Hand of Denys Koyle (Baker, NV) holding dehydrated mushrooms and shells above a now-dry lake bed.
Water Histories and Futures Project
shared under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 International License.
designed according to the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance to benefit all participants (see commitments).
registered as open to collaborate, per Local Contexts, to develop new processes for care and stewardship of stories as data.
This public archive (hosted on Spotify) centers lived experiences—oral histories and hopes for the future—to better understand water problems and solutions in the US Arid West. It is inspired by the oral histories and futures method.
Want to be interviewed? Email warren.cook[@]colorado.edu
Phase 2 (underway) explores the history and future of irrigation technology in Colorado River Basin States. Funding provided in part by the Departments of Communication and Environmental Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Phase 1 explored the cultural value of water in Snake Valley (UT/NV) amid the proposal (and later defeat) of SNWA’s Groundwater Development Project. Special thanks to Abigail Johnson at the Great Basin Water Network for early collaboration and, of course, to residents for sharing their stories. Funding for Phase 1 was provided by Westminster University Honors College.
Local Contexts Notice
As a researcher I am committed to the development of new modes of collaboration, engagement, and partnership with Indigenous peoples for the care and stewardship of past and future heritage collections. Learn more.