Paper Water, Wet Water, and the Recognition of Indigenous Property Rights
Leslie Sanchez, Bryan Leonard, Eric EdwardsAn academic paper exploring Native American water rights and natural resource use.
Graduate Fellow
Leslie Sanchez is a Ph.D. candidate in the Agriculture, Food, and Environment Program at the Friedman School at Tufts University. Her dissertation research tests for determinants of Native American reserved water right adjudication in the Western U.S. and measures subsequent impacts on reservation agriculture in the Colorado River Basin. She has worked for four years as an independent consultant researching water markets, water rights, agriculture, and streamflow restoration in the Southwest. Prior to pursuing a PhD, Leslie managed the Sustainable Water Markets Program at the Bren School at UC Santa Barbara. In addition to work on western water policy, Leslie has led USAID and other international field research on irrigation systems, agriculture, and food security in the Middle East, West Africa, and Central America.
An academic paper exploring Native American water rights and natural resource use.
Tribes could help bridge gaps between water supply and demand in the Colorado River Basin—if it weren’t for federal restrictions
Policy reforms can give tribes full value of their water rights