Daniel Cordalis

Daniel Cordalis is a member of the Navajo Nation who grew up within the four sacred mountains in Southwest Colorado. Daniel is an attorney who has nearly two decades of experience working with Tribes to protect their water, natural, and cultural resources through litigation, resource negotiations, land acquisition, and tribal governance and land management initiatives. His family has fought for environmental protections on the Navajo Reservation since the late 1980s, successfully fighting off a medical waste dump in their community, and they continue to advocate for environmental and sustainable development practices throughout the Navajo Nation.

Daniel is Tribal Partnership Manager for the Colorado River Sustainability Campaign, which provides support, capacity, and coordination to conservation groups’ efforts to ensure that the Colorado River, its tributaries, and its Delta sustain Tribes that have lived in the basin for millennia, healthy and diverse populations of fish and wildlife, and outstanding recreational opportunities, while providing water to support resilient communities, business, and agriculture. He is also Co-Founder and Co-Principal of Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group, an Indigenous-led organization that help Indigenous Peoples protect and restore the natural and cultural resources they rely on to maintain their identity and sovereignty.

Daniel has served as Deputy Solicitor of Water Resources at the Department of the Interior, an attorney at Earthjustice, a clerk for the late Justice Greg Hobbs in the Colorado Supreme Court, a clerk with the Native American Rights Fund, a research assistant for Charles Wilkinson, and as a legislative associate for the National Congress of American Indians in Washington, D.C. Prior to working on policy issues, Daniel obtained a Master’s degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder, studying alpine hydrology; a way to combine his background and interests in physical science and spending as much time as possible recreating and learning in the mountains.

Interested in learning more about the Colorado River Sustainability Campaign? Contact Daniel at [email protected] or CRSC Director Sam Tucker at [email protected].