Watch the event recordings below:
Water Resources Control Board Panel:
This panel discusses foundational aspects of water management on the Wind River Reservation,
as well as cutting-edge issues the Board is now facing. Moderated by Former Deputy
Tribal Water Engineer John Washakie, this panel features Lokilo St. Clair, Tribal
Water Engineer, and members of the Wind River Water Resources Control Board.
Community Organizations Panel:
A host of community-based organizations are working on water-related projects on the
Wind River Reservation, and this panel highlights several of these organizations and
their respective projects. Moderated by Dr. Tarissa Spoonhunter, Assistant Professor
at the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, and Director of the High
Plains American Indian Research Institute at the University of Wyoming, this panel
features Darwin St. Clair III; Jason Baldes, Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative;
Big Wind Carpenter, Wyoming Outdoor Council; Colleen Friday, Greater Yellowstone Coalition;
and Leslie Shakespeare, Wind River Development Fund.
Beyond Wind River Panel:
Tribal Nations across the United States are navigating challenges both similar to
and different from those facing the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes,
and this panel presents research on some of these challenges, including their potential
connections to future water management on the Wind River Reservation. Moderated by
Daniel Anderson, Water Law Fellow at the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources
at the University of Colorado Law School, this panel features Jason Robison, Carl
M. Williams Professor of Law & Social Responsibility and Co-Director of the Gina Guy
Center for Land and Water Law at the University of Wyoming College of Law; Alyson
White Eagle, Tribal Water Institute Fellow at Native American Rights Fund (NARF);
and Bethany Aragon, Student Fellow at the Gina Guy Center for Land and Water Law and
second-year student in the J.D./M.A. dual degree program at the University of Wyoming.
Keynote Address:
Representative Ivan Posey, Wyoming House District 33, delivers the keynote address
at the 2026 Wind River Water Forum. Representative Posey was elected in 2024 and currently
serves as the Co-Chairman of the Select Committee on Tribal Relations.
Wind River Water Forum 2026 Agenda
Please join us, in person or over Zoom (registration link), for a Water Forum addressing the historical, current, and future water-management
challenges facing the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes on the Wind River
Indian Reservation. Panel discussions among members of the Wind River Water Resources
Control Board, as well as community-based organizations doing water-related projects
on the reservation, will be featured alongside research presentations on water-management
issues confronting Tribal Nations across the United States. An optional tour will
also be offered to visit water infrastructure across the reservation.
Friday, May 1
The main portion of the Water Forum will be held on Friday, May 1, from 8:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m., at the Frank B. Wise Building in Fort Washakie (3 Ethete Road, Fort Washakie, WY 82514). In addition to our panels and keynote address, a community breakfast will be held from 8:00-9:00 a.m., followed by a community lunch from 12:30-1:30 p.m. In-person attendance is encouraged, and online attendance over Zoom is also welcomed (registration link).
8:00-9:00 a.m. MDT: Community Breakfast
9:00-9:30 a.m. MDT: Prayer & Introduction
- James Trosper, Tribal Elder
- Travis Shakespeare, Co-Chair, Wind River Water Resources Control Board (invited)
- Orville St. Clair, Co-Chair, Wind River Water Resources Control Board (invited)
9:30-11:00 a.m. MDT: Wind River Water Resources Control Board (WRWRCB) Panel
- This first panel, composed of Tribal Water Engineer Lokilo St. Clair and WRWRCB members, this first panel will discuss foundational aspects of water management on the Wind River Reservation, as well as cutting-edge issues the Board is now facing.
- Moderator: John Washakie, Former Deputy Tribal Water Engineer (invited)
- Panelists: Lokilo St. Clair, Tribal Water Engineer, and WRWRCB Members
11:00-11:15 a.m. MDT: Break
11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m. MDT: Community Organizations Panel.
- A host of community-based organizations are doing water-related work on the Wind River Reservation, and this second panel will shed light on several of these organizations and their respective projects.
- Moderator: Dr. Tarissa Spoonhunter, Asst. Professor at Haub School of Env’t. and Natural Resources & Director of High Plains American Indian Research Institute, Univ. of Wyoming
- Panelists:
- Jason Baldes, Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative
- Big Wind Carpenter, Wyoming Outdoor Council
- Colleen Friday, Greater Yellowstone Coalition
- Shila Aragon, Wind River Development Fund
12:30-1:30 p.m. MDT: Community Lunch
1:30-2:45 p.m. MDT: Beyond Wind River Panel
- Tribal Nations across the United States are navigating challenges similar to, and different from, those facing the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes, and this third panel will present research on some of these challenges, including their potential connections to future water management on the Wind River Reservation.
- Moderator, Daniel Anderson, Water Law Fellow, Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environment, University of Colorado Law School
- Panelists:
- Bethany Aragon, Research Fellow, Gina Guy Center for Land & Water Law, University of Wyoming College of Law
- Jason Robison, Professor, University of Wyoming College of Law
- Alyson White Eagle, Tribal Water Institute Fellow, Native American Rights Fund
2:45-3:00 p.m. MDT: Break
3:00-3:30 p.m. MDT: Closing Keynote
- Ivan Posey, Wyoming House District 33 Representative
Saturday, May 2
Led by past and present members of the Wind River Water Resources Control Board, including Richard Baldes, Gary Collins, and Howard Brown, an optional tour will be offered on Saturday, May 2, from 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., involving site visits to water infrastructure across the reservation. The tour will depart from the Frank B. Wise Building in Fort Washakie (3 Ethete Road, Fort Washakie, WY 82514). Simple grab-and-go breakfast and lunch will be provided, and the tour will be followed by a debrief at the Wise Building from 12:00-2:00 p.m. Please fill out this form if you are interested in joining the tour.
8:00-8:15 a.m. MDT: Meet at Frank B. Wise Building + Load Vehicles
8:15 a.m.-12:00 p.m. MDT: Tour
- Itinerary: Bull Lake, proposed Steamboat Reservoir project location, Diversion Dam/Wyoming Canal, Ray Lake, and Washakie Reservoir.
12:00-2:00 p.m. MDT: Debrief + Sack Lunch at Frank B. Wise Building
