Water resource issues can become contentious, even in regions where high quality water is plentiful.  With many different stakeholder groups involved, debate can become heated and progress toward solutions delayed.

Whenever we gather to discuss water resource issues, there are sure to be many different points of view and ideas of how we should manage those resources.  Regardless of how far apart our positions may be, we can arrive at viable solutions much more easily if everyone at the table and in the community work together with respect toward one another.

There are many toward whom we should most particularly demonstrate our respect.  These include, but are by no means limited to:

• Respect toward our elders — There are people in our communities whose families have lived here for many years and generations, some for centuries.  Whether from one of the many tribes, or from families whose arrival was more recent, they have years of observing nature's cycles within our landscapes.  Their observations are crucial to our understanding of how things were in years and ages gone by, and how they became what they are today.
  
  In all too many cases, our scientists, officials, and organizations have forgotten to consult with our elders, whose experiences would better inform the directions taken by natural resource research projects.  We will consult with elders in our communities to ensure their knowledge informs our discussions about how we should manage our water resources.
  
  
• Respect toward our children and theirs — Among people who live close to nature, there's a strong emphasis on making certain the community works for the benefit of future generations.  Seven generations ahead is a common measure for the current generation to be planning for the future in many parts of the world.  Many of us are working to at least make sure our children will be able to afford to move back to where we live, and that's one of the reasons we became involved in working with these issues.
  
  
• Respect toward those who would like to relocate to where we live — Many of us moved to where we live today from someplace else.  We came to a place that we found welcoming, and we were welcomed.  We know that there are others who would also like to come here to live someday. We respect their wish to do so and will work to make it possible for them to do so, and we will keep the welcome mat out for them.
  
  
• Respect toward those with whom we disagree — As we work on water resource issues, there will be occasions where there is a wide difference of opinion on what should be done to provide the policy balance that best meets the many needs of people and other species of concern.  As wide as our differences may be, we have to respect those whose views contrast, no matter how sharply, with ours.  We should always remember that these are the questions that represent our most fruitful research opportunities.
  
  
• Respect toward other species and the ecosystems in which they live — We are members of a web of life, where we depend on the plants and animals sharing our landscapes in a complex relationship where we combine to make all life possible.  We are working to find and maintain the balance that makes it possible for all to thrive, and to help repair and enhance habitat areas that were impaired in years gone by.  We believe that the vast majority of success in habitat enhancement is found in those projects that are locally identified, researched, planned, and conducted.

Respect in everything we do is key to the successes we have.  We hope that everyone we work with shares this outlook.