Karletta Chief Receives Friend of UCOWR Award

July 10, 2019
Rosemary Brandt

UCOWR Award 2019

Sharon Megdal presents Karletta Chief the Friend of UCOWR Award.
Sharon Megdal presents the Friend of UCOWR Award to Karletta Chief.

Karletta Chief, associate professor and extension specialist in the Department of Environmental Science, was recently recognized as a Friend of the Universities Council on Water Resources. The Universities Council on Water Resources recognizes individuals who have made substantial contributions in time and effort toward the goals of the organization by naming them Friends of UCOWR.

“She really has done a lot for the organization, amid her many, many other activities,” said Sharon Megdal, director of the Water Resource Research Center.

Chief's contributions to UCOWR include spearheading "Emerging Voices of Tribal Perspectives on Water" through conference sessions, recruiting tribal speakers and attendees, serving as special editor for an issue of the organization’s Journal of Contemporary Water Resources and Education, and hosting national webinars on tribal water research.

“Tribal perspectives in water resources are often overlooked. Only recently, the field of hydrologic sciences began to include people in conducting science and there is a step towards valuing Indigenous perspectives within western science,” said Chief. “The Friends of UCOWR Award is significant to me in the recognition of my efforts to further elevate emerging voices in tribal communities related to water resources quality and quantity and impacts to tribal water resources such as climate change and water use.”