NWF Board Member Forges Link

SAIGE 2012 encourages young professionals, copyright Jeff Barehand

Clean Energy, Sustainable Water Top List of Concerns

When asked, “What green campus issues matter to you?” students identified three priority topics: sustainable use of water, clean energy and reducing waste. For each of the three topics, at least one student rated his or her campus as making an excellent effort in that area, allowing students to identify and partner with one another to strengthen projects. We placed ourselves physically along an imaginary “sustainability continuum” to help visualize the status of various efforts, to encourage movement and diversify the workshop format.

The workshop aimed to give SAIGE student leaders a deeper understanding of:

1. The national scope of the higher education for sustainability movement and how Native American young people as well as tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) are leading the movement;
2. Why environmental (or sustainability) education makes a difference in academic success and student well being; and
3. An especially effective approach to peer-to-peer coaching (GROW) that can help identify and further personal and professional goals.

Tribal Colleges and Universities Leading Provide Green Campus Models

Judging from the discussion, most of the student participants were unaware of just how boldly some of their peers are leading.  For example, they learned about clean energy innovation at Blackfeet Community College in Browning, MT, which is generating 50% of its electricity from wind and efforts at College of Menominee Nation, where all students take a course on sustainable development (See: Kuslikis and Beau Mitchell for additional information) as part of their general education requirement and where a position is dedicated to facilitating cross-campus sustainability initiatives.

(A note:  This workshop was an offering of NWF’s Campus Ecology Program which empowers student leaders to green their curricula, campuses and communities).

Bison on the Fort Peck Reservation, credit: Ted Wood/The Story Group for NWF

As American Indians battled to protect their lives and cultures, they also fought to preserve their historical and cultural connections to buffalo. A pair of Indians from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in northwest Montana rounded up some of those bison to save them, and by the early 20th century the bison had grown to a herd of several hundred animals.

These bison were transferred to Canadian national parks and to ranchers in the U.S. Some eventually became seed animals for the Yellowstone herd. American Indians had saved bison from the precipice and contributed to the creation of what would become America’s only wild, genetically pure, free-roaming herd of bison. Today, the historical relationship between buffalo and American Indians comes full circle, as the bison return home to their brethren that saved them.

NWF is proud to have served alongside our tribal partners to protect and restore bison over the last couple of decades. This week, we are gratified to see the wild bison’s homecoming for Indian tribes at Fort Peck and Fort Belknap in northeastern Montana. We hope this is just the beginning of restoration of the creature know as the monarch of the plains to tribal and public lands across the West.

As a tribal partner told us:

You’ve been working to save the bison for the last twenty years, we’ve been praying for this for 120.

It is only fitting that during the very week of their return to tribal lands, NWF is also celebrating bison as one of the extraordinary species of it’s 74th annual National Wildlife Week. We know that a a better understanding and appreciation of these iconic creatures will help us continue to preserve them for our children’s future.

Rachel Carson

I wouldn’t feel right about starting with anyone other than Rachel Carson. This extraordinary woman and author brought environmental awareness to mainstream America in 1962 with her book Silent Spring, which exposed the hazards of pesticide use. The book introduced the idea that science and industry could pose a serious threat to the environment and public health. Her work also pointed out the need for environmental regulation — the EPA calls itself the extended shadow of Rachel Carson.

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.”

 Margaret “Mardy” Murie

Considered the “grandmother of conservation,” Margaret “Mardy” Murie grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska, where her love of wilderness began. She married naturalist and biologist Olaus Murie in 1924, and their outdoor adventures led her to a life dedicated to the preservation of wild places. Her tireless advocacy led to the the protection of some of the most important wilderness areas left on the planet, including Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Her testimony was instrumental in the passage of the 1980 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, legislation that set aside 104 million acres of land in Alaska and doubled the size of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In 2003, at age 100, Murie received the National Wildlife Federation’s highest honor, J.N. “Ding” Darling Conservationist of the Year.

“I am testifying as an emotional woman and I would like to ask you, gentlemen, what’s wrong with emotion? Beauty is a resource in and of itself. Alaska must be allowed to be Alaska, that is her greatest economy. I hope the United States of America is not so rich that she can afford to let these wildernesses pass by, or so poor she cannot afford to keep them.”

Winona LaDuke

An Anishinaabekwe enrolled member of the Mississippi Band Anishinaabeg, Winona LaDuke is a Native American environmentalist, activist, writer, and orator who advocates on issues of climate change, renewable energy, sustainable development, food systems, and environmental justice. She co-founded the Native American-led organization, Honor the Earth, that works to raise public awareness and increase financial resources for the Native environmental movement. She lives on the White Earth Ojibwe Reservation in Minnesota where she works to help land-based communities protect their cultures and traditions. LaDuke also joined Ralph Nadar on the Green Party ticket in 1996 and 2000. Watch her present comedian Stephen Colbert with an Ojibwe nickname in this clip from The Colbert Report in 2008.

“Power is not brute force and money; power is in your spirit. Power is in your soul. It is what your ancestors, your old people gave you. Power is in the earth; it is in your relationship to the earth.”

Majora Carter

In an incredibly compelling, emotionally-charged TED talk, Majora Carter defines environmental justice with the statement: “No community should be saddled with more environmental burdens and less environmental benefits than any other.” This amazing activist works to transform under-served communities into sustainable places to live, something she calls “greening the ghetto.” She started with her own neighborhood by founding the non-profit Sustainable South Bronx and continues to help communities throughout the country solve challenges with environmentally sustainable solutions.

“We need to work together to embrace and repair our land, repair our power systems and repair ourselves.”

Maya Lin

She may be best known for designing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, but Maya Lin is also a conservationist whose art aims to bring awareness to pressing environmental issues. She has collaborated with Pacific Northwest tribes, civic groups, and other artists on the Confluence Project, a series of seven installations along the Columbia River Basin that explore the intersection of environment, cultures, and regional history. Her memorial entitled “What is Missing” features a webpage and multiple installations that focus on biodiversity and habitat loss. Visit her MAYA LIN STUDIO to find out more about her art, architecture, and memorials.

“I think the natural environment is beautiful; nothing I can do is going to be better than what nature has done. So when I approach a site, I want to do it with a lot of respect, with a gentle touch, and whatever buildings I put down, I want them to frame and give you views out to the landscape — to have you be a part of and connected to the landscape. I really believe you can teach people that way. They may not be aware of what is going on with the architecture, but you can make them feel a part of nature — not above it, not superior to it, and not conquering it.”

PHOTO: (from left) Mike Williams, chairman of Alaska Inter-Tribal Council; Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico; Jerry Pardilla, executive director of the National Tribal Environmental Council; and John Echohawk, executive director of the Native American Rights Fund.

Sitting in the ballroom of the Renaissance Hotel, I was impressed to see dozens of powerful leaders from American Indian tribes all across the U.S. gathered together discussing the serious concerns they have about how climate change will impact tribal lands, as well as the great potential they see for how tribes can benefit from a clean energy economy that reduces carbon pollution.

NWF partnered with three major tribal organizations: the National Congress of American Indians, the National Tribal Environmental Council and the Native American Rights Fund to host a lunch meeting to discuss congressional action on climate change.

The tribal leaders are in town for the White House Tribal Nations Conference to discuss a host of issues important to Indian Country, but they took time out to convene on Wednesday to share perspectives on climate change’s impacts to tribes, climate legislation, tribal efforts to adapt to climate change impacts and how tribes are prepared to provide clean energy solutions.

Jacqueline Johnson-Pata, executive director of National Congress of American Indians said that renewable energy is one of the most significant economic development opportunities available to tribes during these difficult economic times, particularly tribes in remote areas, many of which have never experienced meaningful economic opportunities.

John Echohawk, executive director of the Native American Rights Fund, pointed out that Indigenous Peoples have contributed very little to the global carbon footprint, yet they are suffering disproportionately from the effects of climate change. And  Jerry Pardilla, executive director, National Tribal Environmental Council, said that it is incumbent upon the Obama Administration and Congress to include Indian tribes and their leaders in the development of policies and strategies to reverse these impacts.

The lunch meeting really highlighted how important the tribes are in finding solutions to climate change that also bring much-needed jobs and economic security to communities most vulnerable to its impacts.

For example, the Intertribal Council On Utility Policy estimates that the total tribal wind generation potential is about 14% of the total U.S. electric generation – based data from the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

While visitors to the Grand Canyon area see impressive vistas, rock formations and wildlife populations, some of these companies see an opportunity for destructive and consumptive land use.

Fortunately, Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, restored protection of this one million-acre area surrounding the Grand Canyon again this July. The ban restricts all new uranium mining projects for a two-year period in which the U.S. Department of the Interior will evaluate mining impacts on the lands.

Mining companies claim that because their projects must follow Clean Water Act and National Environmental Policy Act standards, they are safe. Yet no total assessment of uranium mining in the Grand Canyon area has been undertaken until now.

Although an exploration permit does not guarantee actual drilling will be approved, Grand Canyon admirers and residents of the area have every reason to be concerned with the impacts of mining. The canyon is one of our nation’s most impressive natural destinations and it’s disheartening to think this refuge for wildlife and outdoor activists alike is not free from harmful mining practices.

One tributary of the Colorado River–Horn Creek–is under investigation due to its high radioactive levels. The Colorado River is not just a stream meandering along the Grand Canyon, it also provides water to millions of people and wildlife surrounding the desert area.

Not only is the radioactivity of water a concern, but also the leaching of mercury and arsenic from these mines. Residents relying on water from the Colorado River can’t settle for an answer that its “safe enough” until a proper assessment is done.

There has been an outpouring of support for the ban of new uranium mining from American Indian tribes, Arizona residents and city and county officials, but you don’t have to be a resident of the West to show how much you value the preservation of America’s Grand Canyon lands.

Add your voice today by telling the Bureau of Land Management to approve a long-term ban of new uranium mining projects near the precious lands of the Grand Canyon.

The U.S. State Department’s approval on Aug. 20 of Enbridge Energy’s Alberta Clipper pipeline permits 450,000 barrels of tar sands oil per day to be pumped from northern Alberta to Wisconsin for refining.

Compared to conventional oil, tar sands oil results in:

• 3 times more global warming pollution
• 5 times more lead
• 6 times more nitrogen
• 11 times more sulfur and nickel

“This pollution pipeline will increase our dependency on foreign fuels and accelerate the development of one of the dirtiest, most destructive fuels on the planet,” said Joe Mendelson, director of global warming policy for the National Wildlife Federation. “We should be investing in clean energy technologies that will help solve the climate crisis.”

Photo: David Dodge, The Pembina Institute

High Country News reports:

“The Council passed the legislation by a vote of 62 to 1. According to Enei Begaye, who spearheaded a coalition to create the legislation, it is the first tribal government initiative to create green jobs policy and structure. Undoubtedly ambitious — combining traditional culture, web-based marketing and cutting-edge green technologies — the plan could transform the Navajo Nation and serve as a model for other tribes.The legislation will establish a commission to implement projects in seven areas: renewable energy (large-scale and small), green manufacturing (focused on traditional crafts such as rug-weaving, combined with sophisticated marketing and PR campaigns), sustainable agriculture, weatherizing and making energy-efficient traditional and nontraditional homes, green workforce training, management training, and a small business initiative.”

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