Wind River Water Forum

2026 Wind River Forum

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Watch the 2026 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

Download the agenda

 

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2025 Wind River Forum

Wind River Water Forum 2025 Agenda:

8:00-8:45 a.m.: Community Breakfast
8:45-9:10 a.m.: Cedaring & Introduction

• James Trosper, Sun Dance Chief, Eastern Shoshone Tribe.
• Jason Robison, Professor, UW College of Law.

9:15-11:45 a.m.: Water Infrastructure Tour

• Site visits to key water infrastructure on the Wind River Reservation: Bull Lake Dam and Reservoir, Wind River Diversion Dam, and Pilot Butte Dam and Reservoir.
• Lokilo St. Clair, Acting Tribal Water Engineer, Tribal Water Engineer’s Office.

12:00-1:00 p.m.: Community Lunch
1:00-2:15 p.m.: Early Afternoon Panel

• This initial panel will look backwards in time, offering an historical perspective on Wind River water infrastructure, and the Big Horn adjudication addressing the tribes’ reserved water right.
• Panelists:
  Richard Baldes, former Wind River Project Leader, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
  Jason Baldes, Executive Director, Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative.
  Sandra C’Bearing, former Northern Arapaho Co-Chair, Wind River Water Resources Control Board.
  Anne McIntosh, Business Owner & former Board Member, Wind River Development Fund.
  Orville St. Clair, Eastern Shoshone Co-Chair, Wind River Water Resource Control Board.
• Moderator: Ginger Paige, Professor, UW Dept. of Ecosystem Science & Management.

2:15-2:30 p.m.: Break
2:30-3:45 p.m.: Late Afternoon Panel

• Shifting from past to future, this subsequent panel will explore key priorities looking forward for Wind River water infrastructure, as well as utilization of the tribes’ reserved water right.
• Panelists:
  Darren Calhoun, Owner, Wind River White Water & Flyfishing.
  Colleen Friday, Wind River Conservation Organizer, Greater Yellowstone Coalition.
  Wes Martel, Senior Wind River Conservation Associate, Greater Yellowstone Coalition.
  Travis Shakespeare, Senior Hydrological Technician, University of Wyoming.
  Lokilo St. Clair, Acting Tribal Water Engineer, Tribal Water Engineer’s Office.
• Moderator: Jason Robison, Professor, UW College of Law.

3:45-4:15 p.m.: Closing Keynote

• Alyson White Eagle, Tribal Water Institute Fellow, Native American Rights Fund.
• The water-related issues on the Wind River Reservation are not unique, and this keynote will shed light on similar issues facing tribal nations across Indian Country.