Karletta Chief presents during “Water and COVID-19 in Indian Country”

May 20, 2021

Karletta and Water and COVID-19.jpg

Photo credit: Nikki Tulley, "Family Pandemic Adaptions,” Navajo Nation, 2020; WRRC Photo Contest 2020

 

On Wednesday, April 21, 2021, Dr. Karletta Chief joined a panel of Indigenous leaders and experts to discuss shared issues and concerns about the impact of COVID-19 on Native Nations during “Water and COVID-19 in Indian Country,” part of the Arizona Institutes for Resilience webinar series “Water Solutions for Our Warmer World.”

Dr. Chief, University of Arizona Superfund Research Center (UA SRC) Community Engagement Core Lead, highlighted the work of Indigenous scholars and researchers in mapping COVID-19 infections on Native Nations and its correlation with the lack of indoor plumbing in infected households.

Other panelists included:

  • President Jonathan Nez (Navajo), Navajo Nation President
  • Chairwoman Gwendena Lee-Gatewood (White Mountain Apache), Chairwoman of the White Mountain Apache Tribal Council
  • Dr. Otakuye Conroy-Ben (Oglala Lakota), Assistant Professor, School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Arizona State University
  • Dr. Crystal Tulley-Cordova (Diné), Principal Hydrologist, Water Management Branch at the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources
  • Beatrice Norton (Hopi), Board Chair, Village of Orayvi

More information on the series or about the panelists can be found at https://environment.arizona.edu/water-series-2021.