Law Seminars International Presents

A Comprehensive Two-Day Conference on

Idaho Water Law

Policy priorities, management and litigation

May 24 & 25, 2007
The Grove Hotel in Boise, ID
Register      Download PDF Brochure

Who Should Attend

Attorneys, real estate professionals, corporate managers, governmental and tribal representatives, planners and consultants

Why Attend

Regional competition over the use and management of water resources continues to be of critical importance in Idaho. New legislation, ongoing litigation and various major regulatory actions will have a significant role in shaping the future of Idaho and the region. This program addresses recent developments expected to affect the public, business, all levels of government, and the environment, both in the state and regionally. Topics to be covered include conjunctive management and federal salmon litigation, as well as proposed stream adjudications in north Idaho and associated interstate management issues emphasizing the recently completed Spokane Valley/Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer Study. Other topics to be discussed are municipal water rights, land use planning, hydro re-licensing and instream flow issues. We have assembled representatives from federal, state and local governments, consultants, and practitioners to provide useful suggestions and insights on these and other water resource issues affecting Idaho and its surrounding areas. ~ Program Co-Chairs: Christopher H. Meyer, Esq. and Peter G. Scott, Esq.

What You Will Learn

~Salmon BiOp & litigation (Columbia and Lower Snake River Dams) ~Idaho's conjunctive management rules, including legislative proposals/actions update ~ID/WA adjudications & USGS Spokane Valley Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer Study ~Case studies of instream flow issues for Idaho's river basins ~Federal & state issues unique to Idaho's native tribes ~Multiple perspectives on hydro re-licensing and water management ~Interstate allocation of water resources between North Idaho & Eastern Washington

What Attendees Have Said About Similar Programs

~ Really great. LSI is doing a great job with this type of education. I'm not sure where I could get this information if it were not for you.---Gordon MacWilliams

Agenda

Thursday, May 24, 2007
8:00 am Registration & Continental Breakfast
8:30 am Introduction & Overview
  Christopher H. Meyer, Esq., Program Co-Chair
 Givens Pursley LLP / Boise, ID
  Peter G. Scott, Esq., Program Co-Chair
 Gough, Shanahan, Johnson & Waterman / Helena, MT
8:45 am Salmon BiOp & Litigation (Columbia and Lower Snake River Dams)
  New developments and implications of ongoing salmon litigation for Idaho and the Upper Columbia River Basin
  L. Michael Bogert, Counselor to Interior Secretary
 U.S. Department of the Interior / Washington, DC
  New developments and implications of ongoing salmon litigation for Idaho and Upper Columbia River Basin
  Norm M. Semanko, Esq., Executive Director and General Counsel
 Idaho Water Users Association / Boise, ID
  William W. Stelle, Esq.
 Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis LLP / Seattle, WA
10:15 am Break
10:30 am Conjunctive Management in Idaho: Litigation, Administration & Management
  Idaho's conjunctive management rules: Responsibilities for junior ground water users; determining depletion rates; the prior appropriation doctrine; update on Supreme Court litigation and legislative proposals/actions Policies and legislation
  Clive J. Strong, Esq., Chief, Natural Resources Division
 Office of the Idaho Attorney General / Boise, ID
  Integrated conjunctive management
  Michael C. Creamer, Esq.
 Givens Pursley LLP / Boise, ID
12:15 pm Lunch (on your own)
1:30 pm Idaho and Washington Adjudications & the USGS Spokane Valley Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer Study
  Overview of the report
  Peter G. Scott, Esq., Moderator, Program Co-Chair
 Gough, Shanahan, Johnson & Waterman / Helena, MT
  Idaho state perspective on the mechanics of adjudicating water rights and implications for residents and business
  Robert G. Haynes, P.E., Regional Manager
 Idaho Department of Water Resources / Coeur d' Alene, ID
  Washington state perspective on the mechanics of adjudicating water rights and implications for residents and business
  Ben Bonkowski, Adjudication Section Manager
 Washington State Department of Ecology / Olympia, WA
3:30 pm Break
3:45 pm Instream Flow Issues for Idaho's River Basins
  Case studies from older success stories like Henry's Fork, Lemhi River Basin, to newer projects such as Salmon River and the Wood River Legacy Project
  Bill Sedivy, Executive Director
 Idaho Rivers United / Boise, ID
  Kevin Lewis, Conservation Director
 Idaho Rivers United / Boise, ID
  Overview of law and politics governing instream flows in Idaho; past and present legislation; pre-legislative designations; how the water board deals with applications
  Phillip J. Rassier, Esq., Deputy Attorney General
 Idaho Department of Water Resources / Boise, ID
5:00 pm Reception for Attendees & Faculty
  Sponsored by Givens Pursley LLP and Gough, Shanahan, Johnson & Waterman

Friday, May 25, 2007
8:00 am Registration & Continental Breakfast
8:30 am Introduction & Overview
  Christopher H. Meyer, Esq., Program Co-Chair
 Givens Pursley LLP / Boise, ID
  Peter G. Scott, Esq., Program Co-Chair
 Gough, Shanahan, Johnson & Waterman / Helena, MT
8:45 am Municipal Water Rights
  Idaho/Washington Paradise Creek and aquifer issues; City of Eagle moratorium on development with water deliverance concerns; City of Moscow conservation efforts and dam construction
  Randy Fife, Esq., City Attorney
 City of Moscow Legal Department / Moscow, ID
  Bruce M. Smith, Esq.
 Moore Smith Buxton & Turcke, Chartered / Boise, ID
9:45 am Interstate Allocation of Water Resources Between North Idaho & Eastern Washington
  Interstate allocation potential and issues in the Coeur d'Alene-Spokane and Moscow-Pullman areas, where finite water resources are meeting growing municipal demand
  Rachael Paschal Osborn, Esq., Executive Director
 Columbia Institute for Water Policy / Spokane, WA
10:30 am Break
10:45 am Land Use Planning & Water Development
  When irrigated agricultural areas urbanize: Some of the water right issues
  Jeffrey C. Fereday, Esq.
 Givens Pursley LLP / Boise, ID
  Working with irrigation water delivery entities
  Daniel V. Steenson, Esq.
 Ringert Clark Chartered Lawyers / Boise, ID
12:15 pm Lunch (on your own)
1:30 pm Salmon BiOp Case: What's Yours is Theirs and What's Mine is My Own
  The need for a "major overhaul" for resolving the complex issues of Columbia River Basin operations and salmon recovery
  Howard A. Funke, Esq.
 Howard Funke and Associates, PC / Coeur D'Alene, ID
2:15 pm Federal, State & Tribal Issues in Hydro Re-licensing and Water Management
  Tribal perspective
  Howard A. Funke, Esq.
 Howard Funke and Associates, PC / Coeur D'Alene, ID
  Industry perspective
  James B. Vasile, Esq.
 Davis Wright Tremaine LLP / Washington, DC
  Environmental perspective
  James M. Lynch, Esq.
 Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis LLP / Seattle, WA
3:30 pm Evaluations & Adjourn

Tuition

Regular tuition for this program is $895 with a group rate of $795 each for two or more registrants from the same firm. For government employees, we offer a special rate of $695. For students and people in their job for less than a year, our rate is $447.50. All rates include admission to all seminar sessions, food and beverages at breaks, and all course materials. Make checks payable to Law Seminars International.

Cancellation & Substitution

You may substitute another person at any time. We will refund tuition, less a $50 cancellation fee, if we receive your cancellation by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 18, 2007. After that time, we will credit your tuition toward attendance at another program or the purchase of a homestudy. There is a $25 cancellation fee for Course Materials orders and $50 for Homestudy orders.

Continuing Education Credits

This program qualifies for 11.75 ID CLE credits. Upon request, we will apply for CLE credits in other states and other types of credits.

Location

The conference will be held at The Grove Hotel at 245 S. Capitol Blvd. in Boise, ID 83702. Call the hotel directly at (888) 961-5000 for reservations at the special negotiated rate of $139 and mention that you are attending a Law Seminars International conference. Rooms are on a first come, first served basis.
More about the Location
Map & Directions

If You Cannot Attend

Our complete Homestudy Course, consisting of a VHS or DVD recording and the written course materials, is available for $905. The written course materials alone are available for $100. We will ship your homestudy order via UPS ground within two weeks after the seminar or the date we receive payment (whichever is later).
Order Homestudy

Faculty Bios

Christopher H. Meyer, Program Co-Chair, a partner with Givens Pursley LLP, is a leader in water, land use, environmental, constitutional and administrative law and is described in the Idaho Yearbook Directory as a "key figure in Idaho water law." He has earned listings in the Best Lawyers in America, Chambers, Who’s Who Legal, Who’s Who in America, and Martindale Hubbell's highest rating, "AV".

Peter G. Scott, Program Co-Chair, is a water resource and land use attorney with Gough, Shanahan, Johnson & Waterman. In addition, he is an experienced hydro geologist, and serves as regulatory and litigation counsel for municipalities, special districts and private water users throughout the Columbia River Basin. He is a Trustee of the Northwest Mining Association and a volunteer arbitrator for the Better Business Bureau.

L. Michael Bogert, Counselor to Interior Secretary with the U.S. Department of the Interior, coordinates natural resources and tribal water rights law and policy for Secretary Dirk Kempthorne. Previously he was the legal advisor to Governor Kempthorne of Idaho, advising on legal implications of state policy and legislation on water and environmental issues.

Ben Bonkowski is the Adjudication Section Manager in the Water Resources Program of the Washington State Department of Ecology. He has served on the State Drinking Water Advisory Committee, Municipal Water Use Efficiency Subcommittee and the Department of Ecology Sustainability Team.

Michael C. Creamer, a partner at Givens Pursley LLP, focuses on water rights, minerals, public lands, real estate and public utilities law. He has been special counsel to agricultural, municipal and industrial ground water users in the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer and is the former Chair of the Water Law Section of the Idaho State Bar, and is listed in Best Lawyers in America.

Jeffrey C. Fereday, senior practitioner in Givens Pursley LLP's natural resources, environmental and energy group, focuses on environmental law, water rights, endangered species, wetlands, mining and public lands. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the fields of environmental and natural resources law, as well as The International Who’s Who of Mining Lawyers.

Randy Fife, City Attorney for the City of Moscow Legal Department, is on the Association of Idaho Cities Legal Technical Analysis Team and a member of the International Municipal Lawyers Association and the Idaho Municipal Attorneys, Inc.

Howard A. Funke is a tribal attorney with Howard Funke and Associates, PC. He works closely with the Coeur d'Alene tribe on water issues.

Robert (Bob) G. Haynes is the Regional Manager of the Idaho Department of Water Resources, and a professional engineer. He is Chairman of the Department of Water Resources’ Rathdrum Prairie Ground Water Management Area Advisory Committee and a member of the Management Committee for the Rathdrum Prairie - Spokane Valley Aquifer Study.

Kevin Lewis, Conservation Director of Idaho Rivers United, has a background in environmental policy, non-profit management, team building, and expertise in relicensing hydropower dams and collaborative watershed management.

James M. Lynch, of counsel with Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis LLP, focuses on regulatory compliance and environmental law with an emphasis on the Federal Power Act, ESA and NEPA. He advises industry associations, including the timber industry, fishing groups and public utilities, on ESA compliance and permitting.

Rachael Paschal Osborn is Executive Director of the Columbia Institute for Water Policy, an organization dedicated to the sustainable and equitable use of freshwater resources throughout the Columbia Watershed. She is a public interest water lawyer and teaches water law at Gonzaga University Law School.

Phillip J. Rassier, Senior Deputy at the Idaho Department of Water Resources and Deputy Attorney General with the Natural Resources Division of the Idaho Attorney General's Office, advises and represents the Department on water administration and water rights issues, and provides legal counsel to the Idaho Water Resource Board.

Bill Sedivy, Executive Director of Idaho Rivers United, is a river activist and began with IRU working on the Bear River relicensing. An avid paddler of Idaho's rivers, he is a volunteer regional coordinator for American Whitewater and has served on its board of directors.

Norm M. Semanko is Executive Director and General Counsel for the Idaho Water Users Association, president of the National Water Resources Association, and president of the Coalition for Idaho Water. He was appointed to the Western States Water Council by Gov. Dirk Kempthorne and is a member of Idaho United for Fish and Water.

Bruce M. Smith, a principal with Moore Smith Buxton & Turcke, Chartered and wildlife biologist, focuses on water, natural resources, environmental and business law. He works with private, government, and NGO entities to develop specialized habitat conservation plans for forest, rangeland, and water resources.

Daniel V. Steenson, principal with Ringert Clark Chartered Lawyers, practices in water law, natural resources, public lands, environmental law, governmental affairs and legislation. He is a member of the firm’s Natural Resources Practice Group and Governmental Affairs Practice Group.

William W. Stelle, partner at Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis LLP, practices environmental and natural resource law and leads the firm's Endangered Species Act Practice Group. Previously, he was Regional Director of the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Clive J. Strong, Chief of the Natural Resources Division for the Office of the Idaho Attorney General, works exclusively in environmental, natural resources and Indian Law. He coordinates conjunctive administration of surface and ground water litigation for the state of Idaho.

James B. Vasile, partner with Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, focuses on federal regulation of the electric power industry, emphasizing FERC regulation of independent power producers, power marketers and other public utilities; licensing of hydroelectric projects; and regulation of public utility holding company systems. He was named as one of the "Best Lawyers in America" in Public Utility Law by Woodward/White, 2003-2004; 2005-06; 2006; 2007 and was a former chair of the Energy Bar Association’s Hydroelectronic Regulation Committee.