The Big Horn River general stream adjudication was initiated by the Wyoming legislature in January 1977 in response to an assertion of water rights in the Wind-Big Horn River system by the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes. The adjudication is currently poised to reach its conclusion later this year. The Wyoming District Court is expected to enter a final decree in the adjudication, which reviewed water claims held by over 20,000 parties within the Big Horn Basin. This complex and often contentious proceeding has now spanned thirty-seven years. It has been visible regionally and nationally, prompting two seminal opinions by the Wyoming Supreme Court as well as one closely watched decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, all of which involved water rights held by the two tribes located on the Wind River Reservation in the southwest corner of the basin. Constituting a landmark in the fields of western water law and American Indian law, the University of Wyoming (UW) College of Law is proud and excited to be hosting a symposium focusing on the Big Horn River general stream adjudication from September 10-12, 2014, at the Wind River Hotel and Casino in Riverton, Wyoming.
Video of the Symposium is available to watch online.
