Spring Update: Women and Water Convening
A very warm thank you to Planet Women’s community of supporters and partners! Below is a highlight from our work in the Colorado River Basin, featured in our 2025 Spring Impact Report.
In November 2024, we co-hosted the second annual Women and Water Convening at the San Xavier District of the Tohono O’odham Nation in Arizona with Indigenous Women’s Leadership Network, Sonoran Institute, The Chapter House and The Nature Conservancy. The Women and Water Convening was co-created in 2023 to bring together Indigenous women and allies who are stewarding and protecting the Colorado River, with the aim of addressing water issues and advancing community-driven approaches.
The last two WAWC (2023 and 2024) brought together 136 Indigenous women and allies, representing 10 tribes. Attendees spent two days building connections, exchanging knowledge, and charting a path forward to steward and heal the Colorado River for generations to come.
Looking Ahead to this November’s Convening
This spring, we’ve been busy planning for the third annual Women and Water Convening, which will take place November 5-7, 2025, in Tuba City, AZ, Navajo Nation. This event brings together Indigenous women and allies who are stewarding and protecting the Colorado River, providing a creative space to collaborate. Attendees are professionals in conservation, the WASH sector, food sovereignty, cultural preservation, and philanthropy, as well as members of creative or academic institutions.
The 2025 host committee is co-chaired by Dr. Crystal Tulley-Cordova and Emma Robbins, and includes representatives from the Navajo Nation Water Rights Commission, Navajo Nation Council, Navajo Nation Office of the President and Vice President, Navajo Nation Office of Legislative Counsel, the Tohono O’odham Nation, the Haury Program at the University of Arizona, Mighty Arrow Family Foundation, Weston Solutions, Diné College, The Chapter House, and Indigenous Women’s Leadership Network.
This year, the gathering will be extended to three days. One day will be dedicated to those working on and with the Navajo Nation, and the other two days are open to all women and femme-identifying individuals working in the Colorado River Basin and the Desert Southwest. This year, we are focusing on arts, storytelling, and water, and the role that water plays in traditional Diné (Navajo) culture. We would like to extend a special thank you to our event sponsors, the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation, the Haury Program at the University of Arizona and the Walton Family Foundation.
Dive deeper into these Women and Water Convening resources:
This gathering is open to cisgender women, femme/feminine identifying, Two-Spirit, trans, genderqueer, and non-binary individuals and community members who are contributing to the stewardship and protection of the Colorado River Basin. If this is you, you’re welcome to register here.
Explore Planet Women’s strategy in the Colorado River Basin.
Learn about Tribal water rights and settlements in the Basin.
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