About Us
About The BayHorse Foundation Trust
Founded in 2014 by Duane W Moss, a life long international lawyer, accountant and entrepreneur, the BayHorse Foundation Trust is a public 501(C)3 charitable, nonprofit organization committed to assisting Tribal organizations and related family members reacquire, protect, develop and manage their homelands in support of critical water resources. Water is the spiritual and physical life blood in their Great Basin and Colorado River mountain and desert ecosystems. BayHorse Foundation Trust is committed to assisting indigenous families and Tribal organizations in developing the technical and funding resources needed for protecting, developing and maintaining their ancestral homelands and the related water resources necessary for self-sustainable communities.
In 2002, Duane and Kristine purchased 4 parcels of land and began the BayHorse Ranch with the intention of eventually creating a training center focused on the mission and priorities facing the indigenous families in the Great Basin – beginning with the Ute Indian Tribe and its related families. The ranch is purposely located within the Extended Boundaries of the Tribe.
We invite any person who has an interest in joining our efforts to contact us. We continue developing our Trustees, Officers, Advisors, Donors and Volunteers. Currently Duane Moss is the founding Trustee and CEO working with his wife Kristine along with exceptional advisors and trustees. We will soon add a page to this website highlighting our key partners, trustees, advisors and officers.
Water Resources Priorities
Working with the Tribal Business Committee of the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation
We have been asked to support the Ute Tribe’s Business Committee which is the governing body of the Tribe to support their efforts in protecting and preserving the Tribe’s federal reserved water rights in the Uintah Basin and Green River. We have helped and will continue assisting the Tribe in implementing a detailed inventory of the Tribe’s federal reserved rights and state appropriated rights the Tribe has acquired. Further development of technologies to monitor and improve water use in the various water basins will allow Tribal leaders to take an equal and legitimate sovereign leadership role in solving and coordinating current efforts with Water Users, State and Federal authorities in settling contracts, disputes and the imminent problems associated with deminishing water flows in the Great Basin and Colorado River drainage systems.
PUTTING WATER TO BENEFICIAL USE: Assist the Tribe, Tribal members and their related families acquire, develop and fund beneficial use of the Tribe's unused reserved federal water rights. This effort will involve reacquiring and leasing irrigable lands and developing a Tribal water bank of unused water rights for interim leasing. A major training program will be developed for enabling youth and young adults with professional and technical know-how and motivation for long-term involvement.
Develop Funding for Establishing a Summer Training Center for Youth and Young Adults and Families
With the help of the Business Committee, Tribal Education, Water, Enterprise and other related Tribal Departments, BayHorse Foundation is in the process of acquiring and developing the infrastructure to develop an 80 acre Training Center for the purpose of preparing and enabling Tribal and related family youth and Young Adult and families to have the technical and communication skills to develop a healthy food production, preparation and distribution capability, develop and maintain entrepreneurial plans and projects, establish and maintain self-sustaining homes and communities, and to stay connected to spiritual and family relationships.
