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• Today it is home to more than 250,000 people – roughly comparable to the population of St. Petersburg, Florida, or Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
• Unlike those cities, however, 30% of households on the Navajo Reservation lack running water.
• While the average American uses between 80 and 100 gallons (300-375 liters) of water per day, Navajo Nation members use approximately seven.
• Since the 1950s, the Navajo Nation has pressed the U.S. government to define the water rights reserved for them under the 1868 treaty that created their reservation.

The centrality of water rights

• Water rights – the ability of individuals to use public water supplies – have always been a central issue in the U.S. West.
• Because all of the water in many western rivers has been fully allocated, these rights have a significant potential to displace existing juniors, or people who came later and have rights under state water law.
• In this context, it’s clear why the Navajo have called on the federal government for decades to specify their federally reserved water rights.

Does a ‘permanent home’ imply access to water?

• Thousands of U.S. troops roamed Navajo lands, destroying everything they could.
• After the Navajo surrendered in 1864, they were forcibly relocated 300 miles to Bosque Redondo, a barren area of eastern New Mexico.
• Many Navajo died on the “Long Walk,” and more perished over the next four years.
• Forty years later, the Supreme Court issued a ruling in Winters v. United States that became a guidepost for understanding tribes’ and nations’ federal reserved water rights.

What does the 1868 treaty require?

• In the ruling, Justice Brett Kavanaugh refused to find that the 1868 treaty satisfied the Winters framework.
• The 1868 treaty “reserved necessary water to accomplish the purpose of the Navajo Reservation.
• “Nor is it the role of the Judiciary to rewrite a 155-year-old treaty.” That job, Kavanaugh asserted, fell to Congress.
• In Gorsuch’s view, the promise of a permanent homeland, together with the history surrounding the treaty and background principles of Indian law, was enough to conclude that the 1868 treaty – following the principle set out in Winters v. United States – secured some water rights for the Navajo.

What’s next for the Navajo?

• Any judicially recognized rights for the Navajo from the Colorado River would reduce water available to the states.
• This ruling solidifies the states’ Colorado River water rights and indefinitely postpones resolution of the Navajo Nation’s claims.

• BALTIMORE, June 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Royal Farms employee Jennie Enos began her career with Royal Farms on June 9, 1958.
• We congratulate her on her 65 years of service to Royal Farms and thank her for her unwavering dedication.
• “The most dependable and dedicated employee Royal Farms has ever had.” –Frank Schilling, Director of Marketing and Merchandising (34 years of service).
• We are thankful for her commitment and contributions; we salute her for her outstanding service of 65 years!” –CEO of Royal Farms (50 years of service).

• All proceeds from the sale of her work, and a portion of art sold by other artists, will go to support Goathouse Gallery’s new initiative to provide a permanent home for aging cats.
• With the new initiative, Scarpa plans to concentrate her efforts to help aging cats, a particularly underserved segment of the animal community.
• “Aging cats are often discarded and abandoned without any thought as they get older and require more care,” Scarpa said.
• “There aren’t many places in the world that offer ongoing, unconditional care to animals in need, but that’s exactly what we provide at Goathouse Refuge,” Scarpa said.

• COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., May 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- This Sunday is World Hunger Day , when we take time to reflect on the global crisis of hunger and highlight sustainable solutions.
• The world is hungrier than ever in 2023, with children in poverty among the most vulnerable.
• As hunger soars, how can the rest of the world make a difference for these hungry children and families?
• Share what you learned about hunger on social media or with those in your sphere of influence this May 28 on World Hunger Day.