Events

June 3: The American Southwest Film Screening

Annie Carlozzi — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 16:37:48 +0000

June 3: The American Southwest Film Screening Annie Carlozzi Mon, 03/16/2026 - 10:37

The American Southwest Film Screening
Wednesday, June 3rd
6:00-7:30pm: Film Screening followed by Q&A with Filmmaker Len Necefer

On the eve of the 2026 Conference on the Colorado River, GWC and American Indian Law Program are pleased to invite the public to join us for an inspiring film and an engaging conversation with Filmmaker Len Necefer.

This is a free, in person event. Advanced registration is required.

REGISTER HERE

The American Southwest is a wild and unforgettable journey down the mighty Colorado River. Narrated by Quannah Chasinghorse, the film beautifully showcases the region’s abundant wildlife, confronts the ecological impacts of dams and river depletion, and boldly advocates for increased water and wildlife conservation. This Fin and Fur Films production travels through legendary landscapes from the perspective of some of the Southwest’s most charming characters—such as wetland-building beavers, bugling bull elk, and desert-adapted rattlesnakes.

Created in association with Natives Outdoors, The American Southwest highlights the region’s deep cultural history and the urgent need to manage the river more sustainably so that both wildlife and society can thrive.

Dr. Len Necefer, Ph.D. — Producer
Len Necefer is an Indigenous (Diné) scholar, filmmaker, and founder of NativesOutdoors, a media and advocacy collective focused on outdoor recreation, environmental justice, and Indigenous rights. He holds a Ph.D. in Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University and has worked with the U.S. Department of Energy and the University of Arizona. Raised between urban and reservation life, Len offers a distinctive perspective on environmental storytelling—rooted in scientific rigor, cultural knowledge, and lived experience. His work centers on building more inclusive narratives around public lands, water, and the future of conservation.

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June 4 & 5: 2026 Conference on the Colorado River

Annie Carlozzi — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 16:10:39 +0000

June 4 & 5: 2026 Conference on the Colorado River Annie Carlozzi Mon, 12/01/2025 - 09:10

The Colorado River:

Searching for Solutions in the Face of Uncertainty

The Colorado River is facing unprecedented change and uncertainty. Average annual flows continue to decline, and negotiations to craft post-2026 guidelines to manage the river have repeatedly bogged down over disagreements about delivery obligations, sharing shortages and mandatory conservation. While some clarity may emerge in the coming months, the ability to sustain many existing municipal and agricultural water users is already compromised. Meanwhile, there is growing recognition that a durable resolution must also address the water rights of sovereign Tribal nations and better integrate environmental values into river management. All sovereigns, stakeholders, and sectors must work together now more than ever to find solutions for short-term needs and long-term goals.

The Getches-Wilkinson Center and Water & Tribes Initiative will co-convene the 2026 Conference on the Colorado River at the Wolf Law Building in Boulder, CO.

Thursday, June 4th and Friday, June 5th

8:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. (Mountain Time)
Wolf Law Building, Wittemyer Courtroom

Breakfast, Snack and Lunch provided daily
Attendee reception provided on Thurs, June 4th

We hope you join us for what will be sure to be an engaging 2-day conference bringing together thought leaders from across the Colorado Basin.

REGISTER HERE

Conference Agenda (subject to change)

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3

Public Event: Screening of The American Southwest.
This event requires a separate registration which can be found here.

THURSDAY, JUNE 4

Session 1: Climate & Hydrology: Expectations for an Ever-Shrinking Pie. Growing water shortages on the Colorado River system derive from a mismatch between supplies and human demands. While water managers can proactively manage demands, natural inflows to the basin are not easily manipulated, placing a premium on understanding trends and forecasts.

Session 2: Sustaining a Living River. Respecting and protecting the ecological lifeline of the Southwest is a formidable challenge given that existing laws and policies are largely designed to divert water out of the river and consumptively use it off-stream. This panel will highlight some emerging efforts to recover and sustain the Colorado as a living river.

Session 3: Living with Less on Farms and Ranches. Irrigated agriculture is the largest water use in the basin, and is where most of the current and projected curtailments are aimed. Although there have been some notable innovations already, more will be required to balance the basin’s water budget. This panel will highlight lessons learned from farms and ranches where adapting to less water is already underway.

Session 4. Designing Water Conservation Programs for the Future. Large-scale water conservation is essential to future management of the Colorado River, however, these efforts raise a host of legal, political and administrative challenges. This panel will reflect on lessons learned in prior conservation efforts, and identify suggestions for the design of more comprehensive and effective future programs.

FRIDAY, JUNE 5

Session 5: Status of the Post-2026 Guidelines. The process of developing the post-2026 operating guidelines remains an ongoing challenge. The basin’s four sets of sovereigns -- including federal and state governments, Tribal nations, and Mexico – along with multiple stakeholders have discussed a range of options to share water shortages, conserve water, and coordinate operations of Lake Powell/Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Mead/Hoover Dam. This series of panels will provide an update on the process of developing post-2026 guidelines, review the options under consideration, and reflect on the potential alternatives to a negotiated solution.

Session 6: Learning from the Process: How do we Do Better in the Future? As substantive negotiations over reservoir operations and conservation programs have languished, it’s worthwhile to think about what this says about the processes and traditions being relied upon to identify the needed solutions. This panel will examine recent efforts to improve inclusivity, and proposals for making problem-solving more proactive, transparent, and holistic.

REGISTER HERE

Registration Rates Early Bird - Register prior to May 1, 2026
General (In person) $370
Remote Access Only $170
Non-CU Student $170
CU Faculty/Staff/Student (In person) $25
CU Faculty/Staff/Student (Remote Only/Zoom) Free with BuffOne Card #

Registration Rates - Register on or after May 1, 2026
General (In person) $395
Remote Access Only $195
Non-CU Student $195
CU Faculty/Staff/Student (In person) $50
CU Faculty/Staff/Student (Remote Only/Zoom) Free with BuffOne Card #

Registration will close Thursday, May 28th (one week prior to the conference).
Registrants of all categories will be provided remote access.
No refunds will be offered after Friday, May 15th.

Conference reception, campus parking, and lunches/refreshments included with in person registration.

REGISTER HERE

Colorado CLE credits are pending.

Hotel Information

GWC has a hotel room block at the Residence Inn Canyon Blvd in Boulder from Wed, June 3rd - Sat, June 7th. Book your group rate for GWC26 The room block is available on a first come, first serve basis and is valid until Thurs, April 30th or until all rooms are filled.

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Sept 17: Schultz Lecture in Energy with Amy Bowers Cordalis

Annie Carlozzi — Sun, 30 Nov 2025 19:17:09 +0000

Sept 17: Schultz Lecture in Energy with Amy Bowers Cordalis Annie Carlozzi Sun, 11/30/2025 - 12:17

The Getches-Wilkinson Center and American Indian Law Program will co-host the 17th Annual Schultz Lecture in Energy on September 17, 2026 with special guest, Amy Bowers Cordalis.

Thursday, September 17, 2026
6:00-7:30 p.m. (Mountain Time)
Wolf Law Building, Wittemyer Courtroom

A reception will be held immediately following the lecture for all in person registrants.

CLE credits pending for Colorado attorneys.

Registration Information Coming Soon

Amy Bowers Cordalis

Amy Bowers Cordalis is a mother, fisherwoman, attorney, and member and former General Counsel of the Yurok Nation—the largest Indigenous Nation in California. She is currently the cofounder and executive director of the Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group, a nonprofit advancing Indigenous sovereignty through the protection of cultural and natural resources, including the undamming of the Klamath River. She is the recipient of the UN’s highest environmental honor, Champions of the World Laureate, and has been named to the second annual TIME100 Climate List (2024), featuring the one hundred most influential leaders driving business to real climate action. She is the author of The Water Remembers (Hachette, 2025).

The Schultz Lectureship in Energy

In 2007, the Schultz Lecture in Energy was launched to support an annual lecture by renowned scholars in energy or natural resources law. This series was made possible by the generosity of John H. and Cynthia H. Schultz and allows the Getches-Wilkinson Center (GWC) to bring in thought leaders from across the country. Our speakers address emerging issues and challenges in the oil and gas, energy, and natural resources fields, providing valuable information to policymakers, practitioners, business executives, students, and the academic community.

John Schultz (CU Econ, Political. Science ‘51) (CU Law ‘53) was an oil and gas attorney whose impactful career in Colorado and the Western U.S. spanned the second half of the 20th century. John Schultz passed away on April 5, 2020, surrounded by family in the comfort of his own home in Lafayette, Colorado. Cynthia Schultz was a University of Colorado administrative staff member who served the University in many ways. She was a member of the Graduate School Advisory Council, the Graduate School Resource Committee, and on the Ad Hoc Task Force on Graduate Education. Cynthia passed away on December 20, 2011. Both John’s and Cynthia’s generosity of time with our students was exceptional.

Their legacies continue, in part, through their substantial gifts to the University of Colorado, Colorado Law, and to the GWC where we are so appreciative of the Schultz family’s generosity. The family’s continued commitment means that this lecture can be free and open to the public. The format (normally) includes a public reception following the talk, providing the opportunity to continue a lively discussion, as well as a dinner with the speaker, the extended Schultz family, the Dean, GWC faculty, and several law students.

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Oct 22 and 23: 2026 Martz Symposium on Public Lands

Annie Carlozzi — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 20:42:45 +0000

Oct 22 and 23: 2026 Martz Symposium on Public Lands Annie Carlozzi Tue, 11/25/2025 - 13:42

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