Universal Access Action Plan
Raise consciousness and awareness of Native American history and experience in the US specifically with respect to the lack of access to drinking water for Tribal communities and the relevant responsibilities and engagement of the federal government.
Education and Outreach
Call the federal government to action under its federal treaty and trust responsibilities to provide clean water access for Tribes, advocate for the necessary resources, and promote a “whole of government” approach to achieving universal access.
Effective Deployment of Federal Resources
Monitor the federal government’s priorities and actions that are (or are not) focused on implementing infrastructure funding for Tribal clean water systems. Pursue strategic and targeted opportunities to highlight, promote, and draw attention to the need for measurable progress on getting clean drinking water to Tribal households and communities.
Federal Engagement
Provide Tribes with information to support informed decision making on utilizing available funding for clean water infrastructure and assist them with accessing funding to assess, plan, design, construct, operate, and maintain drinking water systems over the long-term.
Support Tribal Capacity Development
Core Team
Heather Tanana, Initiative Lead
Heather Tanana (JD/MPH) is a citizen of the Navajo Nation and an Assistant Professor of Law at the Sturm College of Law, University of Denver. Heather practiced law for several years with Richards Brandt Miller Nelson before completing a clerkship with U.S. District Court Judge David Nuffer. Her career has been driven by her personal commitment to serving her people. She chairs the board of the Urban Indian Center of Salt Lake and volunteers her time on other groups to promote diversity in the legal field, including the Rocky Mineral Law Foundation Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, Association of American Law Schools Section on Indian Nations and Indigenous Peoples, and American Bar Association Native American Resources Committee. Heather’s research interests include exploring the overlay between environmental and health policy, promoting better practices in Indian child welfare, and criminal justice in Indian country.
Anne Castle, Founder & Advisor
Anne Castle is a Senior Fellow at the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources at the University of Colorado Law School. She is a founding member of the Water Policy Group. From 2009 to 2014, she was Assistant Secretary for Water and Science at the U.S. Department of the Interior where she oversaw water and science policy and had responsibility for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Geological Survey. While at Interior, Anne spearheaded the WaterSMART program and provided hands-on leadership on Colorado River issues including a ground-breaking agreement between the US and Mexico. She serves on the boards or advisory committees for Colorado Legal Services, the Colorado Water Trust, the Salazar Center for North American Conservation, and Stanford University’s Water in the West program. She was appointed by President Biden as the US Commissioner to the Upper Colorado River Commission.
Amy McCoy, Core Team Member
Amy McCoy, PhD, is a founding partner of Fluent Freshwater Insights, a consulting firm that actively applies strategic research and creative communications to the social, legal, and practical challenges of water scarcity and climate change. Her education and career are grounded in a commitment to working at the crossroads of water, land, culture, and language. With nearly 20 years consulting experience, she previously worked in community-based non-profits and was a Captain and competitive athlete in the US Air Force. Amy graduated with a BS in Environmental Biology from Yale University, an MA in Environmental Studies from the University of Southern California, and a PhD in Arid Lands Resource Sciences from the University of Arizona. Amy lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Garrit Vogesser, Core Team Member
Garrit Voggesser is the Senior Director of Tribal Partnerships and Policy with the National Wildlife Federation. Garrit has worked with Tribes for over two decades, engaging nation-wide on a wide array of wildlife and habitat conservation issues, particularly western water, buffalo conservation, wildlife connectivity, ensuring equity for Tribes in federal natural resource legislation and funding, and providing environmental education and outdoor opportunities for Tribal youth. Garrit received a Ph.D. in American Indian and environmental history from the University of Oklahoma in 2004.
Advisors
Bidtah Becker, Founder & Advisor
Bidtah Becker has dedicated her career to the Navajo Nation and its natural resources. She has served as Deputy Secretary for Environmental Justice, Tribal Affairs & Border Relations at CalEPA. Prior to this, she was an Associate Attorney for the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority. Bidtah also had the honor of serving as the Director of the Navajo Nation Division of Natural Resources, as an appointee of President Begaye and Vice-President Nez, after having served 11 years in the Navajo Nation Department of Justice focusing on water rights and natural resources issues. Continuing her deep interest and passion for water, she serves as an advisor for the Water and Tribes Initiative in the Colorado River Basin and is honored to serve as a Commissioner on the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission and on the Navajo Nation Water Rights Commission. Bidtah is equally passionate about supporting artists and serves as a Trustee for the Institute of American Indian Arts and Culture. Bidtah is a member of the Nation and lives on the Navajo Nation in Fort Defiance with her husband and two school age children.
John Echohawk, Advisor
John Echohawk is the Executive Director of the Native American Rights Fund (NARF). NARF has been involved in nine of the 32 Indian water rights cases that have resulted in settlements. Mr. Echohawk has worked with the Department of the Interior, the Western Governors Association, the Western States Water Council, the Conference of Western Attorneys General, the Western Business Roundtable, the National Congress of American Indians and the Joint Federal Tribal Water Funding Task Force to promote favorable Indian water rights settlement policies. He was appointed by President Clinton to serve on the Western Water Policy Review Commission. He served on both the Clinton-Gore and the Obama-Biden DOI transition teams. He serves on the boards of the American Indian Resources Institute, the Association on American Indian Affairs, the Indigenous Language Institute, NRDC, and the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development. B.A., and J.D., University of NM. Reginald Heber Smith Fellow; Native American Rights Fund; admitted to practice law in Colorado.
Partners
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