# M a s h k i i z i i b i i N a t u r a l Re s o u r c e s (2024) > Briefs, arguments, decisions, and more. URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/tribal%3Abad_river_chippewa%3A65f24f722d0c075a ## Record - **Collection:** Tribal code - **Document type:** Tribal code ## Text 12 1 M a s h k i i z i i b i i N a t u r a l Re s o u r c e s (FALL) By: Andrew Spychalla, Brownsfield Specialist - brownfields@badriver-nsn.gov O n July 23, 2024, the Bad River Band hosted a significant emergency response training exercise focused on a hypothetical oil spill from Line 5. The event was a collaborative effort involving various external organizations, including individuals from federal, state, Tribal, and industry entities. The exercise had two primary objectives. The first was to ensure the effective tracking and management of resources and personnel on the Bad River Reservation, and the second was to enhance coordination, communication, and operational readiness for all who were involved. Special points of interest: • New Staff Introduction • Forestry Updates • Weather Patterns and Air Quality • Manoomin Community Engagement • Energy Program Update • Non-local Beings Update Photo Courtesy of MNRD The training was divided into two distinct groups to simulate different aspects of emergency response. The first group, the Continued on page 7... ~MISSION STATEMENT~ Mashkiiziibii Natural Resources Dep ar t ment 72682 Maple Street PO Box 39 Odanah, WI, 54806 Phone: 715-682-7123 Fax: 715-682-7118 Email: NRDOutreach@badriver-nsn.gov The Department strives for resource management which both conserves the natural resources for the future generations and provide for the needs of the present. The departments existence reflects the importance the Bad River Tribe places on its right and ability to exercise sovereignty, self-determination and self-regulation in the area of natural resource management. We’re on the Web! Visit www.badriver-nsn.gov • Sign Up for NIXLE Alerts Inside this issue: Global Weather Patterns related to Air Quality 2 N.O.R.M 3 Clean Energy Article 4-6 Emergency Response 7 Climate Change Specialist Introduction 8 NIXLE Alerts Sign Up 9 Forestry Article 10 Non-Local Beings Update 11 Summer Climate Summary 12 Dan Powless, Manoomin Specialist - Manoomin@badriver-nsn.gov The Manoomin Blessing feast took place on August 6. 49 people attended which included Tribal staff and members, along with GLIFWC staff. Bad River Community Wild Rice Camp was held on August 19-20 at the newly acquired Goslin Road property. I provid- local boaters, with actual bundling exercises be- ed an overview of the Manoomin Pro- ing conducted. Members in attendance got to gram activities with an emphasis on bun- hear an Ojibwe perspective in the language about dling techniques and practices to approx- manoomin and stories in a historical perspective imately 30 tribal members and other of the sloughs from long time Ricers. A Q&A Continued on page 11... 2 11 Page 11 Page 2 COMMON GROUND Global Weather Patterns Relate to Air Quality T Nathan Kilger, Mashkiiziibii Air Quality Specialist - air1@badriver-nsn.gov W Bridget Thronburg, Non-Local Beings Program Manager - nonlocalbeings@badriver-nsn.gov eather and air quality are close- ly linked topics; each one affects the he Non-Local Beings crew has been hard at work this summer removing purple loosestrife, garlic stop the spread of non- mustard, and wild parsnip. Removing these spe- local beings. This is cies creates space for native vegetation to expand and in- important because crease in population size. This work is very difficult, and the when non-local beings Non-Local Beings Program is very thankful to have such a are accidentally intro- great crew this year! duced into a body of wa- A mobile boat wash station was purchased this summer and other. As one example, drought can will be available for use at boat launches on the reservation increase fine particulate pollution soon! This standalone unit offers a suite of self-service re- locally (dust from roads and fields), as sources, including an air blower, wet-dry vacuum, hand well as increase the likelihood of tools, and lights to help boaters remove, then dispose of, wildfires farther away (wildfire water, non-local beings, and debris – including leftover bait. smoke can blanket entire regions This unit allow boaters to keep their boats clean which will ter, natural predators do not exist to keep populations in check, and they can quickly throw ecosystems out of balance by overwhelming and destroying native species. downwind of the fires). Additionally, wildfire smoke a thousand miles away from a wildfire can stabilize the atmosphere making it harder to form thunderstorms and in- er patterns easier. creases the chances of periods of dry conditions, even creat- There is a global weather pattern that we have given the ing drought conditions if the smoke hangs around. nickname “El Nino”, and the opposite pattern has been talked of issues and development of the Manoomin Steward- Initial bundling and That means that weather patterns are an important part of called “La Nina”. The pattern was first noticed by fishermen ship Plan. We also participated in the youth harvest event in re-seeding took any discussion about air quality, but those weather patterns off the coast of Peru hundreds of years ago, so we went with which 10 youth participated. WDIO TV Staff were present. place in 2023. No- also have other impacts and implications on the environ- their name for it. The official title is El Nino Southern Os- The Wild Rice committee had site visits on Aug 1,5, 12,16, tably a small 1/4 ment around us. There are different types of weather pat- cillation (ENSO), since it is a global pattern that spans the and 21 which included the following acre section of Ma- terns, some are smaller and closer to home, while other pat- entire southern Pacific Ocean but can affect the entire plan- terns are more global and can influence weather for weeks et. and months at a time. We can compare that pattern to the average annual tempera- Openers: • noomin was reestablished across August 14 open to the “Y” of Big Round and Bear from the hatchery and Trap Creek we are following up • August 18 open to the “Y” before Wood Creek. with an additional site August 24 open Wood Creek El Nino and La Nina seem to make the news headlines most ture in the Ashland, WI area, since there have been tempera- often, but there are other weather oscillations in different ture records kept here in the area since 1894. The graph be- parts of the world that are constantly in motion. Those low shows the annual average temperature of the weather weather patterns can enhance or offset each other and work stations in the Ashland area on a red bar graph. The graph • together or against each other in complicated ways. A cou- then calls out the 10 highest annual temperatures and the 10 AMI Consulting Engineers out of Superior,WI was hired to stretch between the bridges was also sporadically reseeded ple of the weather patterns that can influence our weather lowest. We can then look up the historical El Nino Southern do the Kakagon Headwaters Restoration Feasibility study. for year 2 as well and these will be monitored in conjunc- are the Arctic Oscillation, the North Atlantic Oscillation, Oscillation weather pattern and see if we see a pattern. We are gathering recent plant surveys and other relevant data tion with the Wild Sage node monitoring device. STRONG for them to evaluate and had for an initial meeting with Manoomin Collective Project – Jordan Gurnoe informed us Most of the lowest annual temperatures since 1894 in the MNRD. Future Community engagement opportunities are that they have completed their field monitoring for 2024. ways of monitoring the patterns, and the increasing capabil- area have been the La Nina part of the El Nino Southern being planned. ities of satellite technology is making the tracking of weath- Oscillation pattern. With most of the highest annual temper- and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. Often it can be hard to see the weather pattern, but there’s atures since 1894 in the area have been during the El Nino where the native inva- sives plants were removed just up stream. The riverine Manoomin Program 10 3 Page 10 Page 3 Gena Abramson, Forestry Specialist - Forester@badriver-nsn.gov B By Zakk Zander, Air Quality Technician - airqualitytech@badriver-nsn.gov W oozhoo Mashkiiziibiing niiji! e are all familiar with social norms, treat others how you would want to be treated, be respectful to your elders and so on. Today though, I’m talking about a different norm. Much like social norms, they are around us and have very real impacts on our everyday lives. This norm is an acronym for Natural-Occurring Radioactive Materials, which the EPA defines as “found naturally in the Earth (primordial radionuclides) and in the atmosphere (cosmogenic radionuclides)”. Primordial radionuclides are the ones most folks would be familiar with are uranium, radium, thorium and potassium. The name primordial radionuclides just mean they were around before the Earth was formed. All we’ll say about cosmogenic radionuclides is that they form when a cosmic ray hits a particle in the upper atmosphere. While the Birch Hill Red Pine Chipping Project is winding down, several other forestry projects are gearing up! Bad River’s Forestry Program is always working to create a better forest for you as well as the 7th generation. We’ve recently been informed that we will be receiving a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources which will help us remove unwanted and potentially hazardous trees from community yards. In their place, we will be planting food or medicine trees, such as plum, elderberry, cedar (giizhik), or others. That same grant will help us replace potential hazard trees at the Powwow Grounds. Unfortunately, there are some dead or dying aspen as well as many ash that are showing signs of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) infestation. EAB comes through areas and kills all ash trees. Some die sooner than others, but it generally takes 2-5 years from beetle contact until mortality occurs. Ashland County was one of the last of Wisconsin’s 72 counties all of which now have confirmed EAB presence. Our grant calls for the utilization of those ash through firewood processing which will allow us to pay a tribal member to do that work. In their place at the Pow Wow G rounds, we are planning to plant silver maple (Acer saccharinum) (Zhooniyaa aaninaatig).Silver maple are fast growing and will provide shade for a couple of centuries if we protect them from damage. They can also be tapped for sap in late winter. Additionally, we will be starting to “release” young white pine trees after the Birch Hill project is completed. This release work involves cutting away the trees (aspen, mainly) surrounding these young white pine. The result is more sunlight, soil nutrients, soil moisture, and air flow around the seedling or sapling. Once of our goals in the Integrated Resource Management Plan (IRMP, 2001) is to increase the pine component across the Bad River landscape. This work nurtures pine and reduces the influence of our overpopulated aspen. Please let us know if you ever have any questions or concerns about your yard trees or the Bad River Forest. We appreciate getting to know you better! Forester@badriver-nsn.gov , Foresttech@badrivernsn.gov , 715-685-8929, or Chief Blackbird Center ext.1563. Happiest of Holidays to all Bad River Community Members!! To the left: Healthy young white pine seedling To the right: Mature white pine towering over the forest connecting Aki miinawaa Giizhig (earth and sky) Silver Maple Bringing this back to the ground, the Lake Superior basin sits atop a failed rift valley. Most of the rocks that make up the mid content rift (MCR) are volcanic with some sandstone underlaying the MCR. Some of those rocks, the granites and the Jacobsville sandstone, carry naturally higher levels of uranium and radium. At this point if you are still reading this you’ll probably be thinking, “great thanks for the jargon but, why does this matter to me?” Great question, well three of the NORMs I briefly talked about turning into radon. Uranium and thorium both eventually* turn into radium which then shortly** turns into radon. Radon is not one of the primordial radionuclides due to its short half-life of just under 4 days. Radon, as folks may be aware, is a radioactive gas that moves up from the bedrock through the soil and into your home. NORMs and radon can also pose an issue for groundwater. Water moving through and around the rocks containing NORMS can easily pick them up and transport them to the well . This is the main way that radon ends up in your drinking water. Some of you may now be concerned that you have contaminated well water and there is the chance, but, you do not know unless you test it. There are state and federal regulations that limit the amount of NORMs in community wells. Wells that are put in through Bad Rivers POWTS program are also tested for these contaminates. If you have concerns about your private well, please reach out to me and I can try and answer your questions. I can conduct radon in water testing, which could be used as an indicator for NORM contamination. The Wisconsin state lab of hygiene can also be NORMs at Morgan falls contribute to higher than average outdoor radon concentrations. It is typical to have anywhere from 7-30 counts per minute (CPM) *Eventually in this case means tens thousands of years **Shortly means only a couple thousand years contacted for NORM testing if folks would prefer to do it themselves. They can be reached at 800-442-4618 Monday through Friday 7:45-4:30. If high levels are found, there are solutions. The Bad River Tribal Indoor Radon Program would not be able to cover costs or install radon mitigation (reduction) systems but would be able to assist in locating contractors and possibly funds towards installing them. If you have any questions, please contact Zakk Zander 715 -6827123x1553 or at airquailitytech@badriver-nsn.gov 4 9 Page 9 Page 4 COMMON GROUND 8 5 Page 8 Page 5 part of the pattern. A couple of the Deep South of the USA, eastern Africa. return in the fall of 2024 and remain in annual extremes have been neither El An interesting part of this graph is that place throughout the Northern Hemi- Nino or La Nina, and a couple have there are more years above the blue sphere winter. Typically, we see a cool- been during a transition from La Nina average line in the last 30 years. This is er and wetter weather pattern with La to El Nino. where more research can help answer Nina in place. The winter of 2021/2022 So, some of the variability we see in questions like: Are these warmer years was a La Nina winter, and we saw about the local weather is driven by global the result of El Nino? Are El Nino 90 inches of snow that winter. The win- patterns. We do know that our odds of events happening more often, and then ter of 2022/2023 was another La Nina a cool and wet winter increase during the El Nino events are producing winter, and we saw 146 inches of snow La Nina winters. We also know that warmer years? Is something pushing El that winter. While the winter of we’re more likely here to have a Nino to happen more often (are ocean 2023/2024 was an El Nino winter and warmer and drier summer during an El surface temperatures changing and that we only had 32 inches of snow, typical Nino. Different parts of the globe also is allowing El Nino to persist longer of an El Nino winter. see impacts, some are severe: drought and more often?) or are El Nino events But if the future holds more global El and crop failures are common during producing other effects (perhaps drier Nino events, these winters that lack an El Nino in parts of South America, conditions are allowing more/bigger snowfall may become more and more Australia, and southern Africa, while wildfires, which produce more smoke, common, leading to impacts on river La Nina can help create a very active which create a feedback loop of pro- and lake levels, wildfire risk, and stress hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean moting more drought?) on forests, crops, and wildlife. and droughts increase in Chile, the We’re expecting a La Nina pattern to Bella Wabindato, Climate Change Specialist - climate@badriver-nsn.gov Boozhoo! My name is Bella Wabindato and I’m the new Climate Change Specialist. I’m partment, to the looming threat of from Bad River but recently graduated from the climate change in Bad River. If you University of Redlands in the LA area with a have any questions, concerns, or biology degree. This is my first job with a col- ideas please feel free to reach out to lege degree, but I’m looking forward to being me at climate@badriver-nsn.gov of service to my community. In my spare time I enjoy reading, watching musicals, and learning French. I love to travel and my most recent expedition brought me to Scotland, France, and Italy. I’m excited to bring some fresh perspective, with the Mashkiiziibii Natural Resources de- 6 Page 6 COMMON GROUND 7 Page 7 COMMON GROUND Photo Courtesy of US EPA Unified Command (UC) team, convened at the Casino’s conference room. This group, composed of key decision-makers, engaged in discussions on how to handle the hypothetical spill. Their focus was on developing effective strategies and making high-level decisions regarding the response. Simultaneously, the second group, the response team, was stationed in the field near the Bad River Powwow grounds. This hands-on group, which included Enbridge staff and contractors, undertook the task of deploying boom across the river. Their goal was to simulate the containment of oil in a real spill scenario, testing the practical application of response tactics. The exercise revealed several key insights. The field conditions and the timing of events facilitated smooth check-in and checkout processes for both resources and personnel. Effective communication between the UC team and the field responders was noted, contributing to a well-coordinated effort. The deployment of boom was deemed acceptable under the day’s conditions, though it was recognized that real-life scenarios would present more complex challenges, necessitating real-time adjustments to equipment and strategies. A crucial element of the exercise was the control point at the Powwow grounds, where boom deployment was considered critically important. This control point is positioned as a strategic location just before Lake Superior, underscoring the need for timely notifications and effective management of spill containment. Feedback from the exercise participants highlighted several areas for improvement. While communication between federal, state, Tribal, and industry was generally positive, some federal staff noted the need for heightened sensitivity to control points and response strategies. Incorporating community input into response strategies, having access to comprehensive response plans, ensuring staff are trained in situations where hazardous substances are present, and understanding available resources were also identified as crucial takeaways. External participants also emphasized the importance of communication, planning, and realistic training exercises. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) staff stressed the need for early assignment of leadership roles and effective information sharing, particularly concerning cultural and sensitive locations. Overall, the exercise demonstrated the Band’s commitment to enhancing preparedness for oil spill incidents and protecting vital resources. It served as a valuable opportunity to refine strategies, improve coordination, and strengthen the collective ability to respond effectively to potential emergencies. --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/tribal%3Abad_river_chippewa%3A65f24f722d0c075a. Public record. Not legal advice.