Press releases

Owens Lake, CA: In 2015, the first phase of Walking Water began among towering Jeffery Pines at Lee Vining Creek and concluded within the vast dry lakebed of Owens Lake.

To mark the beginning of the second phase of Walking Water a roundtable discussion was held on Thursday, September 22nd with panelists from the Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley, Inyo County Board of Supervisors, Owens Valley Committee and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to discuss local water issues.

The intention of Walking Water is to practice deep listening and speaking that contributes to community building through the sharing of stories which ultimately lead to healing relations. The diverse perspectives represented on the panel identified some of the current difficulties which led to envisioning possible solutions for improved systems of water management.

According to Alan Bacock of the Big Pine Paiute Tribe, “These kinds of exchanges begins a process for discovery which could lead to healthier environments for all in the Owens Valley and Los Angeles.”

The discussion was a great springboard for moving Walking Water into its second phase which began the following morning on the windy western shores of Owens Lake. Prayers and songs were shared at the opening by members of the Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe and waters from all over the globe were gathered together into a container which has journeyed with the walkers from the beginning.

Walking Water is an invitation, an action, an educational journey, and a prayer. The intention of Walking Water is to contribute to a cooperative reciprocal relationship between people and nature, specifically the water, through pilgrimage.

The second phase of Walking Water will culminate in a community walk on October 14th ending where the water from Owens Valley flows down the Cascades in Sylmar at the foot of the Los Angeles basin.

A concluding event for phase two will take place at Treepeople in Los Angeles on the evening of October 15th at 4:30PM. This is intended to share the story thus far and bring together some international walkers with the locals. Next year Walking Water will walk the final leg into LA bringing greater attention and awareness both locally and globally to this precious life giving source.

The Walking Water website (www.walking-water.org) and Facebook page will be updated on a regular basis to share information on the movement of the water conversation. Please visit the website for information on the many ways that individuals, as well as, local, regional and national partners are involved.

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Walking Water and TreePeople welcome you to a roundtable to examine the importance of community connection and co-management with the waters as key to sustainability, resilience and sufficient water to meet our needs.

Walking Water is an invitation, action, educational journey and a prayer intended to bring together the voices of the many Peoples of the Eastern Sierra and Los Angeles watersheds through the act of walking together, following the waterways — natural and manmade — between Mono Lake and Los Angeles.

It is a call for collaboration, joining together in vision and hope for and with water. Our intention is to involve more of the community into the current discourse on water management that so far focuses on Conservation and Recycling. TreePeople inspires and supports the people of Los Angeles to come together to plant and care for trees, harvest the rain, and renew depleted landscapes.

At a time when heat and drought seem to be the new normal, TreePeople unites communities and government agencies to change the way we live in our watershed. If we are to tackle both the local and global water situation in a sustainable and effective way, we need to begin restoring relations: with water, with each other, with our watersheds, with our communities world-wide.

Come to hear voices from around the world who are each dedicating their lives to inspiring and initiating community as a way to empower our choices about how we want to live and share with water.

Kate Bunney and Gigi Coyle will host a roundtable, a way to both share and listen, and focus on:

• What we can learn from the Owens Valley as a local example of water management policy over the last 100 years.

• Water that runs beyond borders in the Middle East . • The power of community in water ownership and use.

• What we can do to bring community into the decision making process.

Invited Speakers are: • Alan Bacock – Water Coordinator, Big Pine Paiute Tribe and Core Team Walking Water

• Marcela Olivera – Water Activist, Bolivia

• Shira Kronich – Associate Director, Center for Transboundary Water Management, Arava Institute, Israel

• Cindy Montanez – TreePeople CEO

• Rajendra Singh – Water Activist, Winner of Stockholm Water Prize 2015, India

• Will Scott – Co-founder, Weaving Earth, California

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Saturday, October 15 – TreePeople Headquarters 12601 Mulholland Drive, Beverly HIlls, CA 90210

4:30pm – 6:30pm RSVP: https://www.tfaforms.com/390293 FREE Outdoor seating

Carpooling encouraged

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