Mission of TIWP

Water quality and sufficiency are fundamental to Cornell University’s land grant mission and commitment to sustainable development. TIWP’s mission is to pursue new levels of water wellness and awareness in Indian Country and its neighboring jurisdictions.

Goals of TIWP include:

Law Component:

• Continue the proactive Water Law Clinic in Native Water Law at the Cornell Law School;
• Develop a joint-degree program between Cornell Law School and other academic departments to pursue JD and graduate degrees; and
• Focus research and training of joint degree students on water challenges in the Six Nations region, including waterborne diseases, invasive species, water treatment programs, biodiversity and sustainability.

Education Component:

• Seek better translations between differing knowledge systems on water and the larger concerns of biotic integrity in contexts of K-12, adult and higher education through new curricular, intercultural workshops, and university course offerings;
• To be an ethical partner in educational efforts for and within Indigenous Nations, regionally and internationally; and
• To collaborate in community-led education activities.

Cultural Encounters Component:

• Involve increasing numbers of faculty and students at all levels in Native culture;
• Emphasize the Northeast Native communities in the Great Lakes and St.Lawrence watersheds;
• Develop micro- and macro- water conservation projects on and off campus involving shared research and teaching with Native (and other) colleges and universities; and
• Establish a de facto, long-term ecological research site under Native management.