Environmental Department
Marion Sizemore, Environmental Director
Paul Barton, Environmental Assistant
Chris Franks, Water Quality Technician
918-542-6609
1-888-313-6609
January 2005
The Environmental Assistant and Water Quality Tech., attended boat safety training and certification through the State of Oklahoma hosted by the Eastern Shawnee Tribe.
The Environmental Assistant and Water Quality Tech., attended CPR and First Aid training and certification through the American Red Cross hosted by the Eastern Shawnee Tribe.
The Environmental Staff would also like to announce that NO deer heads examined as part of our chronic wasting disease testing were found positive for the disease.
Environmental Director is currently working on the FY 2005 106 WP EPA Grant.
The Environmental Staff attended the meeting of the Community Advisory Board of the TEAL Project. A presentation was given by two of the researchers involved in the study. The Modoc Tribe hosted the meeting.
The Environmental Assistant and Water Quality Tech., collected tobacco waste from the Tribal Tobacco plant to have analyzed to see if products will be compatible for the Tar Creek Superfund Site re-vegetation projects.
The Water Quality Tech., attended the Tribal leaders Water Summit in Norman, Okla. The focus of the Summit was to try and get Tribal leaders to gather, understand and be prepared for problems concerning water resources and rights that all Tribes in Oklahoma are facing. The formation of the Oklahoma Tribal Water Advisory Council was discussed.
The Water Quality Tech. is in the process of the monthly watering monitoring.
Environmental Assistant is in Reno, NV attending an EPA Risk Assessment seminar concerning incorporating Tribal concerns into the risk assessment process.
The Environmental Assistant and Water Quality Tech. have two Tribal members well tests to perform at the end of the month.
February 2005
The Environmental Director and the Environmental Assistant attended the first Tar Creek Conference planning meeting for this year.
The Environmental Director and the Environmental Assistant attended a meeting with the ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) and the area Tribes to discuss the spreadsheet results from a plant study done in 2003-04. The ATSDR gave a presentation reiterating their commitment to working with the Tribes and the public in the area.
The Water Quality Tech went to Jamaica and was married to his girlfriend of two years. Congratulations!
The Water Quality Tech attended a meeting in Lawrence, KS., concerning non-point source pollution and grant monies available for water quality improvement.
The Environmental Director attended a TCTC (Tar Creek Trustee Council) meeting in Tulsa concerning projects to use some ODEQ (Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality) superfund monies on.
The Environmental Assistant and Water Quality Tech traveled to Bacone College in Muskogee to talk to some students about the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe's culture and language.
The Water Quality Tech is in the process of monthly water monitoring.
March 2005
The Water Quality Tech. attended the Tribal Environmental Coalition of Oklahoma (TECO) meeting in Stroud. These meetings are very important because it allows the department the opportunity to find out what the other Oklahoma tribes are doing environmentally.
The Environmental Director attended the Tar Creek Conference planning which is coming in May and once again the Seneca-Cayuga tribal environmental department is co-sponsoring the Tar Creek Conference.. The Environmental Director personally purchased a bicycle to be given away for the conference on arbor day, winner is requested to ride the bicycle on the Tar Creek Tour. Other area tribes and agencies have also purchased bicycles to be given away, sponsors will have their names and businesses listed in the local newspaper.
The Environmental Director and the Water Quality Tech. attended the Tar Creek Trustee Council (TCTC) meeting, which was held at the SCT conference room followed by the NATURE meeting.
The Water Quality Tech. attended a weeklong training in Oklahoma City on in depth analysis of environmentally collected data. This was a great opportunity to meet with various state agency personnel who are experienced at collecting different types of environmental data. This was the fourth in a series of trainings put on by the EPA and the Oklahoma Office of the Secretary of the Environment.
The Environmental Staff performed three well tests for tribal members this month.
The Water Quality Tech. and the Environmental Director performed the monthly water monitoring at all our test sites, braving gusty winds and very choppy lake conditions.
Environmental Director prepared and sent in the General Assistance Program (GAP) FY 05’ funding proposal to EPA this is the base funding for the tribal environmental program and is of top priority.
Environmental Director attended the Natural Resources Conservation Service Tribal meeting, hosted by the Citizen Potawatomi Nation in Shawnee, Ok. Various topics of discussion included; Key performance measures for NCRS , conservation plans written for cropland and grazing lands; Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans; reduction in the acreage of cropland soils damaged by erosion; agricultural wetlands created, restored or enhanced.
Annual 2005
Environmental Director is in process of closing out FY’ 2001 and 2003 106 WP EPA Grants.
The Environmental Director attended the Tri-State Forum in Joplin, Mo. These meeting are valuable and create a strong network between the tribe, with the other tribes and the States of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri. Topics of discussions included NRDA pre-screening plans, Habitat Equivalency Analysis, Bio-solids, Bird study activities, General updates from the 3 States and Tribes. Groundwater Valuation, and Terrestrial Damages. Other areas of discussion included what kind of information can be published for public viewing with out breaching the partnerships confidentiality agreements. Future studies to be conducted by the Fish and Wildlife service for the tribes and funding issues were also discussed, as well as, restoration ideas for potential pilot projects which can be incorporated with EPA remediation plans for operation unit 4 (non-residential).
The Environmental Staff attended the Tar Creek Conference Planning meeting held at LEAD Agency (Rock House). There has been several meeting and we are well on the way and ready for this year’s Tar Creek Conference.
The Environmental Staff. conducted the monthly water monitoring, so far there has not been any signs of the zebra mussels at our dock area. They performed 2 well tests.
Staff planted a new peach tree for arbor day.
The Water Quality Tech. received his wastewater level D Certification.
The Tribal Environmental Department is tasked with three main goals and objectives:
1. Assess the Tribal land, water (surface and ground), and air quality.
2. Determine those lands and waters that are environmentally safe.
3. Address the areas that are in most need of environmental protection and improvement.
The department accomplishes these goals through the monies obtained from the Clean Water Act § 106 grant and the General Assistance Program (GAP) grant. These grants allow continued water monitoring and assessment of tribal natural resources, including well water sampling and testing for certain bacteria and heavy metal contamination, as well as geographical information system (GIS) capabilities to inventory and assess Tribal lands. These assessments aid the Environmental Department in understanding the complex problems that affect the Tribe’s natural resources and allow the Tribe to better protect and conserve these resources for future generations.
The Environmental Department consists of:
 |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Marion Sizemore, Environmental Director | Paul Barton, Environmental Assistant | Chris Franks, Water Quality Tech. |
The Environmental Department services include:
· Well tests for Tribal members and non-tribal members.
· Environmental / Cultural outings.
· Natural and cultural resource education.
· Environmental consulting.
· Monthly water monitoring of waters within Tribal jurisdiction.
This was a very busy year for the department. Some of our achievements would not have been possible without our partnerships. One of our important projects was accomplished through our partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey. Surface water and bed sediment samples were taken from Grand Lake at two sites within Tribal jurisdiction and tested for Lead, Zinc, and Cadmium. This was a follow-up project to one we had completed in 2002. Five sediment cores were also taken from a sand bar located in the jurisdictional area. The final results from this project will be published soon. This project is very important to the Tribe because it shows that there are downstream impacts on Tribal resources from the Tar Creek Superfund site.
Another important project concerning downstream impacts on the Tribe is one that Harvard Medical School is doing in conjunction with area tribes. The Environmental Department assisted the Harvard scientists in collecting plant and sediment samples within the Tribal jurisdiction to find if the metal concentrations are high. The results from this project are expected to come within the next year.
The Eastern Shawnee, Wyandotte, and Quapaw tribes along with the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society (NAFWS) partnered with the department this fall in conducting Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) tests on deer harvested in the area. Lymph nodes and brain stem were collected from the deer and sent off for testing. No cases of CWD were reported in the area samples.
Along with partnerships, the Environmental Department also belongs to many organizations. We also attended many meetings and conferences with other agencies and tribes within the last year. The Environmental Department also co-sponsored this years 7th National Conference on Tar Creek. Some organizations we participated in this year include:
· Oklahoma Partnership of State/Tribal/Federal entities.
· Local Environmental Action Demanded (LEAD) Agency.
· Tribal Environmental Coalition of Oklahoma (TECO).
· Regional Tribal Operations Committee (RTOC).
· Native American Tribes United to Restore the Environment (NATURE).
· Grand Lake Association Volunteer Water Monitoring.
The Environmental Department also tested many Tribal wells this past year. Overall, the department conducted seventeen (17) tests. Fourteen (14) were found to be unsatisfactory for total coliforms, but only three (3) had E. Coli present and two (2) of those results were from the same well.