WHY DOES GBWTI EXIST?
Our Four Tribes may go by different names, but we are all family. When we look back in our history, our hearts are filled with gratitude for the sacrifices our ancestors made so that we could be here today. So much has been taken away from our people in the past. Yet, over the years, we have made enormous strides to reverse that pattern for our current and future generations. We seek to help our people and culture grow and prosper in this new era. It is our mission to give the next generation more opportunities and leave our children with a brighter future.
Great Basin Water & Tribes Initiative (GBWTI) is creating one of those critical opportunities. It embraces foundational parts of our existence—from basic water needs, to tribal rights, culture, education, and health and safety. Our Tribes continue to come together on critical issues that affect all of us, aiming to solve major problems in a positive, uplifting, and collaborative way. With GBWTI, we have come together once again to bring a new vision to life. As we’ve seen throughout our history, big changes start with big visions.
GBWTI is a big vision that, if funded properly, will propel our Tribes into an exciting new chapter for our people. We could see our waters permanently protected, infrastructure built or repaired, new lands obtained and managed by the Tribes, and new educational systems created that help people learn about our people.
It is also a vision that could bring new economic opportunities to our Tribes, attracting a host of new skilled positions to help us execute our capacity development initiatives. But that’s not all. Long-term jobs for tribal members help families and communities grow, while also bringing expertise and resources to our Tribes to build even more tribal capacity for others. We too need a thriving economy that will put us on a path to a sustainable future.
We have made significant gains in just a few short years, coming together to create GBWTI and demonstrating its potential. Now, looking forward, the heart of our work is yet to come. Our initiatives will benefit not just our Four Tribes but stakeholders and the public as well. We thank you for your interest and support in our Tribes’ GBWTI.