Agenda Day 1

9:00 am

Introduction & Overview

Christina Parker, Esq. , Program Co-Chair
Department of the Interior / Portland, OR

Vanessa L. Ray-Hodge, Esq. , Program Co-Chair
Sonosky Chambers Sachse Endreson & Perry / Albuquerque, NM

9:15 am

Update from the Nation's Capital: Emerging Issues in Indian Water Rights Settlements

Indian water settlements pending in the 119th Congress; policy priorities at the DOI Indian Water Rights Office

Sarah LeFlore, Esq. , Acting Director, Indian Water Rights Office
U.S. Department of the Interior / Washington, DC

10:00 am

Break

10:15 am

Tribal Water Rights and State Water Law in the Pacific Northwest

How states quantify water rights and manage water resources: The prior appropriation system; beneficial uses, relinquishment, recission, abandonment, and the applicability of exemptions; water right adjudications; interplay with in-stream water rights

Jamie Morin, Esq.
Confluence Law PLLC / Spokane, WA

Tribal participation in state water rights adjudications: Case study of the Nooksack adjudication and tips for effective Tribal participation in state water rights proceedings

Vanessa B. Willard, Esq.
Sonosky, Chambers, Sachse, Endreson & Perry / Washington, DC

Treatment of unquantified treaty-reserved water rights and state water permitting processes

Shona Voelckers, Esq. , Staff Attorney
Yakama Nation / Toppenish, WA

12:15 pm

Lunch Break

1:30 pm

Water Resource Management in the Pacific Northwest

Bureau of Reclamation: Update on the Yakama Basin Integrated plan

Christopher Eder, Esq. , Special Assistant to the Regional Director
Bureau of Reclamation / Boise, ID

Melinda Hernandez Burke , Native American Affairs Program Coordinator
Bureau of Reclamation / Boise, ID

2:15 pm

Break

2:30 pm

Clean Water: Treatment as a State (TAS) Status Under the Clean Water Act as the Best Tool for Controlling Tribal Water Quality

Clean Water Act Sections 401 and 402 recognize the impact on downstream Tribes if they have TAS status: How well does that work and can EPA improve protection of Tribal water?

Thomas P. Schlosser, Esq.
Morisset Schlosser Jozwiak & Somerville / Seattle, WA

Case study of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes' 1989 acquisition of TAS status and development of the water quality standards that the Tribe adopted in 1995 and the EPA approved in 1996

Chauncey Means , Water Quality Administrator
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes / Pablo, MT

4:00 pm

EPA 2026 Proposed Rule Relating to Permitting Federal Projects Under the Clean Water Act

Proposed restrictions on the ability of states and tribes to block or delay federal projects or for tribes to impose conditions: What impact will there be on tribal ability to protect water resources and exercise treaty rights?

Diana R. Bob, Esq.
Native Law PLLC / Bellingham, WA

4:30 pm

Adjourn Day 1

Friday, March 27, 2026

9:00 am

Salmon Recovery

The collaborative salmon recovery effort in Puget Sound

Melissa Speeg , Salmon Recovery Manager
Puget Sound Partnership / Roslyn, WA

9:45 am

Break

10:00 am

Tribal Treaty Rights: Protecting Treaty Resources in an Evolving Regulatory Landscape

Overview: How changes in fed and state regulatory processes may impact treaty rights or resources

Christina Parker, Esq. , Program Co-Chair, Moderator
Department of the Interior / Portland, OR

Perspectives on how to use treaty rights as tools to resolve contradictions between federal and state laws when the regulatory schemes that step on each other's toes; tips for using treaty rights as a tool for protecting and enhancing Tribal resources

Connie Sue M. Martin, Esq.
Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt / Seattle, WA

Jaime Pinkham , Senior Advisor to the Executive Director
Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission / Portland, OR

Vanessa L. Ray-Hodge, Esq. , Program Co-Chair
Sonosky Chambers Sachse Endreson & Perry / Albuquerque, NM

12:00 pm

Evaluations and Adjourn

Faculty Bios

Christina Parker, Program Co-Chair, (Chippewa-Cree) is an attorney for the Department of Interior Office of the Solicitor for the Pacific Northwest Region. She provides legal counsel and representation for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Fish and Wildlife Service. Prior to the Solicitor's Office, she served as a staff attorney for the Tulalip Tribe.

Vanessa L. Ray-Hodge, Program Co-Chair, (Pueblo of Acoma) is a partner at Sonosky Chambers Sachse Endreson & Perry. She works in all areas of the firm's Tribal practice with a special focus in water rights, energy, and economic development issues. Prior to rejoining Sonosky, she served as the Senior Counselor to Solicitor Hilary Tompkins at the Department of the Interior.

Diana R. Bob (Lummi Nation) is Principal at Native Law PLLC. She provides legal services to Tribal governments, Tribal businesses, and other entities doing business in Indian Country.

Christopher Eder is Sp ecial Assistant to the Regional Director at the Bureau of Reclamation. He formerly served as an Endangered Species Act Policy Specialist advising managers and technical staff in the Pacific Northwest region on application of the ESA to long term operation and maintenance of large-scale irrigation projects.

Melinda Hernandez Burke is the Native American Affairs Program Coordinator for the Bureau of Reclamation Columbia-Pacific Northwest Region.

Sarah LeFlore (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) is Acting Director of the Secretary's Indian Water Rights Office at the U.S. Department of the Interior. Previously, she was Deputy Director and before that an attorney in the Solicitor's Office and specialized in Indian water rights.

Connie Sue M. Martin is a shareholder at Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt and helps Indian Tribes and companies address environmental contamination and restore injured natural resources. She is one of the country's most experienced practitioners of environmental Native American law, with over 20 years of experience representing Tribes.

Chauncey Means (Northern Cheyenne) is Water Quality Administrator for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes on the Flathead Indian Reservation. He has produced over 30 technical reports for the United States Environmental Protection Agency for Tribal funded grants during his time with the Tribes. He is the lead water quality professional staff member for the Tribes' Natural Resources Department for all water quality related activities on the Reservation, as well as off Reservation activities that affect water quality on the Reservation.

Jamie Morin, Confluence Law assists clients with the acquisition, transfer, and adjudication of water rights, compliance with public water system regulations, environmental review, and compliance with various state and federal environmental regulations.

Jaime Pinkham (Nez Perce) is Senior Advisor to the Executive Director of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC). CRITFC provides science, policy and legal support to four treaty tribes in the Columbia Basin: Yakama, Umatilla, Warm Springs and Nez Perce. In 2021, he joined the Biden Administration to serve as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) providing policy guidance and oversight to the Army Corps of Engineers. Prior to his appointment he was CRITFC's Executive Director.

Thomas P. Schlosser is a Firm Director at Morisset Schlosser Jozwiak & Somerville. He represents Indian tribes and tribal organizations in federal litigation, natural resources, business development and Indian property issues.

Melissa Speeg is Salmon Recovery Manager at the Puget Sound Partnership where she coordinates implementation and adaptive management of the regional Puget Sound Salmon Recovery. This includes updating the remaining Recovery Plan watershed chapters and supporting application of indicator data and assessments into watershed recovery chapters.

Shona Voelckers is Staff Attorney for the Yakama Nation. She focuses on protecting Yakama Nation's Treaty-reserved cultural and natural resources through litigation and collaborative land use planning with local jurisdictions and state and federal agencies.

Vanessa B. Willard (Cherokee Nation) is Of Counsel to Sonosky, Chambers, Sachse, Endreson & Perry. She formerly served in the Tribal Resources Section of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). While at DOJ, she represented the United States as Trustee advancing and protecting tribal interests in water rights and treaty cases to support fishing, hunting, and gathering rights.

Continuing Education Credits

Live credits: This program qualifies for 8.25 WA, 8.25 ID, and 8.25 OR MCLE credits. Upon request, we will help you apply for CLE credits in other states and other types of credits.

I appreciate LSI's seamless segue from registration, an informative seminar, to end result.

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