Central Wyoming College, University of Wyoming partner to host ‘What the Water Teaches Us’

Central Wyoming College will welcome nationally recognized Indigenous environmental justice scholar Kyle Whyte for “What the Water Teaches Us,” a public conversation exploring how Indigenous and technical knowledge can be brought together to care for water and carry knowledge forward for future generations. The event will be held Thursday, Sept. 10, from 9:30 a.m. to noon in the Little Theatre located in the Student Center and is free and open to the public.

Drawing on work across the Wind River Indian Reservation, Central Wyoming College and the University of Wyoming, the gathering will explore water as a natural resource as well as a source of knowledge, relationship and responsibility.

The conversation will be hosted by Central Wyoming College’s Tribal Education Coordinator Ivan Posey and Instructor of Native American Studies Eric Bennett and will feature Whyte, a citizen of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and the George Willis Pack Professor at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability.

CWC President Brad Tyndall said the event reflects the college’s commitment to learning from tribal communities and building partnerships across Wyoming higher education.

“Central Wyoming College has learned that meaningful work with our tribal communities begins with listening, respect and an understanding that Indigenous knowledge is essential to the conversations shaping our future,” says Tyndall. “Water connects all of us in Wyoming, and we are especially grateful to partner with the University of Wyoming to bring people together for this important conversation and to welcome a scholar of Kyle Whyte’s caliber.”

The program builds on CWC’s long-standing relationships with the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes and its commitment to serving students and communities on the Wind River Indian Reservation. The partnership with the University of Wyoming creates an opportunity to connect research and education with the knowledge, leadership and lived experiences of tribal communities.

About Kyle Whyte

Whyte is the George Willis Pack Professor at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability and a University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor. He is also a professor of philosophy and the founding faculty director of the university’s Tishman Center for Social Justice and the Environment.

A citizen of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Whyte is an internationally recognized scholar whose work focuses on environmental justice and the challenges Indigenous peoples face in relation to climate change, conservation and environmental policy. His scholarship examines the importance of Indigenous knowledge, sovereignty, relationships and responsibilities in responding to environmental change, as well as how universities, governments and scientific institutions can build more ethical and cooperative relationships with Indigenous nations.

Whyte served on the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council from 2021 to 2024 and has served as a U.S. Science Envoy. He has contributed to national and international efforts involving climate change, environmental justice, biodiversity and Indigenous knowledge.

His participation in “What the Water Teaches Us” brings a national and international perspective to a conversation rooted in Wyoming and the Wind River Indian Reservation.

All are welcome to join the conversation.