CONFERENCE FORMS

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-Exhibitor/Vendor

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-Frost Award Nominations

-Agenda In A Glance

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NTEC CONFERENCE UPDATE AS OF 4/3/08
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Conference Outline

Theme:            “One Earth, One People, One Environment”
Location:          Santa Fe, NM
Dates:               April 14-17, 2008
Facility:             Hotel Santa Fe, Santa NM
Hotels:              Hotel Santa Fe-host hotel

CONFERENCE ABSTRACT

The 15th national conference will emphasize climate change, which may well be the most challenging environmental issue of our time.  Climate change is a multifaceted issue.  This conference will feature speakers and panelists who will present a range of climate change topics that will complement the growing number of meetings, workshops, and conferences that are being held for tribes and tribal organizations.  This conference will highlight the innovative and collaborative efforts that tribes are taking to mitigate global warming and adapt to climate change.  

Much of the climate change issue is focused on current phenomena and predicated changes based on western science and modeling methods; however, tribal traditions and knowledge are insightful and valuable resources that can be integrated with western science to develop both immediate and long term strategies to ameliorate the worst potential effects of global warming.  A roundtable that explores this possibility will be held on the final day.  Finally, the concluding day will serve as a transition point to the Global Green Indigenous Film Festival that begins on Friday, April 18th and runs through Sunday, April 20th.

This conference will focus on four goals:   

• Providing a unique set of sessions for tribes that will complement the many meetings, workshops, and conferences recently held or scheduled later in the year;
• Exploring opportunities for tribes to become leaders in strategies to respond to climate change concerns; 
• Providing information to facilitate increased tribal involvement in national policies and strategies to address climate change; and
• Drawing strength, guidance, and inspiration from traditional knowledge to prepare for the coming climate changes. 

 
From Monday, April 14th to Thursday, April 17th:

• On Monday, we will provide for early registration and exhibitor/vendor setup.  A tribal summit for pueblos and tribes in New Mexico with the New Mexico Environment Department will also be held at the Hotel Santa Fe.  In the evening, there will be an informal reception. 

• On Tuesday, we will have opening ceremonies, plenary session speakers and presentations, and a roundtable discussion related to climate change issues.  A luncheon will be provided.  In the evening, there will be a reception and cultural events.     

• On Wednesday, the day will start with a presentation about the NTEC strategic plan, followed by presentations about climate change and a luncheon.  The day will continue with an ambitious schedule of concurrent breakout sessions.  In the evening, there will be a reception hosted by the Executive Committee, cultural events, and a showcase of an indigenous environmental film.

• On Thursday, we will focus on traditional knowledge in panel presentations and roundtable dialogue.  We will memorialize any actions items and resolutions, and then adjourn the conference.
  
  On Friday, April 18th, the Global Green Indigenous Film Festival will begin and continue through Sunday, April 20th.  The schedule, venues, ticket information and more can be found at www.ggiff.com.
  
  

MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2008

9:00 am - 3:00 pm  4th Annual Tribal Environmental Summit-Hosted by the New Mexico Environmental Department and Picuris Pueblo
                       
Consistent with Governor Bill Richardson’s Executive Order 2005-004, Statewide Adoption of Pilot Tribal Consultant Plans, this year’s Tribal Environmental Summit will focus on further developing the New Mexico Environmental Department’s Tribal Consultation plan through State and Tribal leadership discussions, and to further identify collaborative environmental projects between New Mexico’s 22 Indian Pueblos, Tribes and Nations and NMED.

NMED has worked diligently with New Mexico’s 22 Indian Pueblos, Nations, and Tribes in a government-to-government capacity in the past four years.  The 4th annual Tribal Environmental Summit will build on the successes of this important governmental relationship.

1:00 pm - 5:00 pm    Early Registration (Foyer outside Kiva Rooms)
                               Exhibitor and Vendor Setup
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm      Informal Reception                                   
                                   

TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2008

7:30 am – 5:00 pm      Registration (Foyer Outside Kiva Meeting Rooms)
                                    Exhibitor and Vendors

8:30 – 9:15 a.m. Opening Ceremonies-The Honorable Kirk E. Francis, Chief, Penobscot Indian Nation and NTEC Chairman

Call to Order
Flag Song
Honor Song
Invocation

9:15 – 9:45 a.m.   Welcome Addresses-Honorable Joe Garcia, President, NCAI; Chairman, All Indian Pueblo Council (invited); Mayor David Cross, City of Santa Fe

9:45 - 10:15 a.m.  Chairman’s Address - Honorable Kirk E. Francis
                             Executive Director’s Report - Jerry Pardilla

10:15 – 11:00 a.m. Keynote Speaker - Honorable Joe Garcia, President, NCAI; Chairman, All Indian Pueblo Council (invited)

11:00 – 12:00 Meeting Climate Change Appropriately: Integrating Traditional Native Thinking and Contemporary Science Global warming and related climate change are part of a complex of interrelated developments now impacting the entire planet, and particularly indigenous peoples but with differing effects, depending on location.  This is bringing huge changes in the interrelated system that comprises the world, and its myriad of interconnected subsystems, having not only physical aspects and effects, but also major economic, social and political consequences and aspects – that impact and interact with the whole of human, and indeed all, life on the Earth.

Traditional native thinking and knowledge and developing western science each have an important role to play if the planet, and each location, is to meet climate change appropriately, without worsening the problem, and /or creating new major difficulties.  If the world’s decision makers can take an Indigenous perspective on what needs to be done, there is still a good possibility that the worst potential effects of global warming and environmental destruction can be avoided, and much of the already occurring damage can be reversed or ameliorated.
Speaker: Stephen Sachs, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

12:00 - 1:30 p.m. Luncheon
                                   
1:30 – 2:30 p.m.TBA

2:30 – 3:30 p.m.  Dealing with the Causes of Global Warming—the Legal Framework This panel will provide an overview of legal mechanisms for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases at various levels of government - international, national, state, and local. The emphasis will be on what states and local governments are doing, with a view to how tribal governments can draw on those examples and how tribes can participate in state and local programs. The California program will be discussed in some detail, since it is in many ways the leading example.  The discussion of the California program will include an overview of the California Global Warming Solutions Act and other related laws, and the efforts to develop regulations to implement these laws and develop proposals to achieve reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.  Neither the current laws nor the scores of bills currently pending in the California legislature recognize the roles that Indian tribes may play in addressing global warming, and we will explore how tribes may be affected by these State laws, regulations, and programs, and what tribes may do to engage the State in its process and to develop internal tribal processes.

Speakers: Dean Suagee, Of counsel, Hobbs, Straus, Dean & Walker, LLP, Washington, DC; Tim Seward, Partner, Hobbs, Straus, Dean & Walker, LLP, Sacramento, CA

3:30 – 3:45 p.m.  Break
                                   
3:45 – 4:15 pm   Climate Change Legislation: S. 2191 and Tribal Set-Asides
S.2191 - known as the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2008 – proposes to create a national cap and trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  S.2191 is the only climate change bill introduced in the U.S. Senate that contains specific tribal provisions.  NTEC has been instrumental in establishing tribal set-asides, which should provide substantial funding streams for tribes to deal with climate change impacts.  An overview of the bill, relevant tribal sections, and status of the bill will be addressed. Speaker: Bob Gruenig, NTEC Senior Policy Analyst

4:15 - 5:45 pm.  Tribal Opportunities for Leadership in Climate Change: The Green Lining in the Coming Storm.  Presentations and Roundtable Discussion
There are numerous indications that states as well as the federal government are con-sidering cap and trade programs as a method to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  Also, forward-looking businesses are trying to green their products by adopting sus-tainability programs to market their products.  Green energy is also a new “buzz” word as concerns for climate change heightens among the public.

Given their strong environmental ethic, tribes are uniquely qualified to take a leader-ship role in their respective communities to respond to climate change concerns.  Presenters in this roundtable will describe the techniques that tribes can use to take a leadership role.  These techniques include:

• Determining the tribes baseline energy/carbon footprint;
• Utilizing existing state and federal grants to reduce their energy use with great benefits to the bottom line and the environment;
• Marketing their enterprise businesses by taking a leadership role in green strategies with their buying public (e.g., “greening” gaming facilities); and
• Devising green energy strategies that assist tribes in long term goals to
  become energy self-sufficient.

Moderator: TBA
Presenters:TBA

6:30 – 9:00 p.m.  Welcoming Reception
 Featuring: Mescalero Apache Mountain Spirit Dancers and the Chee Family Dance Group under direction of Abraham Chee, Sr.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2008

8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.  Registration
                                    Exhibitors and Vendors

8:30 – 8:45 a.m.   Welcome and Invocation
                        NTEC Executive Committee

8:45 – 9:45 a.m.  NTEC Strategic Plan
The strategic plan has been defined in four statements concerning meaningful governance, responsive services, strategic partnerships, and dynamic funding. These overall goals have been translated into objectives and action steps, and will be presented. 

9:45 – 11:00 am  Tribal Water Pathways Project: A Pilot Program to Identify Cooperative Approaches to Water Issues. Climate change brings with it increasing uncertainty about the availability of water resources essential to natural, cultural and social resources of tribes and non-native people. Historically, approaches to negotia-ting water rights are typically adjudicatory multi-year processes that offer little in the way of adaptability and nimbleness in terms of making timely decisions.  Over the last two years, the Quinault Indian Nation and the Tulalip Tribes have worked on voluntary government-to-government partnerships with the Washington Department of Ecology to explore new cooperative approaches for resolving tribal water interests and rights. This effort is the result of encouragement from the Northwest Indian Fisheries Com-mission and funding from the Washington State Legislature. There are two primary goals for this project: to assess the range of interests of the state and tribes by parti-cipating in a voluntary, government-to-government negotiation to address Indian water rights and interests; and to stimulate the development of innovative approaches to resolving tribal water interests in a timely and collaboratively manner.

Project activities are coordinated through a project coordination team that meets regularly composed of: the Tulalip Tribes; Washington Department of Ecology; North-west Indian Fisheries Commission; U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution; and Triangle Associates. To date, this group has explored the legal cli-mate for voluntary water rights negotiations and the relative interest among each participating tribe, the Department of Ecology, the Governor’s office, and the Attorney General’s office.  Triangle Associates has developed a draft voluntary government-to-govern-ment negotiation framework for the participants’ consideration. The group is now developing resource and staff capacity needs and clarifying the technical information needs and tools to consider next steps.

Panelists will discuss the need and value of the project and how it might be a useful framework for other tribes and states to consider in the face of climate change.

Moderator: Sarah Palmer, U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution
Panelists:  Terry Williams, Tulalip Tribes; Steve Robinson, Policy Analyst, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

11:00 – 12:00  Native Communities and Climate Change: Protecting Tribal Resources as Part of National Climate Policy.  A Report published by the Natural Resources Law Center at the University of Colorado Law School in conjunction with the Western Water Assessment at the University of Colorado.

Our climate is changing in significant ways.  While climate change will affect everyone, it will impact some disproportionately.  Native American communities are among the most vulnerable.  Climate change threatens tribal culture, resources, and ways of life.  It is imperative that Congress and executive branch agencies consider the special threats and disparate impact faced by tribes.

This report describes the special problems facing tribes as a result of climate change, focusing on four regions in the country: Alaska; Pacific Northwest, Southwest, and Florida.  It then reviews federal authority for addressing these problems and outlines a course of action for federal policymakers.
Speaker: Sarah Krakoff, Associate Professor, University of Colorado Law School

12:30 – 1:30 p.m.  Luncheon
Keynote Speaker: Billy Frank, Chairman, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

1:30 – 5:30 p.m.  Concurrent Breakout Sessions
Sessions will be run in five sets of four concurrent breakouts.  A matrix and descriptions of breakout sessions are provided in the appendix.

1:30 – 2:15 p.m. Concurrent Breakout Sessions I
Session A: One Environment-Varied Perspectives: Issues and Approaches Regarding Environmental Protection on Tribal Lands
Session B: TBA
Session C: The Ecosystem Service of Pollinators and the Threats Pollinators Face Due to Climate Change
Session D: Global Warming—Water Value Changes

2:15 – 3:00 p.m.  Concurrent Breakout Sessions II
Session A: Green Buildings and Other Local Government Policy Tools
Session B: Sacred Breath of the Columbia River Gorge
Session C: Climate Change: State and Tribal Collaboration
Session D: Global Warming—Water Value Changes (continued)

3:00 – 3:15 pm Break

3:15 – 4:00 pm Concurrent Sessions III
Session A: Emerging Matters of Green, Gray, and Brown are Impacting Tribes and Casinos in a Positive Way Both Environmentally and Economically

Session B: Umbrella of Sustainability—Building Tribal Economies around Renewables and Natural Housing

Session C: Woodstove Changeout
Session D: Unleashing the Capacity of Tribal Business to Lead Forest Ecosystem Conservation

4:00 – 4:45 pm Concurrent Sessions IV
Session A: The Mohegan Tribe’s Integrated Energy Management Approach, and Carbon Sequestration for Global Warming Mitigation

Session B: USACE Tribal Partnering: Western States Watershed Study, National Initiatives, and USACE Programs & Authorities

Session C: Penobscot River Restoration Project: Balancing the Environment, Economy, and Quality of Life in Maine’s Largest Watershed

Session D: Tribal Successes in an Era of Change

4:45 – 5:30 pm Concurrent Sessions V
Session A: The Mohegan Tribe’s Integrated Energy Management Approach, and Carbon Sequestration for Global Warming Mitigation (continued)

Session B: Gwich’in Athabascan Climate Change Observations
Session C: Climate Change and Wildlife Impacts
Session D: Tribal Successes in an Era of Change (continued)

6:30 – 9:00 p.m.  Executive Committee ReceptionCultural Event Featuring: Mescalero Apache Mountain Spirit Dancers and the Chee Family Dance Group under direction of Abraham Chee, Sr.Showcase of an indigenous environmental film

THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2008

8:30 am – 12:00 pm     Exhibitor and Vendors

8:30 am - 8:45 am        Welcome and Invocation
                                   
8:45 – 11:00 am           Traditional Knowledge and Climate Change 
Panel Presentations and Roundtable Discussion. Traditional knowledge is the foundation for indigenous people living in harmony with the national environment over many millennia and generations.  Predictions are that climate change will cause dramatic changes across the globe, and may lead to rapid changes in ecosystems in tribal homelands.  Now, living in fixed land bases, indigenous people are faced with adapting to climate change in accelerated timeframes. Drawing on traditional know-ledge, how are indigenous people prepared and poised to adapt to the coming changes?

Moderator:  Kesner Flores, Cortina RancheriPanelists:
Billy Frank, Nisqually Indian Tribe, Robert Gomez, Taos Pueblo, Louie Hena, Tesuque Pueblo, Norma Kassi, Gwich’in Athabascan, Jonny BearCub Stiffarm, Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Nation
                                   
11:00 - 11:30 am    Action Items and Resolutions
Action Items for NTEC to implement and/or Resolutions to establish NTEC positions.  
           
11:30 - 12:00 p.m.  Closing Ceremonies
Closing Remarks
Closing Prayer
Retire Colors
Adjourn