiliry, the
<br />BUl"eau of Indian Affain it dUlled wi..h
<br />mailllcnaru;c of l(ldiao re!iclValion lands. For
<br />yC'~, the: ~')uthern Urcs of soumwelrcrn Colorado
<br />had pur up wirh the torpid BIA bureaucracy, jusl
<br />a5lhc)' E'urup with filling our I form in triplicare 10
<br />tC'quisition a pencil.
<br />Then, iIl19n. the Sourhern Ure Tribe hired a
<br />young planner/cnlinecr who WlU impatient with
<br />bureaucratic moteS. .Afrer me tribal mltural
<br />reSOurces dcpamncnr had repeatedly asked Ihe
<br />BLA over a pcriad of twO weeh to make some
<br />repairs ~r the rcibaily owned We- Capole without
<br />rcswt, me pl..nner said, "Why arc we waiting for
<br />the 8IA? Why doca't we do the: job ound...es~
<br />Whal does the BIA haye' rhlt we don'r except a
<br />blCkhod"
<br />Tbq went to s.ec the tri.bal vice clWrmw, and
<br />"he Il.grccd. "Gel yoUl" backhoe: 'lyer here pronto,"
<br />"e :old the BIA OYer the telephone.
<br />T"'<:l'Ity-Cour houri later. the uibaL crew
<br />. renuneJ me badthoc 10 the federal .seacy, the
<br />Lake Capote repll.in completed. The Indians had
<br />W::.enthuS'=.
<br />The Indian, cert:ainly MVe. What SU'llck me
<br />mOil II the IndJlLl1 watcor rightS conference I
<br />attended in Ocnv([ ~Ft. 26 wu. not sa mu,h lIIh4.t
<br />Wall sl.Id lI.lI who was saYing if. Gone were the
<br />white Bth and Bureau of Reclamation
<br />bureaucrats. the white '!I.pecli.lists and Iawycrs. In
<br />meir st<:Ad ....ere Indian planners and lawyers and
<br />dcpattmem hcoads alld tribal council membc~ and
<br />chairmel'l talk.Lng about how they wetc gOtae to
<br />ma.nage meirwatcr.
<br />"SomeWncs we Indian people stlUld back and
<br />depcnd tOO much on the bwy,=rt.," uid Navajo
<br />. Chairman PelcDon 'Zah, hinuleIf . la~er. Zah
<br />said th.u uudet his lcadership, the Navajo Tribe
<br />had formed;l. l1ib..l department gf ",.Ier rngu.tces
<br />.and adopll:d a trib,.! Water code. He Idvoclted
<br />anning his {e1low rrlbesmen with shOYeb and
<br />,butldozeMl 10 dam resen-ation tribuuries 10
<br />caplUte the no,GOO lI..(:re.feet the: aibe is legally
<br />entided to, but that now f10wa off the reservation
<br />forothenllo ule.
<br />At Wt ,orne talk about Indian righll which
<br />goe, bcyond WinteB Doctrine buuwords and
<br />catch phr~cs of "iriillable Icrcace." Akin
<br />d~cj,ion, Arizona v. Cahforru... CaPPlert v. United
<br />States. No longer are Indian watet riabts
<br />th.caretiul, ucane, legal and ab.lract. Whether
<br />the tribes obtain those righl3 through litigation or
<br />nelotiltion or I combination of both. within the
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<br />next len ycll'S Indian loverntllems will be
<br />,omro1hns .ubslllmial blocu of wirer. The
<br />irnpotu.nt (jucstLOn co uk now ia: ...hat are the
<br />lndiam ,oin, to do with the srum
<br />Will thl' tribcos be wise S1ewards of the water Ot
<br />wilL th.o:y aCI the lame 'IIIIay that greedy. tllpac:iow
<br />whi~s did in the past~ Even more critical, llI"e the
<br />tribes ntu-nc.it.lly ~d ted'lllicaUy capable: of Wing
<br />tin 1M butden of management and administration
<br />oftheir."ale'r1
<br />What I hcard at the conference sounded
<br />pronUt.Lnr.. S~u.c.rs. .aid. In.di.an ,cOtLuol will
<br />includc """tcr for fuh and ."iJdlife: recrcarion and
<br />preservation of rivcrine habirat. The Fort Peclt
<br />Compact bet9l'een the. !ndi8.ns and. thc state of
<br />Montana, {or elfalflplc, provide, for insuearn flO'Vrl
<br />protection to maintllin biololic.1 integrity for
<br />aquatic specic... Othet ML'L.eonsumprive usel the
<br />Fort Ped: Indian planm:r mentioned included
<br />p~servalioD af historical, !:uLtuc..t, M.t\1l"al ..nd
<br />environment..l .....Iues "without." he s...id,
<br />"malting .imiiar environmental mistake. our
<br />non-Indian neighbOrs hive done."
<br />TIle: theme of non.cunsumptive UK of water
<br />Wll.S niteraled by John Platte. president of the
<br />Oregon Wildlife f'cderat~n. He deICribed how
<br />lMiM.n uuty tightS to _trot ue: hclpin.c to
<br />maintain In adequate flow of the Columbia River
<br />,~ \hal the: salmon ,an misra.e to Ihe ocean aftcr
<br />spawninl.
<br />But before cOI1c1uding that Indian conuol of
<br />water will usher in I new eta of conservation and
<br />C\.,~~ ~Qtc.c.t~on it'>. the WC!rt, the foUowlnl cavel.t
<br />must be Siven: you ClLflI:lot gcneralize about Indian
<br />uibes. You cannot assume thai the wetd "Indian"
<br />automaticat!y connote. loa individ>l.a.l who ,hare,
<br />conservation vt.luo::.. l~ uibcs vt.ry g~atly.
<br />They have different [.nguales. diffetent
<br />traditions, different cultures.. different b.i.,tories.
<br />10 .cme U"ibe., .\Ich .. the Hopi. in Maona,
<br />traditional ways dominare. Qthe.t1o, .ud, aa the
<br />Olr.!ahoma Comanche., are towly integrated imo
<br />white lociety (so well int~ll1l1ed. in facl, their
<br />chair1n,.n has blue eye.).
<br />Environmenun.[I should alSo kDOtf that
<br />Indian governments vary. Some arc better than
<br />other! {or the lame ~uon that .ome c~nty
<br />governmenl3 .nd slate leli,larure. arc supenot to
<br />othera. Nor are they immune to the fau/CI and
<br />defect. of nOD.lndi'D governin, 'bodiel:
<br />incompetence, Cotruption. venality, entrenched
<br />establishment.. etc.
<br />Above all. en"ironmenwu[I must disca.rd
<br />naive and KntimeBtaI. Il..nttic-n. guilt relction..
<br />Cenainlywe all wallt to:see the Indiana ler justice.
<br />bur what if the priee i, destrUction of those other
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<br />natives; the fish IInd wiJdlifd, free. flowing rivers.
<br />the land jlaCU?
<br />I think in m~t CISCS the environmel'lWSIa and
<br />the Indian tribc-I ."ill be: nanual a1liel. IndUta
<br />mana:gement of water mlY have AD overall
<br />beneficial effect, especially where the amounr of
<br />9IflLler is largc. as in the million acte.feel the Fon
<br />Peclt Rcscn-atiop lor in the tOmpacl.
<br />Wfulf worries me is whether the tribes will be
<br />gi\'en the fmancilll and technical resources [0 do a
<br />good job. Thc Fort Peck planner admiued Uat the
<br />tribe will need. "quite a bit of imerDlLI
<br />infrascructure development." And me Navajo told
<br />how mer had to earn me money to buy. '2)0.000
<br />compUtet by driIlin, .eU, fot the Indian Health
<br />Service.
<br />IE me tribes arco.not given the resources they
<br />need 10 manage and adJuinis.tct their Winte~
<br />D.xtrine ....ater. it ."on't matter how noble their
<br />WAter policies mAY be, nor how ""ell.trafted their
<br />tribal walet codes. nor how ,inC(:f'C their desire to
<br />be wise .tcwarM of their _tcot. Will tribes be
<br />forced la (.Darket their water to energy (.omplL.l1ie~
<br />tc get the revenues to manage the resoun:e~ Will
<br />they be forced into _ter development as the only
<br />way IOp.y thO!ecoslSl
<br />By way of an.logy, Ids assume (for a ."ild.
<br />fanwtic moment) that the m.jor environmemal
<br />organizations were cae" Jranred a million
<br />acre.fccot of Weslern 9iflller. N.ture Conservancy
<br />mighl be able ro afford lteWardship o{ thai water,
<br />oc thc National Wildlife F~cration, but could
<br />Friends ohhe Earth, which i, barely managing-to
<br />'\Il'Vive Ill. an orSl.niution, afford to do 10?
<br />I Il.mconfidemUar....ilh.fewcxceplions, the
<br />tribes intend to be load Itcwards of their water. It
<br />flows acroi:s. Theit I.nd. The only ....11.)' the Indi.n - ~
<br />tribco, can guarantee pastcriry is 10 prolCCI and
<br />preserve their lands from despoliation, ....hich will
<br />require cOD.lervation of their """ter resources. AI
<br />in tbe cue ot the S~umetD Utes repairina Lake
<br />Capote, I KnOW' the tribe. have the spirit. the
<br />wiIIinJnes.s. and the ability to Illke cbar,e of theit
<br />water. But, you ace. ir w... the BfA whieh h.d the
<br />backhoe.
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<br />o
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<br />Jeanne Englen is a .-rirer and ,itizen .-ater
<br />activist based in Lafayette. COlotado.
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<br />'Twas just before C~tm
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<br />...And throughout the West,
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<br />&.. lOSJO. PaOIlIQ, co Bl428
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