A May 30, 2024 “Water Policy: Call to Action” presentation was made to the Interim Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire in which a small group of water law experts referenced a Letter to Governor Kotek sent in January with a call for modernizing Oregon’s water laws. In this, priority area 4 described the need for better recognition and integration of Oregon’s Native American Tribes and their traditional knowledge in state water policy development and administration.
Building off this and an earlier Tribal Water Task Force effort, Oregon Consensus and the Institute for Tribal Government will work together to support and facilitate engagement between the Tribes, Governor’s Office and State Water Core Agencies as they seek to establish more intentional integration of tribal knowledge in water policy making and administration.