www.CentralArizonaProject.com March 2016

CAPConnectionswith Tribal Partners

Tribal representatives joined CAP staff on a two-day CAP Service Area tour from March 23-24. The tour was for Upper Colorado River Basin contractors and was intended to demonstrate the significant investments in reuse, conservation and water use efficiency by CAP, tribes and CAP customers. The tour highlighted municipal conservation by the cities of Scottsdale and Phoenix, water use by APS – Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station and investments in water conser-vation technology by the Gila River Indian Com-munity, Ak-Chin Indian Community and Maricopa Stanfield Irrigation and Drainage District.

A highlight of day 1 included a dinner where Gila River Indian Community’s Governor Stephen Roe Lewis provided the welcome and opening remarks and presentations were given by attorney Rod Lewis and Ak-Chin Indian Community’s Vice-Chairman Delia Carlyle. CAWCD Vice-President Frank Fairbanks provided closing remarks at the dinner, echoing the importance of bringing together stakeholders and providing opportunities to understanding the chal-lenges that tribal and agricultural stakeholders face in the Lower Basin.

“CAP is committed to partnering with stake-holders so they can share their own stories,” said Katosha Nakai, Manager of Stakehold-er Relations and Strategic Development. “This year’s tour included tribal representa-tion throughout and was richer and more valuable to attendees because of it.”

The consistent theme of the tour was CAP water users in central Arizona have and continue to make significant investments in reuse, conservation, and efficiency pro-grams. In addition, the presenters stressed the need for continued cooperation and collaboration in order to address looming shortages on the Colorado River.

Day 2 of the tour included tours of the Gila

River Indian Community’s Pima-Maricopa Irriga-tion Project, Ak-Chin Indian Community’s farming operations and the Maricopa Stanfield Irrigation and Drainage District. Tour participants included staff and representatives from Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona Department of Water Resources, and the Bureau of Reclamation.

CAP is assessing interest in offering similar tours to tribal leadership, staff, water planners or other stake-holders. For more information, please e-mail Tribal Relations and Strate-gic Initiatives Analyst Candace Hamana at chamana@cap-az.com or call (623) 869-2473.

Tribes Partner on CAP Service Area Tour

Pictured from left to right: Gila River Indian Community Gover-nor Stephen Lewis, Rod Lewis, Candace Hamana, Katosha Na-kai, Ak-Chin Indian Community Vice-Chairman Delia Carlyle, CAWCD Vice-President Frank Fairbanks and Chuck Cullom.

Gila River Indian Community’s Governor Stephen Lewis provides the welcome and opening remarks at dinner.

Ted Cooke, General ManagerMarie Pearthree, Deputy General Manager, Strategic Initiatives & Public Policy Kathryn Royer, Associate General Manager, Communications & Public Affairs Katosha Nakai, Manager, Stakeholder Relations & Strategic Development ~ Candace Hamana, Analyst

CAP Connections is a publication of Central Arizona Project.

Central Arizona Project

PO Box 43020 Phoenix, AZ 85080

623-869-2333

CAP Staff Receive Cultural Sensitivity Training at Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community

On Thursday March 17, CAP staff from Engineering, Environmental, Health and Safety and tribal relations participated in Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Com-munity’s (SRPMIC) Cultural Sensitivity training. These classes are given through SRPMIC’s Cultural Preserva-tion Program (CPP) and provide the opportunity for contract workers, like CAP engineering staff to learn about the history and unique cultural heritage of the SRPMIC.

While some members of the engineering team are scheduled to do work along the canal within SRPMIC later this spring, other staff attended to gain more in-sight into ways to work more effectively with tribal

communities when doing projects that intersect tribal lands.

“In addition to the SRPMIC, the CAP crosses both the Pascua Yaqui Reservation and the Tohono O’odham Nation. This course helps one understand the Com-munity’s desire to protect and honor their cultural heritage,” said Patrick Kernan, a civil engineer. “If an artifact is found on any of the Native American com-munities, the simple rule of ‘Stop, Leave it, and Call someone,’ should be applied.”

The course provided participants a broad overview of the legal framework (Federal, State and Tribal) and protocol to assist in the protection and p r e s e r v a t i o n of any artifacts while working on tribal land. Upon comple-tion, CAP em-ployees were given a decal to display on their hard hats and had the op-portunity to ex-amine replicas of common ar-tifacts found in and around the ancestral land of the SRPMIC.

CAP employees hold up their SRPMIC decals earned upon completion of Cultural Sensitivity training March 17. (Pictured from left to right): Patrick Kernan, Karen Ayotte, Brian Knowles, Kara Young, and Steve Rottas.

SRPMIC Instructor April Johnson shows CAP employee Kara

Young sample artifacts.

CAP Selects New General ManagerOn March 3, the CAP Board of Directors announced the selection of Theodore C. Cooke (Ted) as CAP’s new General Manager, replacing David V. Modeer, who retired in 2015. Ted had been serving as Interim General Manager during an extensive recruitment and interview process over the past year. Previously, he served as Deputy General Manager, Finance and Administration, and joined CAP as Assistant General Manager in February 1999. He has a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Loyola Marymount University, an MBA in Operations Man-agement from UCLA and a DBA from California Coast University, along with numerous profes-sional certifications.