In this Issue Potawatomi Working for Sustainable Community, Nation

Native Voices
I
In this Issue
n the Winter issue of Native Voices we
profile the Forest County Potawatomi
Community, a Great Lakes-region tribe
that uses its economic good fortune to
pursue traditional values and ethics,
using the tools of modern society. Also
in this issue: ITEP Director, Cal Seciwa,
The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals
Volume XV, No. 4, Winter 2008-09
Potawatomi Working for Sustainable
Community, Nation, and World
A
expresses his hope that the recent
­election will mean vigorous new federal
support for tribal environmental efforts;
we catch up on the activities of an ITEP
alumna; and we welcome Chris Lee as
our new TAMS Center Co-director.
t a tribal climate change conference last December hosted by the For“People were concerned about the water, about
est County ­Potawatomi Community, elder Jim Thunder offered a clear,
how long they would be there and whose
traditional perspective on how his tribe might move forward: “I pray to the
responsibility it would be to clean it up.”
Creator that we look back so that we may see ahead. Let us examine our lives so that
The resulting struggle, in solidarity with
we are respectful to our ­fellow humans and to nature. Let us respect our children
other area tribes, helped launch a new era
and, above all, let us live our lives in accordance with our beliefs.”
of activism at Potawatomi—a mindset
For the Potawatomi Community, prayerful words such as these by tribal elders are
that continues to run strongly through the
marching orders. Jeff Crawford, attorney general for the 1500-member Wisconsin
community. A lot of the early battles involved
tribe, describes his tribe’s general approach to the challenges they face: “Listen to the
grassroots donations, grants, and picketing.
elders, then translate that into governmental action. That’s what I think modern-day
More than two decades later, after the tribe
professionals working in [environmental protection] can do for the tribes.”
opened casinos on both branches of their
The Potawatomi tribe has long experience in melding traditional wisdom
reservation and began to generate significant
with political
revenue, they were able to
and practical
purchase the mine property and
approaches
shut it down for good.
to ecological
Crawford says, “This was a
stewardship.
good example of how we’ve been
Three decades ago,
able to evolve with our additional
when the Exxon
resources to get where we are
Corp. decided to
today, how we’ve been able to
open the world’s
put muscle behind the tribe’s
largest copperenvironmental beliefs. Once the
zinc mine 15
tribe decided it would translate
miles south of the
gaming revenue into government
Potawatomi Tribe’s
action, they chose to look at things
northeastern
in a different way. So we ended up
Wisconsin land
hiring dozens of experts to attack
(they also own land
every single item on the mining
in the Milwaukee
application. We also hired several
Forest County Potawatomi elders Jim Thunder (L) and Billy Daniels Jr.
area, for a total
law firms and lobbying firms, and
of nearly 19,000
we walked the halls in the local
acres), on the
offices, the regional offices, and
doorsteps of two other Great Lakes-region tribes, the Potawatomi Community was
in Washington DC. We had a mission, and
faced with a fundamental threat. With guidance from their elders, they chose to act.
everyone knew what it was.”
The Crandon Mine, says Air Resources Program Director Natalene Cummings,
Potawatomi’s evolution as an environmen“was going to be a huge underground mine, with cyanide leaching right at the
tally proactive tribe is fueled largely by casino
headwaters of the Wolf River,” a water source that is sacred to the Mole Lake Tribe.
see POTAWATOM I o n p. 3
Native Voices
From the Director
Cal Seciwa
ITEP Director
O
ur nation’s incoming Secretary of
State noted that world leaders are
“exhaling” after a long period of
concern about the leadership and direction of this country. In similar fashion,
tribal environmental professionals have
expressed relief with the new path our
President has promised to pursue on
environmental issues.
For the past eight years, U.S. EPA has
been hamstrung in its ability to fulfill
its mission, for two major reasons: one,
because of ongoing budget cuts, and two,
because the Bush administration did not
consider the environment a priority in
its policy making. Although the present
economic crisis casts doubt on how
much funding the new administration
will be able to provide to ramp-up
environmental protection efforts,
there’s little doubt that Barack Obama’s
commitment will be several magnitudes
greater than his predecessor’s. A glimmer
of hope amid the financial meltdown:
the President has emphasized his
grave concerns about global warming,
and his economic-stimulus plan
places considerable weight on issues
such as renewable energy and other
environmental concerns.
This issue of Native Voices includes a
profile of the Forest County Potawatomi
Community, a dynamic, engaged
tribe that has used its economic good
fortune to realize its members’ deeply
held reverence for the natural world.
Potawatomi represents a wonderful
model for the new administration to
examine as it shapes its environmental
policies in regard to Indian tribes. The
Potawatomi tribe has worked hard
on behalf of Mother Earth, fighting
destructive industry in the Great Lakes
region and achieving Class I airshed
status—both of which will help ensure
health of tribal air and land.
They’ve also instituted an impressive
array of policies and practices that
demonstrate their sense of responsibility
for our planet’s
health, including
digitizing tribal
documents, cutting travel through
the use of T1 lines, moving toward the
use of renewable-energy technologies,
weatherizing their buildings, and other
efforts.
Only a small number of tribes
presently have the capacity to accomplish
Potawatomi’s scale of achievement on
environmental issues, but there is much
in the Potawatomi story that other tribes
can emulate, not the least of which is the
tribe's commitment and willingness to
step up and say “enough is enough.”
President Obama’s transition team
was staffed with Native advisors who
undoubtedly expressed a litany of needs
in Indian country. Chief among those
needs, in my view, is a re-examination
of the federal domestic-delivery
system—a crucial mechanism by which
the federal government fulfills its trust
responsibilities to the tribes. Most
tribes continue to struggle with the
basics: providing food, healthcare, good
educations, shelter for their elders—all of
which must be realized well before they
can turn their attention to environmental
concerns. Therein lies the challenge
for this new administration: to help lift
tribes up to levels at which they can
move beyond fulfilling basic needs and
into “second level” concerns that we
all must meet if we are to avoid critical
environmental problems in the very near
future.
One variable I hope the new
administration will consider is a fresh
approach to the funding of tribes. As the
system now stands, most funding moves
through agencies that often prove to be
too slow, too costly, and too inefficient.
Direct funding of tribes for their own,
self-identified needs would go a long
way in helping Native people move up
the ladder toward sovereignty. As tribes
have proven over and over through their
2
capacity-building efforts in air quality
and other environmental media, such
a change in the funding structure is
realistic and achievable right now.
During the campaign, Barack
Obama evoked an unprecedented
level of hope among U.S. citizens who
seek a fundamentally new approach
to governance and to environmental
stewardship. Through his dealings with
the tribes, our new president has a prime
opportunity to prove to Indian people
that our hope was well founded.
Institute for Tribal
Environmental Professionals
–Northern Arizona University–
Director
Calbert Seciwa
Associate Director
Mehrdad Khatibi
Assistant Professor &
Curriculum Coordinator
Patricia Ellsworth
TAMS Center Co-Director
Chris Lee (ITEP)
TAMS Center Co-Director
Farshid Farsi (EPA)
TAMS Technical Specialist
Glenn Gehring
EEOP Coordinator
Mansel Nelson
Solid Waste Program Sr. Coordinator
Todd Barnell
Environmental Compliance & Inspection Program
Coordinator
John Mead
Alaska Solid Waste Program Coordinator
Jennifer Williams
Professional Assistance Program Manager
Lydia Scheer
Budget Manager
Lisa Begay
Editor
Dennis Wall
Native Voices is published by NAU with
a grant from the U.S Environmental
Protection Agency
Native Voices
POTAWATOMI - from p. 1
revenue, but the roots of that activism lie in
a traditional awareness of their relationship
with the natural world. Cummings says of
the Potawatomi community, “They have a
deep, innate understanding that all things
are connected; I hear that over and over
from tribal members. They hold a strong
belief that they’re responsible for keeping
things as pure as possible.”
Another reflection of that belief is
reflected in Potawatomi’s recent Class I
air redesignation under the Clean Air Act.
Finalized in late 2008 after a fifteen-year
battle, the new standard for Potawatomi’s
airshed helps ensure their near-pristine air
quality will remain that way—even as two
new coal-fired power plants move closer to
online status not far to the south.
As with the Crandon Mine,
Potawatomi’s Class I redesignation
required a vigorous fight, with Wisconsin
and Michigan as well as regional industrial
interests. The tribe is willing to wage such
battles because its members understand the
long view. And the elders help keep that
awareness alive.
Climate Change: The Big Fight
Potawatomi elders express growing
concern with climate change and its
impacts on both the tribe and those outside
the immediate community. During that
recent climate-change conference, elder
Billy Daniels Jr. observed that traditional
medicines have grown weaker, and
the animals who eat the plants—also
considered medicine—are also weaker.
He said he doesn’t hear his forecasters
these assessments validated what they’ve already
anymore, the tree toad and the
known by way of traditional prophesies and their
birds. “If I hear them,” he said at the
own observations.
conference, “I know what is going to
Potawatomi’s earlier struggles over the mine
happen today.” Elder Jim Thunder
and Class I redesignation not only reflected
spoke of how “the lakes are drying up,
a strong adherence to traditional beliefs but
the river levels are way down… some
helped consolidate a mindset of strengthened
of our springs are non-existent.” He
cohesion and purpose among tribal members.
asked where the small animals, such
Crawford notes that, although Potawatomi
as the woodchuck, rabbit and squirrel,
have gone, and why he no longer hears council members are re-elected each year, the
tribe’s sustainability programs maintain solid,
the night-song of the whippoorwill.
unwavering support year after year.
“I haven’t heard them in a really long
Those programs pervade the lives and
time,” he said, “probably ten years. The
activities
of the Potawatomi Community. At the
earth is trying to tell us something.
individual
You learn
and
by watching
"If we do not protect Mother
community
what’s going
levels they
on around
Earth, our children will have
include
you.”
­n othing. When we die, we want to efforts such
Several
as individual
speakers
know that we did everything we
and business
at the
could
to
protect
their
legacy.
recycling.
conference
described
—Phil Shopodock, Potawatomi Tribal Chairman The tribe is
looking to
climategrow that
change
component, although the recently depressing
impacts through the eyes of Western
price for recycled material makes it tough.
science. They spoke of drying springs,
Outreach and education efforts are an important
changes in forest ecosystems, impacts
of the mix. Through newspapers and other media
on wild rice farming, invasion of
residents are urged to keep home thermostats
exotic plants and insects, changing
lower and wear sweaters, turn off unused
weather patterns, an increasingly
electrical devices, use nontoxic cleaning and
earlier maple-syrup harvest, diseases
other products, and ensure their homes are well
in animals such as moose, shifts in
insulated.
animal populations, disruptions in
With gaming revenues providing a steady cash
the timing of bird in-migration and
flow, Potawatomi has constructed new buildings
plant and insect growth… the litany
to supplement the older, grant-funded structures
of ecological disruptions is long and
disturbing. Elders in attendance noted
See POTAWATOM I o n p. 6
TAMS Center
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
Technical courses
Professional ­
Assistance
Filter weighing
Audit services
Equipment loans
Information resources
APDLN courses
www4.nau.edu/itep/tams/
3
Native Voices
AI AQTP C o u rses fo r 2009
Air Quality Computations
Mar. 2–6
Flagstaff, AZ
Mgmt. of AQ Programs & Grants
Mar. 17–20
Kansas City, MO
Indoor Air Quality
Mar. 31–Apr. 2
Seattle, WA
Air Pollution Technology
Apr. 27–May 1
Las Vegas, NV
Indoor Air Quality
May 19–21
Las Vegas, NV
EI/TEISS
June 16–19
Las Vegas, NV
ITEP Lau n c h e s Tri ba l Cl i mate C h a n ge Webs ite
C
limate change challenges all of
Earth’s residents, but ­Native
Americans who live close to and
draw spiritual sustenance from
the land are impacted more than
most. Problems fostered by planetary warming include intensified
drought, changes in native plant
and animal populations, stresses
to traditional agriculture and
­subsistence practices, and a host of
other ­impacts.
Much is being written on the
subject, but relatively few information sources emphasize the
special challenges that global warming poses for the tribes. To
help fill that gap, ITEP has developed a Tribal Climate Change
website. Funded by a grant from U.S. EPA, the site includes
general information on climate change and its impacts on
various ecosystems and regions
of the country, stories describing
how the tribes are affected by
climate change and what they’re
doing about it, policy news and
information, and sound files of
tribal elders and others offering
their views of climate change
and what it means for Native
people. Also on the site: practical
actions you can take to minimize
your global-warming "footprint"
at home, at work, and in your
community, and a forum for direct communication
among engaged visitors.
The site went online in February 2009 and will be
continually updated. Please visit the site at
www4.nau.edu/tribalclimatechange.
ITEP A lu m n a Ta c kles Tri ba l A i r Issues
D
uring her childhood in ­Canyon de
Chelly on the Diné (Navajo) Nation,
University of Kansas graduate student
Nasbah Ben formed a bond with nature
that continues to influence her life and
work. “Growing up in the canyon was
a normal experience to me, “ she wrote
for a class essay, “without the luxuries of
running water and electricity… Everyday
life consisted of waking up before the
sun, running, packing a lunch and taking
the sheep out, swimming while the sheep
grazed, coming back home, eating dinner,
listening to stories, going to sleep, and
doing this all over again the next day. My
view of nature has been shaped by a lifetime of experiences, from learning about
the importance of livestock to learning the
traditional stories. Seeing myself as a part
of nature and not separate from it is what
makes myself and other native people
unique.”
Nasbah is one of many ITEP “alumni”
who are pursuing careers in the
environmental sciences. Nasbah worked
with ITEP for five years, first organizing
databases and helping with attendee
travel for our air-management courses.
Although she started out as an Exercise
See A LUM NA o n p. 8
4
Regional EPA Tribal
Air P­ rogram Contacts
For contact information on
U.S. EPA's r­ egional tribal
air staff, visit the web at:
www.epa.gov/air/tribal/
coordinators.html
Native Voices
So cial Justice Issues I mpact
the Prevalence of Asth ma
A
study completed by ASU's Phoenix
Long-Term Ecological Research
project reveals that metropolitan
Phoenix ranks in the top five U.S. cities
for asthma-related deaths. Approximately
8% of the Phoenix population has asthma.
Furthermore, research conducted in a lowincome Latino neighborhood found that
asthma cases clustered in the center of the
metropolitan area and along the freeways.
These areas correspond with concentrations
of industries with high emissions levels and
concentrations of minority populations.
Lower-economic groups, and higher
proportions of African Americans, had
significantly higher rates of uncontrolled
asthma. However, the most important
predictor of asthma hospitalization rates
was a composite pollution measure of three
criteria pollutants: nigrogen oxides (NOx),
ozone (O3), and carbon monoxide (CO). A study by Arizona State University
confirms that asthma attacks and
symptoms increase nearly 14%
on days with elevated levels of
particulate-matter pollution. ADEQ
uses particulate levels to decide when
to issue high pollution advisories;
the Maricopa County Air Quality
Department uses the same information
to determine the "No Burn Day"
restrictions.
The City of Phoenix, Maricopa
County, and several Phoenix-area
tribes monitor air particulates ten
microns in diameter or smaller. U.S
EPA studies suggest the greatest
health threat is from particulate
matter that is 2.5 microns or smaller.
Air particulates commonly include
dust from leaf blowers, windblown
dust from agricultural fields, smoke
and soot from fireplaces and outdoor burning,
diesel exhaust, and other vehicle emissions.
“No one really knows what causes asthma in
children, but we do know that air pollution can
trigger asthma attacks and increase the risk of
respiratory problems in children,” AZ Dept. of
Environmental Quality director, Steve Owens,
said.
Asthma triggers can also be found indoors,
even when outdoor air pollution levels are
considered safe. The EEOP staff is interested in
helping tribal communities (particularly schools)
address asthma issues. Contact Mansel or Matt
at EEOP for more information (mansel.nelson@
nau.edu or [email protected]).
2009 Summer Scholars to Focus on Nuclear Cycle
T
his year’s Summer Scholars program, designed to engage Native students in science and engineering pursuits, will focus on the nuclear
power cycle, which begins with mining uranium and ends with the disposal of radioactive waste. Three decades have passed since an American
utility ordered a nuclear power plant, but 35 new reactors are now in the
planning stages. With no U.S. accidents involving nuclear power since the
Three Mile Island meltdown in 1979 (the catastrophic Chernobyl accident
occurred in 1986), and demands for clean power growing, anti-nuke fervor has cooled to some extent. Proponents tout nuclear energy as a clean,
carbon-free alternative to coal and oil.
Unlike various speculative technologies such as hydrogen, nuclear
power already provides twenty percent of U.S. electricity. Part of nuclear
power’s attraction is the unattractiveness of
energy alternatives. Coal is filthy, natural gas
produces carbon dioxide, and solar and wind
energy are intermittent and still cost more
than many people are willing to accept.
Renewed interest in nuclear power has
elevated the price of uranium, new mining
claims are being issued, and opposition
is rising in many tribal (and nontribal)
communities. Many U.S. tribes, most of
them in the West, still deal with the harsh
legacy of past uranium mining. For example,
the Navajo Nation, which enacted a uranium-mining ban in April
2005, is still dealing with the legacy of over 1000 abandoned mines.
In the late 1970s, Navajo uranium miners and surviving family
members convinced Congress they had suffered continuing health
issues from Cold War-era mining. More than a decade later, Congress
finally adopted legislation to compensate them. Since 1989, the
Navajo Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) program has overseen surface
remediation of most Navajo Nation uranium mines, removing
physical hazards such as deep pits and tunnels. The Uranium Mill
Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) program was created to clean-up
uranium mill sites.
Even after various cleanup and compensation efforts, tribal
residents on land where uranium mining once took place continue
to face significant problems, including groundwater contamination.
Despite educational outreach efforts, some tribal members may still be
drinking from uranium-contaminated wells.
In this year’s Summer Scholars program, EEOP staff will work with
students to explore these and other issues related to nuclear energy.
A major goal of the program is encouraging tribal students to pursue
engineering and science careers, in part so tribes can better address
nuclear-legacy issues and future nuclear-related tribal activities.
To learn more about the Summer Scholars program, please
contact Mansel or Matthew at [email protected] or matthew.
[email protected].
5
Native Voices
his law offices in Milwaukee: “Everyone
assumes when you turn off your computer,
built in years past. Presently, the tribe is
scanner, fax machine, and all the others,
re-evaluating the sustainability quotient of
they’re no longer using energy. Well, that’s
all their buildings. Crawford says, “Like any not true.” To address those hidden energy
other tribe, many of our old buildings…
costs, the tribe has installed power strips,
were energy sieves, and we’re working to
and when they leave they also turn off the
bring them up to modern standards. We’ve
strip. During this interview Crawford sat in
also built new buildings, and we want them a window-lit room rather than using lights.
to be as green as possible. Many of our
“I have a window,” he said. “Why do I need
current structures are five years old at most. to have a light on?”
But we’ve come back to look even at them,
The tribe’s two casinos are also
because we’re not sure they’re good enough. undergoing a sustainability review;
We’ve found instances where we can do
during a recent, major expansion of the
things even better. That’s what we’re doing
Milwaukee casino, they improved on
right now.”
the innovative energy systems already in
The tribe is spending considerable
place. Technologies such as “heat-recovery
effort and money upgrading building
wheels” channel warm air back into the
elements such as insulation, light fixtures,
heating system to reduce heating costs, and
light timers, and switches. Government
digital energy monitoring ensures power
offices in the tribe’s northern and southern
isn’t wasted. The casinos also employ nolocations are linked by T1 lines, saving
water urinals, low-flow water fixtures, and
considerable commuting by allowing for
skylighting.
“virtual” meetings. Crawford cites a small
Seeking even greater energy efficiency,
example of an energy-saving practice at
a year ago Potawatomi instituted fourday work weeks
for some tribal
operations, cutting
energy use and
commuting miles
(some employees
otawatomi’s sustainability efforts have
drive considerable
distances to work
­i ncluded a major revamping of energy use
and back). “We’ll be
within governmental departments, from centralizable to document
ing printing and instituting a four-day workweek to
a reduction in our
digitizing documents and forms. The latter effort
carbon footprint
was rewarded in May of 2007 by a Titan Award.
from this,” Crawford
says. “The questions
Presented to the tribe by the Oracle ­C orporation,
now are more in
the award acknowledges Potawatomi’s documentterms of productivity
management system, which has digitized most
and functionality.
of the paper documents and forms from 17
For instance, some
facilities need a
­g overnment departments.
24-hour presence,
The system archives historic and budget-related
such as Health
documents and features a dynamic security
and Wellness, our
component. Whereas the tribe once needed entire
pharmacy, and
security operations.
rooms to store its documents—and a lot of energy
Obviously the
to maintain and locate them—thousands of tribal
employees like it,
documents can now be kept on hard drives and
but operationally,
can be easily accessed through an efficient search
we’ll probably
function.
have to make some
POTAWATOM I - fro m p. 4
Potawatomi Awarded for
Do cu ment Ma nagement
P
6
adjustments, especially with our service
providers.”
Energy-Independence and Tribal
Sovereignty
Energy independence is a strong value at
Potawatomi, and, Crawford believes, a key
element in tribal sovereignty. “This has to
do with the ability to determine your future,
to provide service to members. Just look at
fuel costs last year, these radically crippling
changes in energy prices. Every tribal
government should ask, ‘Will we allow
ourselves to stay on this incredible roller
coaster, or can we become independent
of all that and make sure our people have
energy when they need it, in a good, green
way?’”
Located in the nation’s northern
latitudes, Potawatomi is limited in
the modes of alternative energy it can
utilize. The tribe is looking at ways to
incorporate passive solar into its energy
mix, particularly for individual homes and
government buildings. “Solar won’t solve
all our problems, “Crawford points out,
“but it will help.” He notes that “old-style”
energy-saving practices, such as heating
pools, building with south-facing windows,
and constructing solar rooftop systems that
partially heat water for home and office
use, could make a serious dent in the tribe’s
energy consumption.
Wind is another limited option at
Potawatomi, but it’s one the tribe believes
can add significantly to the community’s
efficiency mix. Crawford says, “We’re
looking at opportunities on the small-scale.
You’re starting to see small wind turbines;
they almost look like sculptures, pieces of
art that can go in people’s yards to help that
individual homeowner or that government
building.” Bio-fuel production is another
possibility on the tribe’s radar. The tribe
understands that no single alternativeenergy technology will satisfy all their
energy demands, but if used together in
creative ways their sum total can result in
significant energy production—greening
their energy mix and also freeing them from
the tyranny of outside energy sources.
Activism as SOP
Tribal members, says Crawford, feel
a strong responsibility to practice their
see POTAWATOMI on p. 7
Native Voices
POTAWATOM I - fro m p. 6
change their lifestyle, going back in some
entered into contract negotiations for the
respects to our old ways, with less reliance
purchase of Manitoba-based hydropower,
beliefs on the larger scale. When the state
on technology, the automobile and so on.
the Potawatomi Community pushed
of Wisconsin formed a Climate Change
That’s true of every American. But people
successfully for a remarkable agreement:
Task Force last year, Potawatomi was the
have to be educated. It’s a generational
the state cannot claim “renewable energy
only member tribe. The tribe didn’t just
thing; it’s hard to get any American to
portfolio” credits (mandatory percentages
participate—they staffed three of the five
think beyond one, maybe two generations.
of alternative energy in a state’s total
committees
It’s hard to get Western scientists to think
energy portfolio) for Canadian
with lawyers,
beyond a couple of generations. That gives
hydropower purchases until
lobbyists, and
you about 25–50 years out. I think our
affected First Nations are
experts, making
tribe, and other tribes, need to think longreimbursed by the Canadian
a concrete,
government for land inundated term, seven generations.” He’s gratified
beneficial
that scientists involved in climate-change
by the Manitoba dams.
contribution to
research and policy now seem to be looking
Changing the Future Means
the project.
Attitudes
beyond the immediate future.
Changing
The tribe, he
“We don’t want to debate
“Even our tribal members,” he says,
says, has been
who caused it but what can we
“will have to alter their mindsets. We use
more fortunate
do about it?” Crawford says of
electricity, our kids have TVs and electronic
than many others,
the global warming crisis. He
devices. We drive cars, and we sit inside
and with that
asks, “Will humans become
instead of sitting outside. So that’s part of
fortune come
the next dinosaur, or are we
the educational component, to reconnect
responsibilities.
going to adapt and evolve? It’s
our youth to the environment.” And the
Potawatomi Attorney
“You always
pretty apparent that all our
best way to begin, he says, is by listening to
General, Jeff Crawford.
have to have
tribal members will have to
the elders.
food in your
membership’s
belly, basic healthcare, housing for the
elders—and that’s almost always the
priorities of tribal governments. We’ve been
lucky, and our tribe can provide those basics
and also pursue other efforts. We believe
fter a long search, ITEP recently hired Chris Lee to serve as C
­ o-Director of the
that’s important.” The climate change
TAMS Center in Las Vegas alongside EPA-TAMS Co-Director, Farshid Farsi.
task force’s negotiations, he says, yielded
Chris, a member of the Diné Nation, comes to us from
a “compromise document; it’s not perfect.
Oglala Lakota College in Kyle, South Dakota, where he
However, it got nearly unanimous support,
served as an instructor and Site Director for NASA’s
and most importantly, the governor has
­Science, Engineering, Math, and Aerospace Academy.
said publicly that he plans to make sure it
Chris graduated from Northern Arizona University
becomes a living document. We’re now
in 1999 in Environmental Science with an emphasis
doing a statewide media campaign to
in Applied Geology. During his time at NAU he first
support that effort.”
experienced tribal environmental program work as an
Crawford points out that “energy-rich”
ITEP intern. For his internship, Chris was placed with
tribes, who reside mostly in the Southwest,
the Pueblo of San Juan to assist them in their 103 aircan aid in the climate-change fight simply
program development; he also performed monitoring work with the All-Indian Pueblo
by choosing their customers. “EnergyCouncil. Over the years in his work with both the Navajo Nation and the Southern Ute
producing tribes are in a good position to
tribe, Chris has been involved in PM and gaseous monitoring, Title V work, air-code
affect the carbon footprint by choosing
development, grant-funding activities, and a host of other air-program efforts.
who burns their resource. If I’m a carbonChris says of his new role at TAMS, “I have the unique experience of having worked
resource rich tribe, I can sell to whomever I
at the tribal program level, and now I’ll be providing assistance to tribes, often on
want to. Should I sell to a company or utility
projects involving limited funding and limited technical knowledge. I think I’ll be able
that runs dirty facilities…or to those using
to use my experience to assist tribes in these kinds of projects, and if it’s not possible
the best technology available? Can I insist
to take projects on in conventional ways then to look at alternative routes. That’s been
that my current companies convert?”
my experience; for example, the process of obtaining Title V delegation authority was
Potawatomi’s activism extends even
a black and white, straightforward process, but the route to get there wasn’t black and
beyond national borders. When Wisconsin
white at all. I believe with my experience, I'll be able to help tribes to get things done."
TAMS Center Has New Co-Director
A
7
Native Voices
A LUM NA - fro m p. 4
On a NASA website she found data on “aerosol optical
thickness,” which can be related to a region’s air quality. She’s
now looking at developing a pilot project, analyzing aerosolthickness datasets from Navajo Nation airsheds to determine
how such a tribal information system might work.
Focusing on Navajo isn’t just an academic pursuit
for her. “There’s a lot of pollution in the Four
Corners region,” she says, referring not only to
natural particulates in the region’s dusty air but
the presence of several power plants, including
one now in development on the reservation
south of Farmington, New Mexico. “I care about
my people, and I’m looking at the issue from an
environmental justice point of view.” She plans
to survey other tribes to determine the degree of
interest that exists for such a project in Indian
country.
Nasbah realized soon after she began developing
this project that she lacked the technical expertise
to adequately interpret the data—aerosol thickness
has both pollution-based and natural causes. To
remedy that knowledge gap, she’s considering an
undergraduate degree in meteorology. “I do plan
to go on to a doctorate; this would be one step
back before I take that giant leap.”
After she graduates in May, Nasbah plans to
take a break from academia before going on to
advanced graduate work. “For the time being, I want to get
some work done, actually working for a tribe and getting
hands-on experience in air quality. In academics we’re really
good at writing things. I want to make sure I’m really good at
doing things, too.”
Science major at Northern Arizona University, spending so much
time with tribal air professionals had a big impact. “I realized this
was something I needed to stay close to,” she says. After working at
ITEP for awhile, she changed her
major to Environmental Sciences,
during which she did numerous
projects, including vegetation, soil,
and water-quality studies. “As a
student at NAU, I didn’t do much
in air quality. I guess I got enough
of that side from working at ITEP,
meeting people from all over the
nation representing their tribes,
setting up air quality programs.
That experience showed me that
this issue is important not only to
Navajos but to all the tribes.”
Her graduate studies took her
to the University of Kansas, where
she entered the Global Indigenous
Nations Studies program. “I wanted
to do something that would be
usable by the tribes and actually
make a difference in terms of air
quality and health.” She began a
master’s-level project, focusing on
air quality and health, continuing work she’d began at ITEP.
She also mentored Native students from nearby Haskell Indian
Nations University while pondering a thesis topic. During her
mentoring, Nasbah hit on the idea of gathering and interpreting
publicly available air data for tribes that lack air programs.
NAU is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution.
• Printed on recycled paper •
ITP 35QD
Address Service Requested
www4.nau.edu/itep
Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals
PO Box 15004
Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5004
Phone: (928) 523-7792 Fax: 928-523-1266
NON-PROFIT ORG.
US POSTAGE PAID
NORTHERN ARIZONA
UNIVERSITY
8