Tuesday
The Whitener Group
Bob Whitener, Co-Owner
Jennifer Whitener Ulrich, CEO
Website: The Whitener Group
Working with Tribes in River Restoration
Tribes are sovereign governments, co-managers of fisheries, and some of the most experienced restoration practitioners in the region. If your project touches a river, it touches tribal rights and interests. We'll kick things off with a Kahoot! pop quiz covering the foundations of tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, and the legal framework within which tribes operate (there might even be prizes!). Then, Bob Whitener and Jennifer Whitener Ulrich of The Whitener Group will walk through the Four C's of Tribal Engagement: Communication, Commitment, Consultation, and Consent. Using examples from river restoration, salmon recovery, and natural resource management, they'll draw on Bob's more than 30 years of experience working in and with tribal governments to explore how these principles apply in practice. We'll wrap up with an open Q&A session.
Bob Whitener – As an owner and managing member of The Whitener Group, Bob Whitener has over 30 years of experience working with tribal governments and enterprises within Indian Country. Bob has a bachelor's degree with an emphasis in Business Management and a Master of Public Administration. In addition to having run tribal corporations and governments, he has extensive experience in natural resources management, finance administration, human resources systems, tribal-state compact negotiations, policy development, and federal negotiations.
Jennifer Whitener Ulrich – Jennifer holds a master’s in business administration with an emphasis in sustainable business and entrepreneurship. She brings tribal business expertise combined with many years of marketing and strategic planning facilitation experience. Much of her work centers on tribal engagement training: she created the Indian Country 101 (IC101) course series, which teaches the history, governance, and legal foundations that non-tribal organizations need before they sit down with tribal governments, and she delivers live tribal engagement trainings for agencies, land trusts, nonprofits, and businesses working to build durable government-to-government relationships. In addition to her work with numerous clients over the last 11 years at TWG, Jennifer manages all of TWG’s operations and serves as the point of contact between the majority of our clients and our consultants.
Wednesday
Casey Sixkiller
Director
WA State Department of Ecology
Website: WA State Department of Ecology
Building a Secure Future for Washington’s Waters
In recent years, Washington state has experienced devastating floods, extended droughts, and population growth that is stressing water resources. These floods and drought periods are expected to intensify because of our changing climate. At the same time, federal court rulings and policy shifts are diminishing federal protections for waters and wetlands.
Washington is focused on finding solutions to these challenges. From the state’s Floodplains by Design program to the new Washington’s Water Future initiative, Washington is working with partners to develop innovative, long-term solutions to restore healthy river systems and protect local communities.
Casey Sixkiller, Director of the Washington Department of Ecology, will discuss the need for state leadership and the importance of regional solutions to drive policy and innovation, and to protect Washington waters.
In January 2025, Casey Sixkiller was appointed by Governor Bob Ferguson as the 14th Director of the Washington State Department of Ecology. With more than two decades of experience in federal, Tribal, regional, and local government, Casey brings a deep commitment to environmental stewardship and practical, results-driven leadership. As Ecology’s director, he oversees a biennial budget of $2.8 billion and a workforce of 2,200 employees dedicated to protecting Washington’s air, land, and water.
Thursday
Allan Whiting
Habitat Area Lead Estuary/Willamette
Bonneville Power Administration
Website: The Columbia Estuary Ecosystem Restoration Program (CEERP)
Columbia River Estuary Ecosystem Program Evolution and Beyond
The Columbia Estuary Ecosystem Restoration Program (CEERP) has restored over 11,000 acres of tidally influenced floodplain habitats in the lower Columbia River to date. Entering into its third decade, CEERP continues to run on an adaptive management framework where restoration, monitoring, and research actions inform one another to improve understanding of the Columbia River estuary ecosystem. CEERP's foundation is built on leveraging the best available science, synthesizing accomplishments, lessons learned, RM&E, to evaluate the progress towards the goal of improving estuarine ecosystems for all listed, and non-listed juvenile salmonids and steelhead.
The talk will discuss the CEERP evolution over 20 years and collaboration across agency managers, restoration and monitoring practitioners, researchers, and the program evaluation to ensure program actions are relevant and addressing restoration science uncertainties, including vulnerabilities related to global climate change. CEERP managers strive to balance monitoring and evaluating completed restoration projects and investing in process-based restoration projects to continue to re-establish tidal and riverine processes of the lower river. The talk will also reflect on the future of the CEERP and importance to integration of restoration actions across the broader Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife program.
Allan Whiting has over 25 years of managing habitat programs in all aspects of salmon habitat restoration in the Pacific Northwest region. He is particularly experienced in managing large scale floodplain reconnection projects in the Estuary and Willamette landscapes.. Allan serves as Habitat Area lead for BPA’s Fish and Wildlife program and key partners in the Estuary program and emerging Willamette Habitat mitigation program for the Willamette Valley System. When not obsessing over restoring marshes and backswamps, he enjoys hanging out with his two sons, playing basketball, geeking on Dudgeon and Dragons, and fishing. An avid music fan and failed salsa dancer in his capacity in the Peace Corps.