Speakers
Plenary Talk and Speakers
Working Toward a Unified Vision of Water Management in the Verde Basin –
Using Integrated Modeling Tools to Find Water
Consensus on the Verde River
Join us for an inspiring plenary session exploring a groundbreaking collaboration between the Yavapai-Apache Nation and The Nature Conservancy. This historic partnership is using cutting-edge integrated hydrologic modeling tools to find balance between growing water demands and a healthy, flowing Verde River – a vital cultural and economic resource in Arizona.
This session will showcase how integrated models, co-owned by the Nation and TNC, combine climate, groundwater, and surface water data to simulate the impact of future water scenarios. Discover how shared tools and science-based trust are shaping better water decisions for people, ecosystems, and generations to come.
Susan B. Montgomery, Esq.
Montgomery & Interpreter, PLC.
Susan Montgomery is a founding partner of the Phoenix based Law Firm, Montgomery & Interpreter, PLC.
For more than two decades, Susan has provided legal representation and strategic policy advice to Tribal governments, Tribal enterprises, and private business on water law and water resources, federal Indian law, and environmental law.Susan also represents several federally recognized Indian Tribes in Arizona’s “General Stream Adjudication,” which is the legal proceeding charged with determining the surface water rights for state and federal water rights claimants in Arizona.
In addition to her work for Tribes in Arizona, Susan has been a board member for Arizona’s Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona.
Laurel J. Lacher, PhD, RG
Lacher Hydrological Consulting
Dr. Laurel Lacher has owned and operated her own consulting firm, Lacher Hydrological Consulting (LHC), since 2002. LHC specializes in the assessment and modeling of groundwater-surface water interactions, including the effects of pumping, irrigation, and artificial recharge on streams in Arizona and New Mexico. Dr. Lacher has a long history of working with Native American and other rural communities on water supply and water rights issues. Since 2019, she has worked closely Integrated Hydro Systems, LLC in Colorado to develop and use MIKE SHE integrated hydrologic models. Her recent clients include the Yavapai-Apache Nation, The Nature Conservancy, the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission, the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, and the Western Water Applications Office at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
Kimberly Schonek
The Nature Conservancy
Kimberly Schonek is the Water Program Director for the Nature Conservancy in Arizona and has been with the Conservancy for more than fifteen years. Currently she oversees statewide water policy development and project work in Arizona’s most sensitive freshwater ecosystems. Previously, Schonek worked for the Oregon Water Trust as a project manager where she designed and implemented a statewide flow monitoring program and various flow restoration projects. Schonek has also worked for the US Forest Service, US National Park Service and City of Portland Water Bureau. She holds a Master’s in Environmental Management from Portland State University with an emphasis in Hydrology and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies also from Portland State University.
Lunch Speaker
Our Thursday lunch speaker will be discussing:
The History of Water Resources Development on the Verde River: Past, Present. and Future Collaboration
Patrick B. Sigl
Director Water and Natural Resources Law in the Legal Services Department for the Salt River Project
Patrick Sigl is the Director Water and Natural Resources Law in the Legal Services Department for the Salt River Project (“SRP”). SRP is responsible for the care, operation, and maintenance of one of the first federal reclamation projects built by the United States after it enacted the Reclamation Act in 1902. Since its founding in 1903, SRP’s purpose is to provide reliable water and power to people living in central Arizona. His practice areas include, among others, water law, water litigation, water resources management, the Arizona general stream adjudications, Indian law, Indian water rights settlements, reclamation law, Colorado River law, environmental law (e.g. compliance with NEPA, Clean Water Act, National Historic Preservation Act, and Endangered Species Act), public land law, and land rights law. Patrick has spent his career specializing in water, natural resources, and environmental law and policy. He worked in Washington DC for the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of the United States Congress, focusing on natural resources issues such as invasive species, forest management, oil and gas development and public land management. Patrick came to SRP from the Arizona Attorney General’s office, where he specialized in water law and litigation. He advised the State agencies on water rights matters and represented those agencies in the Arizona general stream adjudications. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil and environmental engineering from South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, South Dakota. When not practicing law, he can be found dragging his family on epic outdoor adventures in the American West.